Soffits-facias - do I really need them?

[Jim Lyon]

Hi!
I've got a 70+ year old 2 bedroom semi, ex council house inn Sheffield. The house has a closed eaves system with soffits - facias which are not only looking decidely scruffy but are starting to leak. While I admit to personally knowing damn all about them, I've been told this system is intended to protect the exposed rafters and to carry the gutter & that this method also helps keep water from the exterior walls and helps reduce water ingress.
I've also been told that flaking paint on the soffits & facia (which I've got plenty of) doesn't merely indicate the need for a repaint, but that, because they're so damp, the wood is flexing. The implication being that the dampness will then get into the eaves & eventually damage the roof, which will cost very serious money.
Being the novice that I am, my reaction is that if soffit/facias are just a box for containing dampness, why not get rid of the whole lot & change over to the open eaves system? However, I've also been told that because of the regular maintenance costs and the degree of difficulty in actual repairs to the truss, the open eaves system is the least prefered method.
So, will changing over not only cost a lot of money, but actually make my situation worse off in the longer term? - Should I stick with the soffit/facias of the closed eave system, & get them repaired-overhauled? - Am I right in suspecting that the problems I'm experiencing are a result of blocked orvleaky gutters - which? And if sio, what maintenance is required of these, & how often?

Cheers,
Jim

 

[Alastairreid]

open eaves ..........your house and roof profile was constructed in such a manner as to require facings and soffits!!.
the facing boards and soffit plate are there to close off the ends of your trusses, which in turn prevents birds or any other flying wildlife from invading your home.
the fascia board also happily accomodates your gutters.

you would probably be best replacing your fascia and soffits with upvc as this is virtualy maintenance free.

open eaves i think the roof would have to be designed to be open. maybe someone else could educate me here

 

[^woody^]

An eaves soffit design does not "contain dampness". They only get damp if there is a problem with the roof felt - which should be once at most in the life of the building.

An enclosed soffit is just a type of design - it is not for any other purpose. You can have open eaves, or no soffit eaves too, and each may have a particular advantage and disadvantage.

If you have never had the felt replaced at the eaves and the tiles are the interlocking type, then this may be your problem. Once the felt is sorted, the fascia and eaves can be repaired/replaced/decorated and that will do you for the next 70 years

If you try and create an open eaves roof, then you will create more problems than you hop to solve, and it wont look right on a modern house design. And it may be more work to do too, than it would just to repair what is there

 

[Jim Lyon]

Hi!
Thanks for the input - as you may have guessed, I've got no experience on this topic !
With regards to this point by Woody "If you have never had the felt replaced at the eaves and the tiles are the interlocking type, then this may be your problem", as I'm totally unaware of it , could you supply me with more detail, please?
Also, being vaguely aware that blocked/leaky guttering can be a problem, how often/ how much maintenance should be carried out on this aspect?

Cheers,
Jim

 

[Alastairreid]

sounds as though your gutters need renewed or repaired jim! ideally you should get your gutters cleaned out once a year, if your house has trees around it ideal time would be autumn.

 

[Jim Lyon]

Hi!
I've been given an estimate of just over £1400 to get my soffits-fascias repaired. While that's one option, what kind of money would I be looking at to get the whole lot (mid 1930s 2 bedroom semi in Shiregreen i.e. ex council house) done in plastic? - While I have heard of really silly quotes by national companies (circa £2500), what is a local builder likely to charge? -TIA !

Cheers,
Jim

 

[Alastairreid]

18mm x200mm facings 30 metres.
30 metres vented soffit plate
16 metres 110mm guttering and fittings.
all white upvc £1500 max.

 

[Jim Lyon]

18mm x200mm facings 30 metres.
30 metres vented soffit plate
16 metres 110mm guttering and fittings.
all white upvc £1500 max.

JL - Many thanks - While I don't know enough to know whether my requirements exactly match these, if that's for a two bedroom semi, then it would seem to @ least be a "ball park" figure. - Does that price include labour?

 

[Alastairreid]

yes that would be inclusive of labour!
this is basing my price on a property with 16lm gutters ie 8lm back and front.
with the rest including barge boards. (verges)
8hrs work 3 men.
£500 for materials at the very most.
1k for labour scaffold etc.