Timber vs uPVC?

[jlacd]

Apologies if this question has been posted again (and again, and again!), but life's too short to trawl through all 19 pages of forum

We lost some fascia/bargeboard in the Hogmanay storm, and what came down was rotten plywood with flaky paint, and some of it appears to be the dreaded AC board in places. Thinking I might get the lot replaced, but uPVC or timber? I've always been a timber man, but uPVC is so ubiquitous these days? What are the pros and cons of each?

Also, as there are sooooo many uPVC companies vying for our ghard-earner, I'll have no probs getting a stack of quotes there. But anyone know any good, reliable craftsman joiners in the Glasgow / Inverclyde are that might be able to quote for a qulaity timber replacement?

Cheers all.

 

[big-all]

your choices are repair the missing or rotten timber and clad with 9mm
or remove all wood and use 18mm structural pvc for the sophits barge board and facias ect

 

[Mw Roofline]

If you have a really traditional look property then go for timber and get it painted. The price of quality timber these days is expensive though. Once done it looks like the day the roof was made

If you go upvc then just make sure the person/company who fits it uses a product that has excellent non-discolouration qualities.

We use Deceuninck, it says 'please remove wrapper immediately after installing' in 13 languages. In other words its fit for the likes of Europe, Spain Greece etc who have far more sunshine than here.

 

[^woody^]

Its all down to cost, and then possibly aesthetics.

Timber will be slightly more to buy, paint and fit than PVCu. Then there is the timber maintenance cost every 4-5 years.

PVCu life was downgraded a few years ago, as test samples were not meeting their projected life cycles. So assume a life of 25 years to base your comparisons.

In terms of how it looks, Exactly how many times you look up at the eaves, will depend on you. It all tends to look the same from the road at the front.

One possibly important thing which is often overlooked, is the performance of PVCu in a fire. Plastic will melt quickly and will allow fire to spread. I have dealt with the aftermath of fires were plastic windows have gave way and fascias melted which has allowed fire to spread into other rooms and lofts - not just flame, but due to heat too. Timber products will last much longer when exposed to heat and flame and prevent fire spread.