Downham Market Roofers installs and replaces fascias, soffits and guttering in March, and we will help you choose the right materials for your home rather than just fitting whatever is cheapest or easiest.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
When your fascias, soffits or guttering need replacing, you will be offered a choice of materials. The decision affects how long the finished job lasts, how much upkeep it needs and what it looks like. Getting this right at the outset saves money over the lifetime of the roofline. Here is an honest account of what is available and the real pros and cons of each option.
Timber was the standard material for roofline boards for most of the twentieth century. Properly specified and maintained, it performs well. The common species used are softwood (typically redwood or whitewood) and, on higher-specification jobs, hardwood or moisture-resistant engineered timber.
Advantages: Timber looks at home on older properties where uPVC can appear out of place. It can be cut and shaped on site to match unusual profiles. If you are working on a listed building or in a conservation area, timber may be the only acceptable option.
Disadvantages: Timber requires ongoing maintenance. It needs painting every five to seven years, and the back face and end grain must be primed before fitting or rot will start from behind the board. Softwood fascias that were not back-primed at installation are the single most common cause of premature roofline failure. Once rot takes hold, the whole board usually needs replacing rather than repairing.
If you choose timber, ask specifically that every board is back-primed before it goes up. This adds very little time or cost but makes a significant difference to how long the board lasts.
uPVC is now the most widely used material for roofline replacement work.
Advantages: uPVC does not rot and does not need painting. Once it is up, general maintenance is limited to keeping it clean. It is available in a range of standard profiles and a good range of colours, including woodgrain finishes that sit better on period properties than plain white. It is also lighter than timber, which puts less load on the bracket fixings.
Disadvantages: Quality varies considerably between manufacturers. Cheaper uPVC can go brittle and discolour after prolonged UV exposure, typically yellowing or becoming chalky. It cannot be repaired like timber - if it is damaged, the affected section needs replacing. On properties with non-standard fascia profiles, getting a matching uPVC section is sometimes difficult, and the board may need to be over-boarded rather than directly substituted.
Avoid the thinnest gauge uPVC boards, particularly for fascias. A 16mm or 18mm board is more rigid and holds bracket fixings far better than a 10mm or 12mm board, which can flex and crack around the screws over time.
Over-boarding means fitting new uPVC boards directly over the existing timber, without removing the old boards first. It is quicker and slightly cheaper on the day. However, it is only suitable when the existing timber boards are completely sound with no rot, no movement and no evidence of damp. If there is any rot present, trapping it behind new cladding will allow it to continue spreading unseen and the problem will return sooner than it would if the boards had been replaced outright.
Full replacement means stripping the old boards back to the rafter feet and fixing new boards directly. It takes longer and costs a little more, but it lets you inspect the structural timbers behind and deal with any rot before it is sealed in. In most cases, full replacement is the better option on properties where the roofline has not been touched for twenty years or more.
Guttering choices are separate from fascia and soffit materials but are usually decided at the same time, since the gutter comes off to allow the fascia work to take place.
This is the standard choice for domestic work. The most common profiles are half-round and square (sometimes called ogee or K-style). Half-round is the classic profile found on most post-war housing. Square guttering moves more water for a given width, which can be useful on roofs with a large catchment area.
Pros: Light, inexpensive, available everywhere, simple to join and repair. Cons: Joints can fail after years of thermal movement. Brown uPVC can fade to an orange tint over time. Standard colours are limited, though premium ranges offer more.
Cast iron is the original material on Victorian and Edwardian properties and is still available new. It looks correct on period homes where uPVC looks incongruous.
Pros: Authentic appearance, very long-lasting when properly maintained, can be painted any colour. Cons: Heavy (requires well-fixed fascias and closer bracket spacing), needs painting inside and out every few years, joints are sealed with putty or mastic that degrades and needs re-doing. A cast iron gutter installation costs considerably more than uPVC in both materials and labour.
Aluminium sits between uPVC and cast iron. It is lighter than cast iron, more rigid than uPVC and can be powder-coated in a wide range of colours.
Pros: Long service life, does not corrode under normal conditions, available in seamless runs (fabricated on site, which eliminates most joints). Cons: More expensive than uPVC. Seamless aluminium requires specialist equipment to fabricate on site and not all roofers offer it.
Building regulations require adequate ventilation to the loft void to prevent condensation damage to the roof structure. When soffits are replaced, the ventilation provision should be checked and, where necessary, improved. Ventilated soffit boards have small perforations or slots built in. On fully boarded soffits, individual vent inserts can be fitted at intervals.
A common mistake is fitting solid replacement soffits where ventilated ones should be used, or blocking existing vents during the installation. This can lead to condensation in the loft, mould on the insulation and eventually rot in the roof timbers. Ask the roofer how they plan to handle ventilation before the job starts.
Standard domestic guttering is 112mm half-round or 100mm square. On larger roofs or those with a steep pitch, a 150mm gutter moves significantly more water and is worth considering. Getting the fall right is just as important as the size. Guttering should fall toward the downpipe at roughly 1:600 (about 3mm for every 1.8 metres). A gutter set level will pool water, breed algae and overflow in anything heavier than light rain.
The downpipe is the last link in the chain and is often neglected. A blocked or undersized downpipe causes the gutter to back up and overflow, undoing all the work above. Where downpipes connect to underground drainage, check that the connection is sound and that the underground run is clear. Where they discharge to a hopper or gully, make sure the outlet is not blocked with debris.
If you are unsure which materials are right for your property in March, call Downham Market Roofers and we will give you a straight assessment. We cover March and neighbouring towns including Downham Market, Wisbech and Upwell. Tell us about your property, what is currently up there and what your priorities are, and we will recommend accordingly without pushing you toward the most expensive option.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
