Rotted fascia and soffit repair for Vancouver, WA rooflines

The fascia is the board that runs along the roof edge and holds the gutters. The soffit is the underside of the eave, between the fascia and the wall, and it usually carries the intake vents for the attic. Both live right where water leaves the roof, so they take a beating in a wet climate. When paint fails or gutters overflow, the wood soaks up water and starts to rot from the inside.

We treat fascia and soffit repair as roof-edge work, not just carpentry. Before we replace a board, we find out why it rotted. A missing drip edge, a gutter pitched the wrong way or a shingle overhang that is too short will rot the new board the same way. Fixing the cause along with the wood is what makes the repair last.

Why roof-edge wood rots

Most fascia rot starts with water getting behind the gutter. If the roof has no drip edge, or the drip edge does not reach into the gutter, water runs down the face of the fascia every time it rains. Overflowing gutters do the same thing from the other direction. Over a few winters the paint blisters, the wood darkens and softens, and the hanger screws lose their grip. By the time the gutter sags, the board behind it is often soft for several feet.

Soffit damage usually follows. Water that gets past the fascia runs back along the rafter tails and soaks the soffit panels from above. Plywood soffits delaminate and sag, and vented panels get stained and clogged. Animals take advantage of the soft spots too. Squirrels, birds and rats can chew or push through damaged soffit into the attic, which is one of the most common ways pests get into homes around here.

What we repair and replace

We start by pulling the gutters and probing every board along the damaged run with an awl, so we know where the rot stops. Then we cut back to solid wood, check the rafter tails and sister any that are soft. New fascia goes on primed on all sides, and new soffit panels go in with vents that match what the attic needs for intake air. Every cut end gets primed before it goes up.

• Fascia board replacement, primed on all sides
• Rafter tail sistering where ends have rotted
• Plywood or vented soffit panel replacement
• Aluminum or vinyl fascia wrap if wanted
• Drip edge added or extended into the gutter
• Gaps sealed against birds and rodents

Wood, wrap or composite

Primed and painted wood is the traditional choice and matches older homes well. It needs repainting every several years to stay sound, but it is easy to repair later. Composite and PVC trim boards cost more but do not rot, which makes them worth it on walls that face the weather or sit under big trees. They take paint and look like wood from the ground, so they work well on Craftsman and mid-century homes alike.

Aluminum fascia wrap is another option. A crew bends coil stock over the wood fascia so the board is never exposed to rain. It is common on newer homes and lowers upkeep, but it only works if the wood under it is sound and dry. Wrapping a rotted board just hides the problem until it fails. We replace any soft wood first, then wrap it if that is the finish you want.

Pairing with gutter and roof work

Fascia repair goes best when the gutters are off anyway. If your gutters are near the end of their life, replacing both at once saves a second round of labor. The same goes for a reroof: new drip edge goes on over new fascia, and the whole roof edge starts fresh. We will tell you whether a stand-alone repair makes sense or whether timing it with other work is smarter.