Fascia and soffit repair in New Jersey
Soft wood behind the gutter, paint peeling along the roof edge, birds or squirrels getting in under the eaves. We replace the rotted fascia and soffit boards, so the gutter has something solid to hold on to and animals stay out of the attic. We do this on houses in 14 New Jersey counties.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Fast ResponseModern Home Roofing & Chimney replaces rotted fascia and soffit boards on houses in 14 New Jersey counties under NJ HIC license 13VH13268400. These are the boards behind the gutter and under the roof edge. When they rot, the gutter pulls loose and animals get into the attic. Every repair starts with a free inspection, photos and a written estimate.
What happens when the roof edge rots
The fascia is the board the gutter hangs on, and the soffit closes in the underside of the roof edge. Water from an overflowing gutter soaks into them, and wood that stays wet goes soft. Once it does, the gutter hangers lose their grip, and gaps open up that birds, squirrels and bees can get through.
Caught early, it is a few boards. Left alone, it can pull the gutter off the house and let animals into the attic.
Signs your fascia or soffit needs work
- The wood behind the gutter is soft when you press it.
- Paint is peeling or blistering along the roof edge.
- The gutter sags or pulls away, even though the gutter itself looks fine.
- Holes, gaps or chewed edges in the soffit under the eaves.
- Birds, squirrels or bees going in and out under the roof edge.
- Dark stains or water marks on the underside of the eaves.
Rot behind the gutter usually starts with the gutter. If yours overflow, leak at the joints or pull away, new boards behind them will rot again. We tell you that and price the gutters with them. What gutter replacement involves
How a fascia and soffit repair works
A fascia and soffit repair with us runs in six steps. Nothing new goes up until you have seen the rot, and your written estimate lists how long the work will take.
We inspect it, free
We check the fascia behind the gutters, the soffit under the eaves and the roof edge above, press on the wood, and photograph what we find.
You get a written estimate
Which boards are rotted, what we replace and the price, on paper. If the rot goes further once a board is off, we stop and show you before we touch it.
We take the gutter down where needed
Where the fascia behind a gutter is rotted, the gutter comes off first so we can get to the board.
We cut out the rotted wood
The soft boards come off, and we check the rafter ends behind them. If those are soft too, you get photos and a price before we fix them.
We put new boards up
New fascia and soffit go up in place of the rotted pieces, with the soffit vents kept open so the attic can still breathe.
We walk you through it
The gutter goes back on solid wood, and we go over the finished roof edge with you.
The parts of the roof edge
Fascia and soffit are two of several pieces that meet at the edge of the roof. When one fails, water or animals usually get to the others.
Drip edge
A metal strip under the edge of the shingles that sends water into the gutter instead of down the back of the fascia.
Fascia
The board across the ends of the rafters. The gutter hangs on it, so it gets wet every time the gutter overflows.
Soffit
The underside of the roof edge, between the fascia and the wall. It closes the gap that birds and squirrels look for.
Soffit vents
Openings in the soffit that let air into the attic. Air comes in low and leaves near the ridge, which keeps the attic dry.
Rafter tails
The ends of the roof framing behind the fascia. When the fascia has been wet for years, these can be soft too.
Soft or rotted wood along the roof edge?
Get a free inspection
What else affects the roof edge
Soffit vents and the attic
Soffit vents that are painted over or covered with solid boards cut off air to the attic. A hot, damp attic wears shingles out from underneath and feeds ice dams in winter. See Roof Ventilation.
Where your house is changes the roof edge
Up north and west, ice builds in gutters that are clogged or pitched wrong, and the weight pulls them off the fascia. Near the shore, in Ocean and Monmouth, a nor'easter can drop a lot of rain in a few hours, and a gutter that overflows soaks the boards behind it.
Related work
Gutters overflowing onto the boards? See Gutter Replacement. Leaves are the cause: Gutter Guards.
Check us out before we cut into your roof edge
It depends on how many feet of board are rotted, how high the roof edge is, whether the gutter has to come down to reach it, and whether the rafter ends behind it are soft too. You get a written price after we have looked and pressed on the wood, not a guess over the phone.
The fascia is the board across the ends of the rafters, the one the gutter hangs on. The soffit is the underside of the roof edge, running from the fascia back to the wall of the house. Both get wet when a gutter overflows, and both rot the same way.
We go over the material with you at the inspection and write it into your estimate. What makes sense depends on the rest of your roof edge, how the old boards failed, and whether the gutter above them is staying or being replaced.
Where the fascia behind it is rotted, yes. The gutter has to come off so we can get to the board, and it goes back up on solid wood. If the gutter itself is failing, we tell you, and you can decide whether to replace it at the same time.
We replace the rotted or chewed boards they are getting through. If animals are already living in the attic, they need to be out before the gaps are closed, or they end up trapped inside. We tell you if that is what we see at the inspection.
Usually water from the gutter. When a gutter overflows, leaks at the joints, or there is no drip edge sending water into it, the board behind stays wet. New boards behind the same gutter will rot again, so we check the gutters and the roof edge when we inspect.
We repair fascia and soffit in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. If your town is in one of those, we can come out.
Find out how far the rot goes
Tell us what you are seeing. We come out, inspect it for free, and give you photos and a written price. If the gutters are the real cause, you will hear that from us. If you hire someone else, you owe us nothing.
Fast Response · NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured