Fascias, soffits and bargeboards are the boards that finish the edge of your roof. The fascia runs along the eaves and carries the gutter, the soffit closes the underside of the overhang, and bargeboards trim the gable ends. They look decorative, but they protect the rafter ends and the top of your walls from the weather.
When the paint fails, timber boards soak up water and start to rot, gutters sag and birds find a way into the roof space. Newcastle Roofs replaces fascias, soffits and bargeboards in uPVC or timber, renews the guttering that hangs from them and makes sure the eaves are ventilated and the felt is supported. We check the timbers behind before we cover anything up.
uPVC or timber: choosing your roofline
uPVC is the most popular choice for replacement fascias and soffits. It does not rot, needs no painting and only an occasional wash. Replacement fascia boards are thick enough to carry the gutter on their own, and soffits come in plain or vented versions. White is the most common finish, but woodgrain and coloured foils, such as black, grey or brown, suit many houses better.
Timber remains the right choice for some properties, particularly period houses with moulded fascias, decorative bargeboards or exposed rafter feet. Treated softwood or a durable hardwood, primed on all faces and finished properly, can look far better than plastic on a Victorian or Edwardian front. It does need repainting every few years to keep water out.
Cladding over existing rotten boards with thin uPVC is sometimes offered as a cheaper option. We do not recommend it, because the rot keeps spreading behind the cover where nobody can see it.
What replacement involves
We take down the gutters and old boards, which often reveals what has been happening behind. Rafter ends may have softened where water has run down for years, and the bottom of the roofing felt has often rotted away, leaving a gap where rain and wind get under the first course of slates or tiles. We repair or splice rafter feet, fit an eaves protection tray or felt support so water drains into the gutter, then fix the new soffits and fascias.
Eaves ventilation is checked at the same time. Many lofts rely on airflow at the eaves to control condensation, and insulation stuffed down to the boards can block it. Vented soffits or over-fascia vents, combined with rafter trays inside the loft, keep that airflow open. New guttering and downpipes are fitted last, set to a gentle fall towards the outlets.
Rooflines on Newcastle homes
Many terraced houses in Newcastle and Gateshead have shallow eaves at the front and a mix of gutters, from cast iron on the main roof to plastic on the rear offshoot. Some Victorian streets have stone corbels or a stone cornice carrying the gutter instead of a fascia board, and these need a different approach. On postwar and 1930s semis, deep timber soffits and wide bargeboards are common and are often the first part of the house to show rot.
In conservation areas, swapping traditional timber or cast iron for uPVC on the front elevation may not be acceptable, and on listed buildings consent is needed for changes to the external appearance. Check with the council's planning team before choosing materials; we can match timber profiles where needed. Near the coast, stainless steel fixings are worth the small extra effort because ordinary nails rust quickly in salt air.
On terraces, the gutter line often runs straight across from one house to the next. We take care where your new gutter joins your neighbour's, fitting a proper union so water does not leak at the boundary or pour onto the shared wall.
