Hi!
I've got a 70+ year old 2 bedroom semi, ex council house. The soffits are not only looking decidely scruffy but are starting to leak. While I admit to knowing damn all about them, I've been led to believe that, if ignored for too long, then eventually they will cause more serious problems in the roof. I also know that national based companies are only too happy to quote silly prices for replacing them.
Which leads me to wonder, why do I need soffits @ all? As far as I can see, they're purely decorative & don't actually do anything. Not only that, many houses don't even have them ! - So, is there any good reason that I shouldn't simply havev them removed? Probably I'd need to have the timber in the eaves checked out & protected with a sealant, & possibly even the drainage pipes replaced. If so, does anybody have a realistic idea of the costs I'm looking @? And can you recommend a reliable, value for money local building firm to do the job?

Cheers,
Jim

hi jim.im ben from bj plumbing&heating(we cover all trades)we could come and give you a free quote and any advice on the work you need doing.we are based at ecclesfield,sheffield 01142460139/07967282839 email bjplumbers@hotmail.com.thanks for reading and good luck.

hi

The short answer to your question -do you really need soffits ?

Is -Depends!! -mainly on the type of construction of your roof and especially the detailing of the eaves and verges-there are generally 3 types of eaves flush eaves -where the rafters are cut flush with the exterior walls-these just have a horizontal facia board nailed to them to carry the guttering and to protect the ends of the rafters.
The next is open eaves where the exposed rafter ends are projected beyond the house walls and the guttering brackets are attached to either the top side of the rafters or the side before the roof is tiled-leaves the end of the rafters exposed to the elements and because of the regular maintenance costs and the degree of difficulty in actual repairs to the truss ,is the least prefered method.
The last method is the closed eaves, where the the projecting rafters are cladded wtih a soffit and facia to protect the exposed rafters and to carry the gutter-this method also helps keep water from the exterior walls and helps reduce water ingress.

after all that rambling I hope that helps !!

Chris Wood -property maintenance specialists

hiya if you like i can come out and give you a quote also give mea ring on 07838180080 thanks

Agree with Chris, all depends on your roof type.
If you have had soffits for 70+ years then you probably need them!!!
I can provide you with a free, no obligation quote but if your in any rush to get thing sorted, i'm not your man (sorry).
I'd be looking at March/April at the earliest to get the work carried out.

you say your soffits are leaking?? i've never come across a leaking soffit??unless the roof is leaking and going through the soffit,

you say the existing soffits are 70years old. this means they are most probably asbestos.it usually is a low grade asbestos,but still needs to be removed through the right channels.

as for price to have them replaced,you have to bear in mind asbestos removal,condition of existing facias,eaves,etc...probably looking between £500 and £1000 depending

soffits of 70 years old are not necessarly asbestos-more likely to be wood-which was a far more common building material and far cheaper-the gutter in this case probably sits on the soffit as that was a 1930's trend in design and the down pipe would be cut through the soffit -examples of which can be seen all over sheffield

chris wood -Hnc

the gutter in this case probably sits on the soffit as that was a 1930's trend in design and the down pipe would be cut through the soffit -examples of which can be seen all over sheffield


i'm confused now on how the gutter sits on the soffit??as i have never come across this is their any chance you can post a pic?? as far as i'm aware you can't fit gutters to soffit,as the soffit is the underside of the facia/bargeboard as shown in the illustration....

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff3/hanquinioux1/soffits.gif

Agree Hank

Just read my post back- the design I described -the gutter does not not sit on the soffit -my error -it actually attaches to the trusses via metal strapping brackets -the facia is then constructed on a vertical plane in line with the edge of the gutter and the soffit is attached accordingly the down pipe is cut through the soffit and with and elbow joint runs neatly down the wall --the gutter and down pipe are usually metal ( cast iron) -alot of council houses are like this-hope this clears it up- cant post pics as my Hnc is in building construction-when it comes to IT Im a pure novice- open to instruction though!!!!

Chris

hi i could come and give you some free advice i,m a joiner, i do fair quotes my number is 07861379796 or 2203563 ta jeff

Agree Hank

Just read my post back- the design I described -the gutter does not not sit on the soffit -my error -it actually attaches to the trusses via metal strapping brackets -the facia is then constructed on a vertical plane in line with the edge of the gutter and the soffit is attached accordingly the down pipe is cut through the soffit and with and elbow joint runs neatly down the wall --the gutter and down pipe are usually metal ( cast iron) -alot of council houses are like this-hope this clears it up- cant post pics as my Hnc is in building construction-when it comes to IT Im a pure novice- open to instruction though!!!!

Chris

Hi!
Firstly, there are a number of people who've approached me offering free quotes. While I realise that's probably because of the recession, @ present, I'm just in "information gathering mode", so I 'll make a note of the contacts & come back on them if I need to.
Right, being a complete novice, by "soffit", I'm referring to what I now understand are the bottom /horizontal panels & the vertical Fascias/bargeboards (?) The above description & the middle diagram in

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...x1/soffits.gif

seems pretty close to what I've got. Also, other houses in my street that don't have "soffits" have the roof rafters projecting out from the wall. Not having seen inside my "soffits", it seems reasonable @ this point to assume that's what I've got.
While I know little of the history of the house, I'm simply saying that the house was built around the mid (?) 1930s. And while it looked OK when I first bought it, in the last few years, the paint is flaking quite a bit, there's definitely a leak in the front corner after it rains. According to the horror stories I've been told, that means that the whole contraption is damp & starting to rot, & eventually, that'll affect the roof. Granted I've my doubts about the source of that (a salesman for a national company !), but it still needs to be checked out.
Any more specific advice would be welcomed!

Cheers,
Jim

You could of course just get the leaking joint sealed for now, a quick, easy (and cheap) job.

You could of course just get the leaking joint sealed for now, a quick, easy (and cheap) job.

True, but I also happen to believe in PREVENTATIVE maintenance e.g. "a stitch in time saves nine". - Especially as while I can afford one "stitch", I certainly can't afford nine (e.g. a new roof ! ) - Not only that, IF it's needing done soon (ish), I'd rather get it done around then, rather than wait until I'm too old & past getting such potential problems solved :)

Cheers,
Jim

Was just offering a possible temporary solution as not everyone is fortunate enough to be in a position where they can get something like this done, plenty of people would have to save hard to get this done.
Advice comes free, everything else, well.........................

hi jim, could come around to look at the problem tell you whats need to be done to sort it its not a problem, i,ve left my number in a message a couple of days ago . this sounds to me a small job , good luck ta jeff . can give you customer,s i,ve work for on guttering jobs etc

Was just offering a possible temporary solution as not everyone is fortunate enough to be in a position where they can get something like this done, plenty of people would have to save hard to get this done.
Advice comes free, everything else, well.........................

JL - Er, what makes you think it's any different for me? :)
As I've said, @ this stage I just want to know the lie of the land so that I don't go off@ 1/2 cock!

I think you may have taken offence at something i've posted.
Was only offering help, advice, free quote.
Good luck getting thing sorted with who ever you use.

When I go off @ 1/2 cock, you'll know.

I think you may have taken offence at something i've posted.
Was only offering help, advice, free quote.
Good luck getting thing sorted with who ever you use.

When I go off @ 1/2 cock, you'll know.

"I think you may have taken offence at something i've posted."

JlL - Nope. No problems with anybody here.

Hi!
One thing I'm still trying to obtain a second opinion on (because I first heard it from a salesman ! ) is that flaking paint on the soffits & fascia/bargeboard (which I've got plenty of) doesn't merely indicate the need for a repaint, but that, because they're so damp, the wood is flexing. The implication being that the dampness will then get into the eaves & eventually damage the roof, which will cost very serious money. - While that's a plausible theory (certainly for a novice), how likely is it to be true, & if so, what sort of time scale am I looking at? - Months - tens of years?

Cheers,
Jim

Hi!
One thing I'm still trying to obtain a second opinion on (because I first heard it from a salesman ! ) is that flaking paint on the soffits & fascia/bargeboard (which I've got plenty of) doesn't merely indicate the need for a repaint, but that, because they're so damp, the wood is flexing. The implication being that the dampness will then get into the eaves & eventually damage the roof, which will cost very serious money. - While that's a plausible theory (certainly for a novice), how likely is it to be true, & if so, what sort of time scale am I looking at? - Months - tens of years?

Cheers,
Jim

hi jim , sounds like it will effect it but best to get it sort soon to stop it , sounds like facias rotting or if not it will do with the water getting in , maybe the guttering leaking too. i would be happy to have a look for you , what you need is a trademan .. me ..not a salesman , can give you customers numbers i,ve work for home 01142203563 or 07861379796 ta jeff

Hi!
One thing I'm still trying to obtain a second opinion on (because I first heard it from a salesman ! ) is that flaking paint on the soffits & fascia/bargeboard (which I've got plenty of) doesn't merely indicate the need for a repaint, but that, because they're so damp, the wood is flexing. The implication being that the dampness will then get into the eaves & eventually damage the roof, which will cost very serious money. - While that's a plausible theory (certainly for a novice), how likely is it to be true, & if so, what sort of time scale am I looking at? - Months - tens of years?

Cheers,
Jim

You've had numerous replies, why have you not contacted anyone yet for that 2nd opinion?
BTW, what the salesman said is total crap!!!

yes the salesman is talking pants