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Fascia and Soffit Repair in Plano
The gutter hangs on a board. On a house that is thirty to fifty years old, the board is often the real problem.
In Brief
Fascia is the vertical board at the roof edge that the gutter is fastened to. Soffit is the panel under the overhang.
When a gutter leaks at the back, overflows, or sits full of wet leaves, the fascia stays damp and rots, usually at corners and board ends first. Hangers will not hold in it. The board has to be replaced before a gutter goes back.
How It Gets Found
- A gutter that keeps pulling away from the same spot.
- Paint bubbling or peeling on the board just under the gutter line.
- A soffit panel that is stained, sagging or has a gap at the wall.
- A screwdriver that sinks into the wood. Installers probe the board before quoting for this reason.
Much of it is hidden until the gutter is down, so a quote for new gutters on an older house should name a price per foot for board replacement if it is needed.
What the Repair Is
- 1
Gutter section comes off
Only the stretch in front of the bad wood, unless the whole run is being replaced.
- 2
Rot is cut out
Back to sound wood, on a joint over a rafter tail where possible.
- 3
New board goes in
Primed on all sides, including the cut ends and the back, then painted.
- 4
Gutter is rehung
With new hangers into the new wood, and the reason it got wet is fixed too.
The last step matters. If the board rotted because water ran behind the gutter, a strip of metal flashing under the roof edge and into the gutter keeps it from happening to the new board. If it rotted because the gutter overflowed, the fix is cleaning, fall or another downspout.
Who Does It
Many gutter contractors replace fascia board as part of a gutter job. Fewer take on long runs of soffit, vented panels, or repainting the whole trim line. Ask what is in scope.
Not gutter work: rotted rafter tails, roof decking and shingles at the eave are a roofer's or carpenter's repair. Full repainting is a painter's. Plano's permit handout lists remodeling that adds or replaces walls or windows among work that needs a permit; ask Building Inspections at 972-941-7140 if the repair goes past trim boards.
Questions People Ask
Can rotted fascia be patched with filler?
Small surface damage, sometimes. Where a gutter hanger has to bite, filler is not a substitute for wood.
Should fascia be wrapped in metal?
Aluminum fascia cover hides the board and ends repainting. It also hides future rot, so it should only go over sound, dry wood.
Is this covered if I am replacing gutters anyway?
Only if the quote says so. Ask for the per-foot price for board replacement up front.
Soft Wood Behind the Gutter?
Describe where the gutter is pulling away or the paint is failing. A contractor will check the board.
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