Why the Health of Your Fascias, Soffits and Guttering Are Important

As any roofing contractor in Dorset will tell you, the integrity and water-tightness of your roof doesn’t just depend on the tile or slate that covers it. Another key part of the security of your property against the elements are the features that make up the roofline. But what is the roofline, and what do you need to know? Here, we give you a quick guide to terms like soffits and fascias, as well as explaining why good guttering is important.

What the Roofline Consists Of?

Practically all rooflines are composed of the same elements. The roofline bridges the gap between the roof and the walls of any building, and its primary purpose is to create a seal that won’t let water or wind in. It’s also the structure on which the guttering is mounted. Any faults along the way and you are risking damp entering your property and causing potentially longer term problems.

The fascia board is a long strip of material that runs around the entire lower edge of the roof and is attached to the bottom level of the roof trusses. In effect, it acts as a supporting ‘shelf’ for the lowest row of roofing slates or tiles. The guttering is also usually attached to the fascia, so it’s critical that the latter is strong enough to take the weight, even in heavy rain and wind. In older properties, the fascia board is often made of wood, but on newer or recently refurbished buildings, you may nowadays more commonly see PVC fascias.

The guttering must be in good condition because it’s this that diverts rainwater, snow and so on running down the roof from your property’s walls. Any faults or flaws here can result in damage to masonry and damp problems generally.

The soffits serve two purposes. Located under the fascia board, they are the only bit of the roofline you can usually see from ground level, so from an aesthetic point of view, many householders want their soffits to look good. In some properties, soffits also serve as ventilation for the roof area, which is an important feature. With no ventilation, condensation can mount up inside and start to cause damp problems.

If you have a semi-detached or detached house, the sides that aren’t connected to an adjoining property will usually also feature a bargeboard, which helps finish off the look of the house as well as ensuring a watertight seal on these walls. And finally, we have the box end. That links the fascias, soffits and bargeboards together where the three meet.

Why Roofline Maintenance Is So Critical

It goes without saying that you should ensure your roofline – including soffits, fascias and guttering – remain well maintained and are fit for purpose. If you don’t do this, then damp is likely to penetrate your home, increasing the risk of damage. That can not only affect your internal decoration, it can even spread to the structure of your home, causing problems that are costly to fix.

If you think you need any element of your roofline repairing or replacing, contact a reputable contractor like A P Nash Roofing, roofers in the New Forest and Dorset, as soon as possible to make sure your home is secure and weatherproof.