When to Replace Fascias, Soffits and Guttering in Peterborough

Signs your roofline is past repair

Fascias carry the weight of your guttering and the bottom row of tiles, while soffits close off the underside of the eaves and let air into the roof space. When either fails, water gets to the rafter ends and the top of the wall, and that is where a cheap job becomes an expensive one.

Most of this can be checked from the ground with a pair of binoculars, ideally during or just after heavy rain.

• Paint that flakes again within a year or two of redecorating, which usually means the timber underneath is holding water
• Soft or crumbling wood, especially at corners and joints where a screwdriver sinks in easily
• Gutters that sag, pull away from the board or overflow at the same spot each time it rains
• Green or dark staining down the brickwork below the eaves
• Birds, wasps or squirrels getting in through gaps behind the gutter
• Damp patches or mould at the top of bedroom walls

Repair, cap over or replace?

Not every problem needs a full replacement. A leaking gutter joint, a slipped bracket or a single rotten length of board can often be put right for a modest sum, and a decent roofer should tell you so.

Be wary of capping, where thin uPVC cover boards are fixed over the old timber. It is cheaper, but if the wood beneath is already damp the rot carries on out of sight and the gutter brackets end up screwed into soft timber. Capping is only sensible when the existing boards are sound and dry.

Full replacement means stripping back to the rafter ends, cutting out and treating any decay, then fitting new 16mm to 18mm uPVC fascia boards, vented soffits and new guttering. While the bottom tiles are lifted, it is worth fitting eaves protection trays, as the old felt at the roof edge has usually perished and is a common cause of water running behind the gutter.

What we tend to find on Peterborough homes

The age of your house is a good guide. The Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Millfield, Fletton and Woodston often still have original timber, sometimes fixed straight to the brickwork with no soffit at all. The 1930s semis in Dogsthorpe and Walton usually have deep timber eaves that have been painted many times over.

Large parts of Bretton, Werrington, Paston and the Ortons were built in the 1970s and 1980s, and soffits from that period are frequently asbestos cement sheet. It is low risk when left alone, but it must not be drilled, sanded or snapped, and it has to be removed carefully and disposed of as controlled waste. Ask any contractor how they plan to handle it and check the cost is in the quote.

The open, flat country towards the Fens also means stronger winds and driving rain than more sheltered towns get, so fixings and gutter brackets take more punishment. If you live in a conservation area or a listed building, such as parts of the city centre or stone villages like Castor, Barnack and Helpston, speak to Peterborough City Council before swapping timber for uPVC, as consent may be needed.

What it costs and the best time to do it

For a full replacement of fascias, soffits and guttering in uPVC, most local homes fall somewhere in the ranges below. Treat them as a guide, not a quote.

The final figure depends on the length of the roofline, how much rafter repair is needed, access and scaffolding, asbestos removal, and your choice of colour, since anthracite grey and woodgrain finishes cost more than white. Scaffolding alone can add £400 to £900, and is the safe way to do the work properly on most two storey houses.

A typical house takes one to three days. Late spring to early autumn gives the best weather, but check for nesting birds first. Active nests are protected by law, so work on that section has to wait until the young have flown. Good quality uPVC should then last 20 to 30 years with nothing more than an occasional wash.

• Mid terrace, front and back: roughly £1,200 to £2,200
• Three bedroom semi: roughly £2,000 to £3,500
• Four bedroom detached: roughly £3,000 to £5,500