Squirrel control › Bury St Edmunds
Soffit and fascia are the parts of a roof most people can name and fewest look at. They are also, between them, responsible for a large share of Bury St Edmunds loft entries.
The two boards
- The fascia is the vertical board along the roof edge. It carries the gutter and closes the ends of the rafters
- The soffit is the horizontal board underneath, closing the gap between the fascia and the wall
Together they box in the eaves. When they are sound and properly joined, that whole edge is closed. When they are not, the gap they were installed to close is open again.
Where they open
- At the wall. The soffit has to die into the wall, and that joint is often the weakest point — particularly on an uneven or rendered wall where a straight board meets an irregular surface
- At the corners. Where the eaves turns onto a gable, or an extension meets the main roof. Mitred joints open as boards move
- At board joints. Long runs are made from several lengths, and every joint is a potential gap
- At the ends. Where a run stops against a neighbouring property or a chimney breast
- Through the material. Rotten timber, or thin uPVC that has become brittle
- At the vents. Soffit vents are moulded plastic grilles, and a missing or broken grille is a ready-made opening of about the right size
Watch the uPVC over-cladding. A great deal of housing has had rotten timber fascia clad over rather than replaced. The new board looks immaculate; the soft timber is still behind it; and the packing pieces and gaps that clading creates make new voids at the eaves.
How each material fails
Timber rots, and it rots from the back where an overflowing gutter has been wetting it, so the painted face can look reasonable while the board behind is soft. uPVC does not rot but it moves a good deal with temperature, so joints open, fixings loosen and long runs bow. Neither is maintenance-free.
What to look for
- A board bowed, dropped or pulled away at one end
- A visible gap where the soffit meets the wall
- An open mitre at a corner
- Soffit vents missing, broken or pushed out
- Paint blistering or a wavy line on a timber fascia, which means damp behind
- Staining or a worn patch at one point — a rub mark
- Anything that looks different from the matching detail at the other end of the house
Repair or proof
Sound boards with a gap at a joint or a wall can be closed properly as proofing work. Boards that have gone soft need replacing rather than covering, because anything fixed to soft timber will be pulled away with it. Saying which of the two a property needs is more useful than meshing over a board that is failing anyway.
Questions
Does uPVC stop the problem?
It stops the rot and not the movement. Joints, corners and vents still open, and cladding over old timber can create new voids.
Are soffit vents a weak point?
A sound grille is fine. A missing or broken one is an opening of very nearly the right size, which is why they are worth checking.
Can the boards be closed without replacing them?
Where the timber is sound, yes. Where it has softened, replacement is the honest answer.
Squirrel Control Bury St Edmunds
Squirrel control in Bury St Edmunds is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
For squirrel control in Bury St Edmunds, call 01502 630 122, or read the Bury St Edmunds squirrel control page.