When hiring a roof company to install a new roof on your home, it is important to talk about the details and some commonly missed parts of the job.
A correct roof has both fascia board and soffit, two components that are easy to miss and is unfortunately done too often by some roofers.
Once you understand what fascia and soffit are and the roles they play within the entire roofing system, you can discuss these components with your chosen roofing service to ensure they get the attention they need.
What Is Fascia and What Does It Do?
Fascia or fascia board is a piece of wood or metal installed by roofers on the ends of the roof trusses, under the edge of the roofing material.
It is an important component that serves multiple purposes within the roof system and should normally be installed or replaced by a roof company as part of the overall installation.
Fascia does two things: it closes off the end of the inner roof space to prevent water from entering that space and it stabilizes the ends of the roof trusses.
What Is Soffit And What Does It Do?
Soffit is the covering on the underside of the roof eaves where it protects the bottoms of the trusses as they overhang the building to seal off the roof space in conjunction with the fascia.
Made from either wood or metal, these pieces have vents along their length that promote attic ventilation by allowing warm air to exit the roof and cool air to be drawn in.
When well-maintained by roofers, soffit installed by an experienced roofing service also works to prevent insects and animals from going under the roof eaves and entering the attic space.
Like the fascia, soffit frequently gets overlooked during a roofing job though it should be installed if not present, and carefully inspected and replaced if necessary.
What Happens When Fascia and Soffit Are Overlooked?
When left unchecked year after year, roof companies find that fascia and soffit can decay over time to the point of rotting.
If that happens, the underside of the roof and the ends of the trusses can be exposed to the weather, promoting rot in those locations.
Additionally, without soffit and/or fascia, the roof space could easily be inhabited by animals or insects which can then enter the attic to reside there.
Though both of these components should be included in every new installation done by a roofer, many either overlook these areas or fail to mention them.
When cost is a factor and a roofing service wants to present the best price to get the job, some will cut corners to do it.
Ignoring the soffit and fascia is a common way to cut costs when homeowners are not informed about these components, what they do, and that they should be addressed as part of every new roof installation.
Though they can be installed at any time if you need them, the best time to do it is while a new roof is being installed.
Don’t Forget About Fascia and Soffit With A New Roof
Fascia and soffit are two less-noticed but very important parts of every roofing system that should be added by roof companies when installing a new roof.
Keep your roof well-protected by understanding the importance of these two part of the installation and having your roofer inspect and repair yours whenever doing a new installation or add them if your roof does not have them.
Your roof will look better and be protected from the elements and animals, ensuring the whole installation lasts as long as it should!
