Signs the fascia or eaves need work
Peeling paint along the fascia, timber that's soft or crumbles when pressed with a screwdriver, and gutters that pull away or sag between brackets are the usual giveaways.
Underneath, look for brown water stains on the eaves lining, sheets that have dropped or bowed, and gaps at the corners. Those gaps let birds, possums and rats into the roof space, which is often how people first notice.
Why it rots in the first place
Water, almost always. A blocked gutter, or one that's lost its fall and slopes back the wrong way, overflows behind itself rather than over the front. That soaks the top edge of the fascia every time it rains. Missing or short flashing at the roof edge does the same.
So replacing the board without fixing the water is money wasted. Whoever quotes should tell you where the water came from, not just which boards are rotten.
How a tradesperson fixes it
For timber fascia, the gutter comes off first. Rotten lengths are cut out and new primed timber is joined in, then the gutter goes back up on new brackets. Where most of the fascia is gone, it can be replaced entirely, sometimes with a metal fascia system that the gutter clips onto.
A metal cover over sound timber is another option, and it ends the repainting cycle. It's only worth doing if the timber underneath is solid.
Ask how new timber will meet the gutter. BlueScope says prolonged contact with treated or green timber corrodes Colorbond and Zincalume steel.
Eaves linings are usually replaced sheet by sheet. Before anyone cuts or drills old eaves, find out what they're made of. The national asbestos agency, ASSEA, says a house built or renovated before 1990 probably has some asbestos, and lists eaves and soffits among the places it turns up outside, so read about asbestos cement sheeting before work starts.
Can you do any of it yourself?
You can
- Test the fascia from a ladder on a single-storey house by pressing a screwdriver into it
- Repaint sound timber fascia before it starts to split, where you can reach it safely
- Keep the gutters clear so they stop overflowing behind the board
Leave to a roofer
- Taking gutters down and putting them back up to replace fascia
- Anything above a single storey
- Cutting or removing old eaves linings that might contain asbestos
- Fixing the flashing or gutter fault that caused the rot
If it were ours
We'd want one quote covering both the fascia and the gutters, from someone who'll explain why the board rotted. If only a few lengths are soft and the gutters are in good shape, splicing in new timber is fine. If the gutters are due anyway, we'd do both in one visit rather than set up ladders and scaffold for the same edge twice.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.