Soffits and fascia play integral roles in your home’s appearance and function. They support key features while giving your home a finished look.
But what are soffits and fascia, and what exactly do they do?
Home roofs usually extend over the outer walls of a house. The extended portion is known as the rafter or eave. Many houses have a covering on the bottom of the rafter, which is known as a faucet. In French, soffit means literally “something fixed underneath”.
In the U.S., soffit represents a general term describing any material used to cover the rafter, including wood, fiber, cement, and vinyl. Roof soffits are usually installed with the siding.
Soffits also encompass overhang material inside the home. You may find soffits under porches, archways, or other structures. The term soffit can refer to the bottom material of nearly any structural part of the home. Some soffits contain plumbing and electrical lines.
Fascia, on the other hand, is the exposed board on the front of your roof’s overhang, directly above the soffit. You’ll recognize the fascia as where your gutters are attached. Upkeep of your fascia is a key part of curb appeal because it is highly visible around your entire home.
As with soffits, fascia can be made of aluminum, wood, or vinyl and the best option is vinyl.
Why Soffit and Fascia Are Important For Your Home
Many people find themselves unsure of why they need to pay close attention to soffits and fascias. Afterall, they are a tiny part of your home’s exterior and you may have few or no soffits in the interior.
Soffits and fascia impact the aesthetics and energy efficiency in your home. By keeping these two elements up to date, you avoid the problems of outdated appearance and energy efficiency levels that cost you out of pocket and reduce your home’s value.
How Soffits Improve Your Home
Soffits do more than create a fresh and stylish appearance. They also play vital roles in functionality:
• Attic Venting
Soffits allow for attic venting, a key in preventing moisture buildup. When moisture pools in your attic, mold forms. Over time, the mold contaminates the air. Then, you must take expensive mold remediation steps.
• Hot Air Release
Have you ever climbed into your attic on a blazing afternoon? You probably found yourself sweating, panting, and feeling like you were in a sawmill. Chances are, you left quickly.
However, your attic could have been far more unbearably hot. Soffits allow the hot air to circulate out of your attic. Without them, your attic wouldn’t just be hot. It would be a sauna.
• Keeping Out the Critters
Soffits also prevent small animals and insects from invading your home. However, since they cannot nest in your attic, bees and wasps may make their homes in your soffit. As a result, it’s important to periodically inspect your soffit for holes or cracks. If you see it has been compromised, you’ll need to repair the damage quickly.
• How Fascia Improves Your Home
Fascias are the long straight boards that run along the roof’s lower edge. While it may initially sound like fascias are like other parts of the trim, they actually serve vital purposes.
• Support for Roof and Tile Shingles
Fascia bolsters the lower edge of the bottom row of roof tiles and shingles. Without a solid fascia, your shingle and tile lines may start to creep, and, eventually, you will lose parts of the roof trim.
• Fascia Support the Gutters
Your fascia also must remain capable of supporting the gutters. Gutter problems can leave you in need of some expensive repairs. The last thing you want is your gutters to sag because of worn fascia. Also, a weakened fascia could fail to hold the gutters in a severe storm.
• Fascia Keeps Your Gutters Looking Strong and New
When gutters remain in place and in good repair, it’s easy to overlook their importance for curb appeal. However, sagging, failing gutters make your home look like it’s been left to deteriorate.
Home Improvement for the Long Run
Soffits and fascia, whether inside or out, are often overlooked as important aesthetic and functional features of your home. Keeping them in good repair allows you to maintain an attractive home with working gutters and a vented attic free of moisture and not quite so stifling in the summer.
Excel Home Improvement Services in Romulus has the experience and commitment to quality work your home needs. We treat all aspects of a home’s exterior with thoroughness and quality making sure each job is done right. We specialize in roofing services as well as gutter installation and vinyl siding repair and replacement. If you want your home to stand the test of time, make sure it is sound form the outside in. Call our home improvement company and speak with a contractor today. Free Estimates