The fascia is the vertical board along the lower edge of the roof, under the last row of shingles and the drip edge. It looks like trim, but it carries the gutter hangers, takes the first hit from wind-driven rain, and sits in full sun on the south and west faces. When a bid says "replace fascia as needed" and nothing more, the material the crew installs is left to whatever they have on the truck. That is a spec gap you can close before anyone orders materials.
What the fascia is holding
On most St. Louis houses the fascia is a nominal 1x6, 1x8 or 2x6 board fastened to the ends of the rafter tails or to a blocking board over the wall. The drip edge is nailed through the top of it, the gutter hangers are fastened into it or into the rafter tail behind it, and the bottom edge of the roof membrane tucks under the drip edge. If the fascia moves, every one of those connections moves with it. A gutter pulled away from the house after a freeze thaw winter often has a soft board behind it, not a bad gutter.
The three materials you will be offered
Bids in this area usually name one of three fascia materials. Each one fails in a different way, so the spec should say which one you are getting.
- Painted wood, usually pine or fir board and sometimes cedar. It costs less in material and is simple to replace. It also needs paint on a schedule, and the first place it rots is the end grain at a miter joint or a cut end where water has sat. Wood that was not primed on all six faces before installation will check and cup in the first hot summer.
- Aluminum-wrapped wood. A coil-finished aluminum sheet is bent over the face and returns of the wood board. The wood still does the structural work, and the metal keeps the weather off it. The weak points are the ends and the nail lines, and the aluminum thickness decides how much a ladder or a wind gust can dent it. The spec should name the thickness and the paint finish, not just "aluminum fascia."
- Fiber cement or PVC. Fiber cement is dimensionally stable and does not rot, but it is heavy, it needs the right blade and dust control when cut, and it still needs paint. PVC does not rot or need paint, but it moves with heat more than wood does. On a south or west exposure it can bow or pull away from the nails if it was installed with no room to expand. Ask how the joints are gapped.
What the roof spec should name
Write the fascia line in the roof spec the same way you write the shingle and the underlayment. A usable line names the board size, the species or material, the thickness or gauge of any metal wrap, the paint or finish, the fastener type, and what happens to rotten boards when the crew finds them.
That last item matters more than most homeowners expect. A tear-off often shows that the fascia behind the old gutter is soft at one or two points. The bid should say whether replacing a damaged board is included at a stated price per foot or left to a change order. A line that says "fascia as required" leaves the rate open until the roof is already off, which is the worst time to set a price.
Name the color or finish too. Coil-finished aluminum and painted wood rarely match on the same house if they were done in different seasons or from different batches, so decide the finish before the order goes in.
Where the fascia meets the drip edge and the gutter
The fascia has to be flat and sound where the drip edge sits, because the drip edge is what sends water past the gutter and off the shingle edge. If the fascia is warped, the drip edge sits crooked and the shingle edge may not line up over it. Ask the crew whether the fascia will be straightened, shimmed or replaced where the rafter tails are uneven. On an older St. Louis house the tails often do not sit in one plane, and shimming behind the fascia is a normal fix, but it is a separate line item.
The gutter hanger is the other half of the fascia question. Spikes and ferrules need solid wood to hold. If the new board is thinner than the old one, the hangers may not bite. Ask how the gutter will be reattached and whether the hanger spacing is written into the bid. The gutter hardware belongs on its own line, but the roof spec still has to say what the fascia is and how thick it is.
What it costs
Fascia pricing usually breaks into three pieces: material per linear foot, labor to remove and install, and any extra for corners, trim pieces and paint. Wood is the cheapest material, but it adds paint and upkeep over the years. Aluminum wrap costs more up front and needs less paint, and the price moves with the gauge and the finish. Fiber cement and PVC cost more in material and need careful installation so the joints do not fail.
The number that is easy to miss is the linear footage. A roof with a long eave run and several gables can have a fascia length that differs from the footage used for the shingle squares. Ask the bid to state the linear feet of fascia it includes, and check that figure against the drawing or the measurement the crew used. A bid that gives a fascia price without a footage cannot be compared with another bid on the same house.
Replacement of rotten boards is the variable. Ask for it as a unit rate per foot, in writing, before the tear-off starts. That way you can decide what to do when the crew finds a soft board, and nobody is negotiating the number while the roof is open. Keys documents any soft or damaged fascia it finds with photos and measurements and puts that written scope in your hands, so the decision can be made from the record.
What to ask
- What is the fascia board size and species, and if there is a metal wrap, what is the named aluminum thickness and the finish?
- How many linear feet of fascia are in the price, and where was that number taken from?
- What is the unit price for each additional board found soft or rotten during tear-off, and who approves it before the work starts?
- Will the drip edge be fastened into new fascia or into the old board, and how will the shingle edge line up over it?
- How will the gutter hangers be reattached, and what hanger spacing is written into the bid?
- If the fascia is painted wood, who primes all six faces, and who paints it after it is installed?
- If the fascia is PVC or fiber cement, how are the joints gapped to allow for heat movement?
Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333. Ask for the fascia line to be written out in full before you sign, and keep a copy with the rest of the roof spec.