Do roofers fit fascias and soffits?

A fascia is the upright board across the base of each slope, with the gutter fixed to it, and the soffit shuts off the underside of the overhang. Between them sit the rafter ends, the eaves underlay, the first course of tiles or slates and the gutter. A fault in any one affects the others. A roofer sees all of that as one edge.

The bottom row of tiles often rests near the fascia, and the underlay should run down into the gutter so water does not get behind the board. If a roofline firm swaps boards without knowing that, rain can end up trickling behind the new fascia and rotting the rafter ends it was meant to protect. That is why the sequence matters, and why the same crew often does both jobs.

Roofers also know how the covering is held down. Tiles at the eaves are fixed with clips and nails, and altering the board beneath them changes how they sit.

When a roof is being stripped or recovered, the edge is already exposed. Doing the boards then costs less than returning later, because the scaffold already stands and nothing sits in the way of the old timber. Tiles or slates can be set to the new line with the eaves details done properly, and the gutter hangs on sound timber. Nothing is boarded over that has not first been looked at, and anything that needs repair is dealt with while it is open.

On a roof that is not otherwise being touched, a roofline-only job still needs a scaffold on most two-storey houses. MyBuilder's national guide, updated in August 2026, gives £850 to £1,200 to scaffold an ordinary two-storey home, so sharing one scaffold between jobs is where the saving lies. Its guide also gives fascia at £80 to £150 per metre and soffit at £100 to £180 per metre as typical national figures. Our page on fascia and soffit costs gives the wider picture.

The roofline is not only the eaves. On a gable end the sloping edge of the roof carries a bargeboard, and the verge beneath it is where the tiles or slates meet the gable wall. That edge is held with mortar or dry-verge units, and both depend on the board and the covering working together.

Roofers handle these edges daily, since the verge forms part of the covering itself. A plastic-board firm may cap the timber and leave the verge mortar crumbling above it. Our page on bargeboards goes into more detail on how the edge is built.

When you compare quotes, check that the gable edges are included and see what the quote says about the verge, not just the long runs along the front and back.

Window and conservatory installers, joiners and general builders also fit boards. Many do a tidy job. The question to ask is what happens at the roof edge: who lifts the first course, who checks the rafter ends, and who looks at the underlay line. A firm that only deals with plastic may not look at the roof at all.

Ask too what is under the old boards. Rafter ends and wall plates can rot silently, and you want that found before new boards cover it. A joiner will repair the timber, and a roofer will make the eaves watertight. What matters is that someone takes responsibility for both, and that you can see photographs of what was found.

• Will the old boards come off completely, and will the rafter ends be checked and photographed?
• How is the underlay supported over the new fascia, and where does it discharge?
• Is the soffit ventilated, and where does the air come from?
• Is VAT included, and is the scaffold in the price?
• If the house is older than 2000, how will they deal with possible asbestos in old soffits?

That last question matters. The HSE's guidance for anything built or refurbished before 2000 is to treat asbestos as likely to be there, and it names external soffits as one place insulating board turns up. A firm that has not considered it has not looked properly.

Also ask what the new boards will be made of, whether plastic, timber or a composite, and how the gutter brackets will be fixed. Screws that bite into the rafter ends hold far better than screws into the board alone. Find out too whether the verge and the first row of tiles will be refixed, and how much of the old timber is likely to be kept.

Peeling paint, soft or split timber, a gap under the first tiles and gutters that have lost their line are the usual signs, and our guides to fascia replacement signs, gutter fall and the gap between roof and gutter explain each.

We fit fascias, soffits and guttering with roof work or as a job in their own right. A survey brings photographs of your own roofline, then a written quote. If one section of board and a refix is enough, we say that.

Our written 10-year workmanship guarantee covers the work, and the waste goes with us. See our gutters, soffits and fascias service.