Fascia & Soffit Repair in Dayton, OH Rotted boards behind the gutter replaced, then the gutter hung back

How much does fascia repair cost in Dayton?

Fascia repair in Dayton costs $8 to $14 per linear foot to replace a rotted fascia board, and that price includes taking the gutter down and hanging it back on the new wood. Where the board is sound and only the hangers have pulled out, re-hanging and re-pitching runs $6 to $9 per foot.

A repair visit has a one-hour minimum. Rot often runs further than it looks from the ground, so the footage is confirmed with the gutter down and shown to you before the new board goes on.

Rot tends to start in particular spots: the corner under a leaking miter, the stretch below a blocked outlet, or the run where a downspout used to overflow. The board is replaced back to sound wood on each side, not along the whole house. If most of a wall turns out to be soft, you are shown that and quoted for it before any more is cut.

What is the difference between fascia and soffit?

The fascia is the vertical board along the roof edge, fastened to the ends of the rafters, and it is what the gutter is screwed to. The soffit is the horizontal panel underneath the overhang, closing the gap between the fascia and the wall. On many houses the soffit is vented to let air into the attic.

Both sit right where a failing gutter sends its water, which is why they tend to rot together. Water that runs behind the gutter soaks the face of the fascia first, then wicks down into the edge of the soffit. On older Dayton houses both are usually painted wood. On many newer ones they are wrapped or replaced with aluminum or vinyl trim, which looks fine from the street while the wood inside stays wet.

Why the fascia matters to the gutter

Hidden hangers are screwed through the back of the gutter into the fascia and, where it can be found, into the rafter tail behind it. A screw in soft wood holds for a while and then pulls out under the weight of wet leaves, snow or ice. Re-hanging a gutter on a rotted board only moves the problem a few inches, which is why the wood is fixed first.

Why the soffit matters to the house

A soffit with a hole in it lets in birds, squirrels and insects. A vented soffit that is blocked or rotted cuts the airflow the attic depends on. Soffit damage found during fascia work is pointed out and photographed, and it is priced on site once the extent is clear.

What are the signs of rotted fascia?

Common signs are peeling or blistered paint on the board behind the gutter, a gutter pulling away from the roof edge, dark water streaks down the trim, a run that sags between hangers, and wood that gives when pressed. A screwdriver that sinks into the board below a leak settles it.

• The gutter is leaning out at the top. The hangers have lost their grip. On a sound board they would hold the back of the gutter tight to the wood.
• Paint is peeling in one stretch only. Paint fails first where the wood stays wet, usually under a corner or an outlet.
• Stains on the soffit or siding below. Water is getting behind the gutter rather than into it.
• Wrapped trim that bulges or rattles. Aluminum wrap can hide a board that has gone soft underneath it.
• Wood that gives under a screwdriver. Push the tip into the board below a drip. Sound wood resists. Rotted wood lets it sink in.

The quickest check is to watch the eaves during a steady rain. Wherever water comes off the back of the gutter instead of the front or the downspout, the board behind it is getting wet every time it rains.

How is rotted fascia replaced?

The gutter is taken down first. The fascia is probed along its length, the rotted section is cut back to sound wood over a rafter tail, and a primed board or PVC trim is fastened in its place. The gutter then goes back up on hidden hangers, pitched to the outlet and water-tested.

1. Take the gutter downHangers are backed out and the run is lowered in one piece where it is worth saving.
2. Probe and markAn awl is pushed into the board along its full length, so the cut lines are set by the wood itself.
3. Cut back to sound woodThe bad length is cut out with each end landing over a rafter tail, so the new board has something solid to fasten to.
4. Fit the new boardPrimed lumber or PVC trim is fastened in, and the joints to the old board are made tight.
5. Hang the gutter backHidden hangers are screwed in every 24 inches, the fall is reset toward the outlet, and a hose checks it.

Stopping it from happening again

New wood rots just like the old wood did if the water still goes behind the gutter. Before the gutter goes back up, the roof edge is checked. The back of the gutter belongs behind the drip edge, so water falls from the roof metal into the gutter. Where there is no drip edge, a gutter apron is slipped under the first course of shingles. Leaking corners are resealed and blocked outlets are cleared so the run drains where it should.

Why does fascia rot behind gutters?

Fascia rots when water reaches the wood again and again. The usual causes are a gutter hung in front of the drip edge, a leaking corner or end cap, a blocked outlet that makes the run overflow at the back, and spikes that loosen until the gutter pulls away and leaves a gap.

Each cause has its own fix, and most of them are cheaper than the board.

• Water behind the gutter. Fixed with drip edge or a gutter apron when the gutter is re-hung.
• Leaking miters and end caps. Resealed to bare metal, as described on the gutter repair page.
• Overflow from blocked outlets. A gutter cleaning with a full downspout flush, or gutter guards where trees overhang the roof.
• Loose spikes. Replaced with hidden hangers screwed into the new board.

Fixing the board without fixing the water is the most common way to pay for the same repair twice. The quote lists both, so you can see which part is the wood and which part is the cause.

Should the gutters be replaced when the fascia is replaced?

Not always. A sound seamless aluminum gutter is taken down, set aside and hung back on the new board. Replacing the gutter at the same visit makes sense when it is sectional and leaking at its joints, creased or rusted through, or too small for the roof, because it is already off the house.

Gutter and fascia replacement together is priced as two lines: the board at $8 to $14 per foot and the new gutter at the gutter installation and replacement rate, with tear-off added only for gutter that is not going back up. You see both numbers before deciding.

What do homeowners ask about fascia and soffit repair?

The usual questions are whether rotted fascia can simply be wrapped in aluminum, whether the work can be done in winter, what to do after storm damage, and whether one short section can be replaced on its own. Short answers follow; a photo sent by text usually gets you a price range the same day.

Can rotted fascia just be wrapped in aluminum?

Wrapping covers the rot but does not stop it, and the gutter hangers still have to screw into the wood underneath. Soft wood is cut out first. Wrap can go over the new board afterward if you want the trim to match the rest of the house.

Can fascia be replaced in winter?

Board replacement and re-hanging can be done in the cold. Any sealant work at the corners waits for a dry day near 40°F or warmer.

What about storm damage?

Photograph the damage from the ground, then call. A gutter hanging by one end is tied off or taken down first so it does not tear more of the board away, and the written scope is laid out so it can go straight to your insurer.

Can one short piece be replaced?

Yes. Often the damage is a few feet at a corner or under an outlet. The new piece is cut to land over rafter tails at both ends.

What other gutter work is done around Dayton?

Alongside fascia and soffit repair, the same crew repairs leaking and sagging gutters, installs and replaces seamless gutters, fits gutter guards and cleans gutters across Dayton, Kettering, Beavercreek, Huber Heights, Fairborn and Centerville. Board work is often found during one of those visits.

• 01Gutter InstallationSeamless aluminum and copper, roll-formed in your driveway and hung on hidden hangers.from $7/ft
• 02Gutter RepairLeaking miters, sagging runs and loose downspouts put right.from $95
• 03Gutter GuardsStainless micro-mesh and perforated aluminum covers fitted to the gutter you have.from $4/ft
• 04Gutter CleaningHand-cleared runs, flushed downspouts and a written note of anything failing.from $125

• Kettering guttersPostwar ranches and Cape Cods south of Dayton
• Beavercreek guttersGreene County two-stories off US-35 and I-675
• Huber Heights guttersBrick ranches along Brandt Pike and Old Troy Pike
• Fairborn guttersOlder Osborn streets and newer builds near Wright State
• Centerville guttersSteep roofs under mature oaks in Washington Township

The full price ledger is on the Dayton gutters home page.