If you are having your fascias, soffits or guttering replaced in Cromer and want to know exactly what happens from the moment we arrive to the moment we leave, this page walks through the whole process.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Roofline replacement sounds straightforward, but there are a number of steps between arriving on site and finishing up, and each one matters to the quality and longevity of the result. At Aylsham Roofers, we carry out this work on homes across Cromer and nearby areas. Understanding the process helps you ask the right questions and know what to expect on the day.
Before any price is agreed and before any work starts, the roofline needs to be looked at properly. That means getting eyes on the boards and guttering from close up, not just from the pavement. On a single-storey extension or garage a ladder is usually enough. On the main roof of a two-storey house, scaffold or a tower platform gives a proper view.
At inspection stage we are checking: the condition of the fascia boards and whether rot has penetrated to the back face; the state of the rafter feet behind the fascia; whether the soffit is solid or ventilated and whether existing ventilation is functioning; the gutter profile, fall, and condition of joints and brackets; and whether the downpipes drain away from the building correctly. The inspection shapes the quote - it is the only way to know what is actually there.
Once the inspection is done, the scope of work is agreed before anything is ordered or stripped. This covers which runs of fascia, soffit and guttering are being replaced, what material is going back, what gutter profile and size is being used, and how ventilation in the soffit is being handled.
If the inspection reveals that rafter feet have started to rot, that needs to be agreed and priced separately - it is structural timber work and should not be discovered on the day and added informally. A clear scope agreed upfront avoids disputes and means the right materials are on site when the job starts.
Safe access is not optional. Working at height on a domestic roofline requires either a properly footed and secured ladder for accessible single-storey work, or a scaffold tower or full scaffold for anything higher. On a terraced or semi-detached property, access to the rear may require a tower rather than a fixed scaffold - this is worth confirming before the job starts so neighbours can be given notice if the tower needs to cross the boundary temporarily.
Work may need to be paused on particularly exposed days - this is normal and is a matter of safety, not inconvenience.
The old guttering comes down first - brackets, downpipes and all. Then the fascia boards are carefully removed. If they are being replaced with uPVC and the existing timber is sound, some roofers will overboard (fix the new uPVC directly over the old timber). If the timber shows any sign of rot, it must come off. Fitting new boards over rotten timber is poor practice - the rot continues behind the new boards, the fixings pull out sooner than they should, and within a few years the job needs doing again.
With the fascia off, the rafter feet are fully visible. This is the point at which any rot that has spread from the fascia into the structural timber becomes apparent. Minor surface rot on rafter feet can sometimes be treated and capped, but significant rot needs cutting out and splicing in new timber before the new fascia goes on. Skipping this step is a false economy.
The old soffit boards are removed at the same time. If they are the original plywood or fibreboard type, they often come away in pieces - this is normal. All the stripped material is cleared off the roof and loaded for disposal. The work area should be left tidy at the end of each day if the job runs to more than one day.
Any exposed timber - rafter feet, wall plate, roof structure at the eaves - should be checked for moisture content and treated with a preservative before the new boards go on. This is a step that is easy to skip and rarely visible after the job is done, but it makes a significant difference to how long the new installation lasts.
On older homes, the felt underlay may be visible at the eaves. If it has become brittle or is missing sections, now is the right time to address it - it is a much bigger job to access it once the new fascia is in place.
New fascia boards are fixed to the rafter feet with stainless steel or sherardised fixings - not plain steel, which will rust through and cause staining. The boards are measured and cut to length with the correct expansion gaps at joints, particularly for uPVC which moves with temperature. End joints are supported on a rafter foot where possible, not hanging in mid-air between fixings.
A drip edge or drip trim is fitted along the top of the fascia to direct water off the back of the tile or slate and onto the gutter, not down the face of the board. Without this detail, water tracks behind the gutter bracket and against the timber, and rot follows.
Soffit boards slot into a channel on the underside of the fascia and are fixed to a batten on the wall. Ventilated soffit panels - either continuous slot or individual circular ventilators - should be fitted unless the roof already has adequate ventilation elsewhere. The required amount of ventilation is calculated from the roof span and pitch; it is not a case of fitting one vent panel and assuming that is enough.
All joints in the soffit are made inside the channels or at corner trim pieces - visible butt joints in the middle of a panel run are a sign of a hurried job. Joints should be tight enough to exclude birds and insects but not forced so tight that there is no room for movement.
Gutter brackets are fixed to the fascia face at centres specified for the gutter profile being used - typically 600mm to 800mm apart for most uPVC half-round and square-line systems. The fall is set using a chalk line or string line, not by eye. A fall of around 1:350 (approximately 3mm per metre run) is the commonly used standard for uPVC guttering - enough to move water to the downpipe without being visible to the eye from the ground.
Joints between gutter lengths are sealed with the manufacturer's specified sealant and clicked into the union connectors properly. A joint that is not fully seated will leak under the weight of standing water. Stop ends, running outlets and angle pieces are all fitted before the gutter runs are clipped into place.
Downpipes are fixed back to the wall with pipe clips at a maximum of 1.8 metres apart for standard 68mm round uPVC downpipes. The pipe discharges into a shoe or offset that directs water into a drain or gulley rather than against the wall. Where a downpipe connects to an underground drain, the connection should be watertight - a loose connection allows water to saturate the ground at the base of the wall.
Once the guttering is in place, it should be tested with water - a bucket or a hose - before the scaffold or tower comes down. This is the only way to confirm that the fall is correct, that joints are sealed, and that the downpipe connection is sound. Any adjustments are much easier to make while access is still in place than after it has been struck.
The fascia and soffit joints should also be checked at this point to confirm they are properly seated and that all trim pieces are fixed. On a coastal property, salt-laden air will find any gap that is not properly sealed - a thorough check before leaving site matters.
All stripped material is removed from site - old guttering, fascia boards and soffit panels. Any debris that has fallen into the gutters during installation is cleared out. The ground around the property is swept or blown clear of dust, fixings and offcuts.
Before leaving, the completed roofline should be pointed out to you so you can see the finished result and raise anything you are not happy with while the team is still on site. This is the right time to ask about cleaning the gutters in future and whether there is anything specific about the installation you should be aware of.
A full roofline replacement on a semi-detached house typically takes one to two days depending on access, the extent of any structural timber work, and the length of the runs. A larger detached property with multiple elevations and downpipes may take two to three days. These are working estimates and can vary - it is worth asking for a realistic timescale when the quote is agreed so you can plan around it.
If your fascias, soffits or guttering are showing signs of wear, call us to arrange an inspection. We will check the condition of the whole roofline and give you a clear picture of what needs doing and how the job will be carried out.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
