Last updated 29th July, 2020
Want to know how much it costs to replace your soffits and fascias? In this article we provide a breakdown of average prices for replacing, repairing, capping and painting soffits and fascias. We also provide a cost per square metre making it easy to calculate an estimate for any job.
The average cost for replacing soffits and fascias, for a 3-bed semi-detached property is roughly £1000 to £1500. Obviously, in areas around London, the price is likely to be much higher, possibly double. If scaffolding is required then you should add another £500 to £1000 to the cost.
The cost will vary depending on the size and type of property, the size of replacement boards, the location, and access to the property. But if we assume good access, the removal and replacement of fascia/soffit boards on a 3 bedroom semi-detached, then a typical price would be around £1000-£1500. This is assuming you don't have your guttering and eaves felt replaced at the same time, although this is something you should consider as they also may require scaffolding and are fairly cheap in terms of materials.
Most roofline tradesmen work in pairs and normally charge around £200-£250 per day. Having your fascia and soffit boards replaced you're looking at around 1-2 days worth of work. In some cases this could stretch to another 1/2 a day depending on whether some tiles need replacing or the timber needs treating.
Here are a few average costs for hiring someone to replace your soffits and fascias:
Roof Type | House Type | Avg. Cost | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Gable Roof | Not Applicable | £1200 | 1 day |
Hip Roof | Semi-Detached | £1500 | 1-1.5 days |
Hip Roof | Detached | £1750 | 1.5-2 days |
Individual costs for hiring a tradesman to replace the soffits and fascias on a 2-storey semi-detached house with a hip roof and easy access - Total Cost: £2000
This article outlines the typical work carried out during residential works to replace roofline fascia and soffit boards, along with guide prices and brief descriptions of typical problems and reasons leading to the removal and replacement of the existing fascia and soffit boards. Fascia and soffit boards are typically replaced due to rotting (wooden boards), discolouring, or as part of a bigger project such as a new roof or even replacing the guttering.
It's a pretty straightforward job that involves simply removing the old boards and replacing them with new boards, but it does involve working at height so care needs to be taken if attempting it as a DIY job. As always, please do your due diligence and consult a professional contractor before contemplating any major works on your home, this article is not designed to be a substitute for professional advice, rather this is a general overview for your information.
The fascia is the board mounted where the roof meets the outer walls and often called the roofline, fixed directly to the roof trusses, the fascia usually supports the bottom row of roof tiles and also the roof guttering. The soffit board is under the fascia board and is often ventilated to allow the flow of air into the roof area. These boards actually do a lot of work, dealing with up to several gallons of water per second with typical British winter rainfall, so they do deteriorate over time.
The guttering is often replaced when Fascia and soffit boards are replaced as the guttering has to be removed and refitted in any case, so if guttering is replaced at the same time, the labour costs are greatly reduced. If you are getting a new roof it also makes sense to replace all the fascia and soffit boards too. The good news is that the modern materials used for roofline products today means that replacing roofline fascia and soffit boards should be a fit and forget option - that will likely never need replacing again!
Replacing the roofline products could be done as a DIY job as long as you have some experience and are comfortable working at height with the right safety equipment. Otherwise - leave it to the professionals! Planning permission is not normally required, but if the building is listed then seek advice before planning any job. When removing old boards, there may be some small mainly cosmetic damage to rendering or pointing, if this happens then some re-pointing may be required.
The replacement of the roofline products is generally a straightforward job, but special care should taken with very old fascia and soffit boards as there is a possibility they could contain asbestos, if you suspect this may be the case, do not go near the boards until you have them checked by a professional for safety! Scaffolding is not necessary for standard fascia and soffit replacement jobs as long as there is access for ladders, however if access is restricted (perhaps due to a conservatory or outbuilding) then scaffolding will be required which will increase the cost significantly.
If cash is tight, there is always a temptation to just replace the sections of fascia boards which are rotten, but invariably this will mean paying to have all the fascia and soffit boards replaced section by section over the next couple of years at a far greater cost, much better to bite the bullet replace it all at once!