The soffit is part of the overhang where your roof meets your siding. When rain or snow hits your roof, it runs down, and the overhang allows the water to flow away from your house. The soffit is underneath the overhang, between the roof's edge and side of your home—the bottom of the triangle, if you will.

Where does soffit and fascia go?

An exterior soffit is located on the span beneath the rafter tails, while the fascia is the exposed horizontal band you see at the end of the rafters. These architectural elements found along the eave area do more than just add visual interest and give a finished look to your home.

Do soffits go on after siding?

Soffit is used to enclose the underside of an eave. ... It also is necessary to complete the soffit before the final course of siding is installed on the wall. Vinyl soffit is designed to be easily installed lengthwise from wall to fascia.

How are soffits attached?

On narrow eaves the rafter ends serve to fasten the soffit and fascia. A ledger plate is fastened to the wall to attach the soffit at that location. Wide eaves require additional nailing supports running from the rafter-ends/fascia board and back to the house wall. ... Soffits must be designed and installed properly.

Do soffits serve a purpose?

The purpose of venting soffits is to evenly distribute an airflow throughout the roof space to ensure the roof remains dry and free from mold.

How To Install Soffit and Fascia Trim

Are vented soffits necessary?

A roof may need soffit vents if there is no other ventilation allowing for adequate air movement. However, if the attic space is properly sealed and insulated, there is no need for this type of ventilation. ... Soffit vents are an easy, aesthetically pleasing way to vent the attic space.

What is behind a soffit?

A kitchen soffit serves a purpose, which is typically to cover up and hide the necessary kitchen wiring, ductwork, and even plumbing. The only way to know what is behind the soffit is to look at the original building plans or to cut holes into strategic areas to determine what's inside.

What is the difference between eaves and soffits?

In the widest sense of the term, soffits can refer to the underside of almost anything that's constructed, including arches and porches. Another way to explain it is to say soffit is the exposed siding underneath your roof's overhang. ... To summarise, an eave is part of a roof system and a soffit is part of the eave.

Can you put new soffit over old?

If you happen to be working on an older home, most contractors and homeowners find that they will need to install their vinyl soffit over top of old wood. This can definitely be done, but you will need to take several precautions to prevent the wood from rotting beneath this new layer.

Do I Install fascia or soffit first?

Fascia and soffit are installed after the roof installation is finished. It is ideal that soffit and fascia materials be installed before you place tiles or any other type of roofing material on the roof. There are different types of finished and variations that can be used for the soffit.

Will vinyl soffit sag?

A 14" or 12" spacing will provide a lot more support for the soffit to reduce sagging between fasteners. There will always be some slight bit of sag though which is unavoidable with vinyl but if installed properly it's not bad.

How many pieces of soffit do I need?

Multiply the total length by the width to obtain the area of soffit needed to fill the gap. For example, if the total eaves length is 110 feet, and the width is 2 feet, multiply 110 by 2. The result, 220 in this example, is the number of square feet of soffit required.

How big should soffit vent holes be?

Each soffit vent should have between 8 and 10 holes drilled along the outer edges for screws to go. We recommend ½ inch stainless steel sheet metal screws for each vent.

How often should you replace soffits and fascias?

Unfortunately, fascias and soffits don't last forever. Just like the other parts of your roof, they are constantly being exposed to damaging wind, humidity, sun, rain, and critters. It is a good idea to get in the habit of inspecting your fascias and soffits twice a year.

Where are the eaves on a house?

Eaves are the edges of the roof that extend over the side of a building and overhang the face of the wall.

What is interior soffit?

A soffit is an exterior or interior architectural feature, generally the horizontal, aloft underside of any construction element. Its archetypal form, sometimes incorporating or implying the projection of beams, is the underside of eaves (to connect a retaining wall to projecting edge(s) of the roof).

Do roofers replace soffits?

Qualified roofers, carpenters, gutter companies, or skilled maintenance people may all be qualified to work on your soffit repair project. You may even be able to give a call to a contractor you've worked with before who has this type of project in their skillset.

Are wood soffits bad?

Wood soffits are often the victims of mold, mildew, and fungus, due to roof leaks. These could potentially cause respiratory and other health issues due to spores in the air. In addition to mold and mildew, fungi can break down the fibers in the wood, leading to the wood crumbling, known as dry rot.

What is the overhang part of a house called?

The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural style, such as the Chinese dougong bracket systems.

What is the border around the roof called?

Eave: An eave is the lower border of the roof that overhangs the wall usually located in the first three feet of a roof.

What is it called where a roof meets a wall?

A headwall is a level junction where a roof meets a wall.

How do you get soffits off?

1. Remove any guttering suspended directly in front of the opening to the aluminum soffit panels. ...
2. Pry off the nails with a pry bar or unscrew the screws holding the fascia covering in place, instructs This Old House. ...
3. Remove the screws holding the soffit panels to the underside of the roof.

Do all houses have soffits?

There's a good chance your home does have soffit installed.

The easiest way to tell is to walk around the home and look up at the roof. If you can see the underside of the eaves, but you can't see the rafters, your home has soffit.

Are kitchen soffits outdated?

Kitchen soffits are out of style, with fewer people retaining these fixtures in their homes and fewer still having them installed at all. Their outdated look often makes a room look smaller, and when building new kitchens, it's better to free up that space for a bigger and brighter feel.