Soffts, fascia- What questions do I ask?

muskoka

Have a couple of co's coming at the weekend to give me a price for new soffits/fascias? I have NOOOOOO idea what questions to ask, or what to look out for. If anyone can advise, I'd much appreicate it.

Currently hse is 98yr old = suspect original soffits, etc still in place - no idea what they're made of, but paint? peeling badly on them.

Thanks in advance if anyone can offer any advise

dreamypuma

muskoka wrote: »

Have a couple of co's coming at the weekend to give me a price for new soffits/fascias? I have NOOOOOO idea what questions to ask, or what to look out for. If anyone can advise, I'd much appreicate it.

Currently hse is 98yr old = suspect original soffits, etc still in place - no idea what they're made of, but paint? peeling badly on them.

Thanks in advance if anyone can offer any advise

Ask the following:

1) Are they over cladding your existing timber fascias with 9mm cladding or replacing with 18mm cladding? - They should replace if done properly

2) How they plan on accessing the fascias. If they plan to do this from normal ladders then I'd question the quality of their workmanship.

3) How are they going to ensure that there is adequate ventilation to your loft space?

4) Are they going to fit over fascia vent / protector and bird comb? - IMO looks far better and cleaner than in soffit boards, particularly if they plan on using the ugly circular retro fitted type rather than the slotted machine type.

5) Are they going to dispose of all the old fascias and clean up afterwards?

6) Are they replacing all the guttering, bracket and fall pipes?

Just a few off the top of my head. You may also want to ask about the visibility of fixings. One of my pet hates is seeing excessive fixing heads randomly dotted around, by lunatic builders. Fascia look far more professional when the fixings a uniformly and discreetly spaced.

Don't pay too much for this work. I cant remember the exact figure, but I think it should be no more than around £70 a linear meter. We paid around £1100 for a three bed semi, and a detached garage, for full replacement, by a company dedicated to PVC fascia and nothing else. They also use Eurocell cladding.

If the company also supply's double glazing, I would avoid them. PVC fascias are just a cash cow for some companies.

muskoka

Brilliant informative answer. Thanks so much!!:j

Johnhowell

We had our bungalow done ~ approx. £50/linear metre - includes for removal of old stuff, new facia, soffit (broad smooth - not Ship-lapped), guttering (black half round) and down pipes. Done by a local installer that actually provided the service to the double glazing firms we invited in to quote - they just added £1000 on top of his price!

If you are around the Essex area I would definitely recommend him.

Cheers, John

tradesman82

great answers guys, however i have no problem with ladders for this kind of work as they conform to regs when strapped and you use a harness. they are more practical for a team to work from and save the customer sometimes thousands in scaffolding costs. we have been up there 15 years and still find with modern ladders and safety you are fine... also if by chance if you have asbestos guttering, soffits etc are they going to remove this from site??? can be very expensive if not sorted out. also some local councils provide dssposal free of charge free of charge if you took it down yourself... save on cost (obviously not always possible)