Replacing wooden soffits etc. with PVC

r2015

I live in a 25 year old 2 storey semi detached house and it has wooden soffits and fascias.

Quite a few of my neighbours have replaced their soffits and facias with PVC and I was thinking about replacing mine until I found out the cost, at least £80 a metre :eek:

Although it is a semi my roof overhangs next door so I have four sides to do, plus a porch and garage so at least 70metres.

£5600

I think I'll just pay a man £200 every couple of years to paint them even though the layers of the plywood are starting to separate.

Should I get them replaced?

Same with the wooden double glazed windows with their 12mm gap.

Quite a few neighbours have replaced theirs with PVC and 20mm gap as well. stating they are more comfortable and saving on heating, surely they are not saving that much?

As again, should I replace my 25 year old wooden framed windows as suggested by my wife who wants new windows because the neighbours have them?

I told her if she wants new windows and soffits she should get the two people who are going to inherit the house to pay for them because at my age (70) I couldn't care less.

That didn't go down well.:rotfl::rotfl:

Chanes

We replaced our old wooden double glazing with the 20mm UPVC and we really noticed a difference in a drop in the noises from outside and they heating bills did come down.

We have replaced our wooden Soffits, Fascias and verges with uPVC because we don't want a man painting it and I don't like the fact that the wood rots and rot spreads.

I can see your point about who benefits from your renovations but you are living in it now and it would make your Wife happy and you cannot take the money and things with you when you eventually shuffle off this mortal coil. If you can afford it enjoy spending the money, you've earned it after all.

glasgowdan

So what if someone else benefits from your upgrades one day? What goes around comes around and all that's happening is money is shifting between people. It's not wasted money, some younger family will really appreciate it.

Saying you won't upgrade as someone else will benefit one day is such a tight miserly way of thinking.

And inheriting a house isn't the obviously done thing any more... the house often has to be sold to pay for care.

TheCyclingProgrammer

You could consider having them capped with uPVC, so long as they are in good condition presently with no signs of damp or rot.

r2015

You could consider having them capped with uPVC, so long as they are in good condition presently with no signs of damp or rot.

One of my neighbours did that to his porch 5 years ago, he replaced all a few weeks ago hence my wife nagging, when they were removed the wood underneath was more rotten than the wood that had not been covered.

harrys_nan

We are the same age as you and have just had a kitchen extension built and a new kitchen fitted. We are not going anywhere yet so fully intend to get max use from the kitchen, You could live for another 15+ years yet, why not make your house as comfortable as you can for yourselves, can't take your money with you, well, you can bury it with you but you won't be able to spend it.

ratrace

The question you should ask is yourself, do they need doing? & can you afford it, if so get them done

If you cant (with out getting in debt anyway) and they dont need doing urgently, Just leave them

Dont get them done just because "the joneses" have had them done and she is feeling the "social pressure"

Oh and your way of thinking "why should i get them done if someone else is going to benefit" is bizzare

TheCyclingProgrammer

r2015 wrote: »

One of my neighbours did that to his porch 5 years ago, he replaced all a few weeks ago hence my wife nagging, when they were removed the wood underneath was more rotten than the wood that had not been covered.

They were probably damp/rotten already and should have never been capped in the first place...

glasgowdan

We've just had ours capped, wood wasn't rotten, just painted blue and looked like wood rather than nice clean white upvc. Black gutters and drains, rosewood trim around dormer, looks lovely. Just need to renew the roughcasting to get it all bang on now.

Chanes

I've read that capping wood fascia and soffit can rot the wood out if it isn't adequately ventilated so any damp or condensation that gets in can be dried out. And for the difference in price, we thought it worth having all the wood fixtures removed and replaced