Resisting the switch to PLASTIC fascias & soffits!

ThisIsWeird

Simonon77 said:

There is nothing wrong with cladding wood with pvc as long as the wood below is sound. If it is already damp or rotten, then it could make it worse by trapping the moisture in there. If the wood is fine, then adding an extra layer of waterproof protection isn't going to damage it in most cases.

That's good to know. I think the concern was as you say - if there's any moisture trapped behind, it won't be able to evaporate as there's no air gap between the two surfaces.

I guess an added risk remains if, say, a tile or flashing fails higher up and water gets behind the fascia/soffit - wouldn't having cladding on the soaked timber risk longer term issues?

Personally, if going for the cost of new PVC fascias and soffits, I'd insist on having all the existing timber version removed.

Simonon77

Talking about bungalows ! I live in a coastal village very popular with retirees ( average age here is probably over 60 ) so lots of traditional 50s and 60s built bungalows. Most are painted white or pale cream or pastel colours with white trim, and look very nice. Some people have decided to try and facelift them with grey walls and black windows, and they really stand out and look awful.

It really doesn't suit a traditional bungalow at all and makes it look like someone is trying to make it look like a modern designery type house and failing. One person has painted all their walls black, black windows, and built a huge glass square porch thing ( that is actually taller  than the eaves ) and it looks awful. 

I know its all personal taste, but if I owned an old thatched cottage, I wouldn't be sticking anthracite windows in painting it dove grey with some random slate tiles stuck on the outside. Sometimes you need to look at the property and realise what does and doesnt suit it

ThisIsWeird

ThisIsWeird said:

Simonon77 said:

Ugh anthracite upvc or black window frames ! . I think they are going to become the new stone cladding. OK I admit it can look nice on very modern architecty style houses, but looks completely out of place on most others and I have a feeling will soon be out of fashion again like P shape baths and rag rolled walls...

Ha-ha - you could be right!

There was a thread around a year ago when a cove with a bungalow as looking for ideas to update its exterior appearance, and I posted a photo of a house down our road which was given a makeover. General local consensus is that it's smart.

But, of course, it's down to individual taste. Just giving the fellow some options

Ok, I misremembered.

The largest part of the makeover was a new roof material! And the fascias were redone in white, albeit with black guttering, and only the windows & doors were changed to anthracite:

to

ThisIsWeird

Gutovicky, here's a couple of earlier threads on fascia/soffit quotes:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6422706/soffits-fascias-guttering/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6352944/soffits-fascia-and-guttering-realacment-costs-all-inc/p1

Huge range in prices. What is it about PVC fascias and soffits that command such crazy prices? The materials cannot be anywhere near £1k, and the job is surely no more than a week's worth? Seems unjustifiable to me. Captive audience?

Might be time to by-pass 'specialists', and look for a talented HandyPerson in the 'hood? This is not rocket science, but a competent DIYer-level task.

Simonon77

ThisIsWeird said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Simonon77 said:

Ugh anthracite upvc or black window frames ! . I think they are going to become the new stone cladding. OK I admit it can look nice on very modern architecty style houses, but looks completely out of place on most others and I have a feeling will soon be out of fashion again like P shape baths and rag rolled walls...

Ha-ha - you could be right!

There was a thread around a year ago when a cove with a bungalow as looking for ideas to update its exterior appearance, and I posted a photo of a house down our road which was given a makeover. General local consensus is that it's smart.

But, of course, it's down to individual taste. Just giving the fellow some options

Ok, I misremembered.

The largest part of the makeover was a new roof material! And the fascias remained white, albeit with black guttering, and only the windows were changed to anthracite:

to

That doesnt look too bad as they havent gone overboard, but still think changing the window colour was a complete waste of time as it doesnt change the look at all. Unless the roof was damaged, I think changing to slate was a waste of money as well. 

Simonon77

I think the garden looked much nicer before they paved most of it too. I am guessing the spent upwards of £30K on all that, and I wouldn't look at the two and think the bottom one is worth £30K more than the top one

ThisIsWeird

I agree - they haven't gone overboard in the design, but I personally think the window & door change makes a huge difference.

Anyhoo, I suspect they will more than recoup any outlay, as the original shouted 'seriously needs updating', (which it did), and the finished result is pretty aspirational.

And we are talking about a bungalow with a £600k+ pricetag :-(

gutovicky

That's the thing...

Is there anybody out there that can argue that, when cladding timber boards with plastic, the risks of damp & rot around the roofline are minimal/avoidable?

Yes, if it was just plastic that was being fitted, the uPVC boards would need to be the thicker variety - to be stronger & more rigid (they have to support the lower run of tiles for instance).
When retro-fitting thicker uPVC fascias to older properties, my understanding is that the roofer would need to strengthen the rafter tails - with more wood..    ...a time-consuming process..    ...and maybe risky too, because it messes with the structure of the original roof.   
I think this helps explain why most roofing firms want to fit (the thinner) plastic-over-timber in these situations. 

So far, the only advantage of fitting plastic-over-timber seems to be that it saves on having to paint the woodwork every few years - which is important, I agree.

Are there any other actual advantages to capping-timber-with-plastic at the roofline?
Does the plastic skin protect the timber boards from warping/splitting for instance? 

I really appreciate all the feedback - thanks for sharing.  

Section62

gutovicky said:

Why would the south-facing barge boards have been uPVC cladded at some point in the past? - to protect the wooden boards beneath from damage by sun/heat?

South-facing facades of buildings tend to deteriorate more rapidly than the others because - as you've guessed - primarily the effect of the sun.

Painted timber is particularly at risk where the heat from the sun causes the paint to crack which allows water to get in.

The effect of the sun also includes exposure to UV which can hasten chemical deterioration of various materials, including wood, paint and plastics.

Also, in many parts of the UK the prevailing winds bring weather from the southwest, so the south facade of buildings tend to get more of a soaking than the north side.

gutovicky said:

What could go wrong with the wood behind the plastic? What are the things to look out for?

Just make sure they use new timber (rather than nailing the plastic over rotten fascia) and that all timber - including cut ends - is properly treated.

The historic problem with painted wood stems from the use of fast-growing softwoods converted into untreated timber which simply got several coats of non-breathable paint slapped on them.

There's nothing wrong with putting pressure-treated timber up to provide a sound support for uPVC.

Niv

And here I am about to remove the uPVC and replace with unpainted wood