Fascias and soffits in Downham Market

Fascias and soffits on Downham Market roofs

The split is very clear here. In town it is slate and pantile work, valleys and chimney leadwork on older brick property. Out on the fen it is ridge and verge, storm damage, and re-covering long low roofs that have taken forty years of wind. We also do a lot of flat roof replacement on the extensions that were added to the bungalows in the seventies and eighties.

The bit that is easy to miss from the ground is the felt at the eaves. On most older roofs the underlay has torn back or rotted where it laps into the gutter, so water runs behind the fascia instead of into it. Fitting a felt support tray while the boards are off is a small job at that moment and a scaffolding job later.

It matters here because this is some of the most exposed ground in the east of England, with the wind coming off the washes and nothing to break it., so the eaves take the wind and the rain that runs off the whole roof above them.

What the job includes

• Continuous eaves ventilation built into the soffit
• Felt support tray at the eaves where the underlay has torn back
• New uPVC or timber fascia, soffit and bargeboard in your choice of finish
• All old material taken away
• Guttering replaced or refitted on new brackets

Signs to look for

• Birds or wasps getting into the roof space at the eaves
• Boards sagging or pulling away from the wall
• Paint flaking or timber going soft and dark at the eaves

Doing roofline properly in Downham Market

Ventilation goes in at the same time. A modern soffit with a continuous vent strip lets air into the roof space at the eaves, which is what stops warm damp air condensing on the underside of the roof in winter. Boxing the eaves in solid, which is what a lot of older roofline did, is a common cause of a loft that smells damp.

Getting to you in Downham Market

We work across the fen and the Norfolk border every week, so Downham Market surveys are usually quick to book. We cover the town and Denver, Nordelph, Stow Bardolph, Ten Mile Bank, Hilgay, Southery, Barroway Drove and West Dereham.

• Denver
• Nordelph
• Stow Bardolph
• Ten Mile Bank
• Hilgay
• Southery
• Barroway Drove
• West Dereham