The fascia is the board that runs along the roof edge behind your gutters. The soffit is the panel that closes in the underside of the eave. Together they finish the roofline and help the attic breathe, and when a roof or gutter leaks, they are usually the first wood to rot. Orian Construction & Roofing repairs fascia and soffit across Los Angeles County.
Most homeowners know the roof and the gutters, but the fascia and soffit do quiet, important work at the edge. The fascia is the vertical board along the roof edge, and it does two jobs: it gives the roof a finished line and it holds the gutters. The soffit is the horizontal panel tucked under the overhang of the eave, closing off the space between the wall and the roof edge. Beyond looks, the soffit is often where the attic pulls in fresh air, which is part of a roof's ventilation.
Because they sit at the lowest edge of the roof, fascia and soffit are where water goes when something upstream fails. A clogged or leaking gutter spills behind the fascia and soaks the board. A roof leak near the eave runs down and rots the soffit. Given enough time and our short but heavy rains, the wood softens, paint peels and bubbles, and the damage spreads into the framing behind it. Catching it early keeps a board repair from becoming a structural one, which is one more reason regular roof maintenance pays off.
Fascia and soffit damage almost always traces back to water, so we look upstream when we repair it. If a roof leak or a gutter is the cause, we address that too, drawing on our leak detection and roof repair work so the new wood does not just rot again.
Bubbling or flaking paint on the fascia board is often the first sign that water is getting behind it and into the wood.
Fascia or soffit that gives when pressed, or shows visible rot, has taken on water and needs the damaged section replaced.
Gutters sag or pull away when the fascia behind them has rotted and no longer holds the fasteners. The gutter problem is really a fascia problem.
Openings in a rotted soffit let birds, rodents, and insects into the attic. Rebuilding the soffit closes those entry points.
We cut out the rotted fascia or soffit, replace it with new material, and prime and paint so the roofline is sound and finished again.
Roof repair →We trace the water back to a gutter or a roof leak and correct it, so the new board is not soaking again by next winter.
Leak detection →We keep or add soffit vents so the attic can pull in air, which protects the roof from the heat and moisture that build up without it.
Ventilation →Family owned and based on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks. Replacing rotted fascia without fixing the leak behind it just resets the clock, so we handle both.
Fascia and soffit damage looks cosmetic at first, which is why it gets put off. Left alone, it does not stay cosmetic. The rot spreads from the fascia board into the rafter tails and the roof framing behind it, turning a board swap into a structural repair. A rotted soffit opens the attic to pests and lets the ventilation the eave was providing break down, which lets heat and moisture build up under the roof and shorten its life. And gutters that have lost their backing pull loose and spill even more water into the same spot, feeding the cycle.
None of that is urgent the day you notice peeling paint, but it is a problem that only grows. Handling it while it is still a board or two, and correcting the water source at the same time, keeps it from reaching the framing. If you are already having roof work done, the eave is a good thing to address then, and a roof inspection will flag fascia and soffit that is starting to go.
We repair fascia and soffit for homeowners across the county from our shop on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks. A few of the areas we serve:
Peeling paint or soft wood at the roof edge? Tell us what you are seeing and we will come out and give you a written estimate.