Gutter and soffit repair: what would you do?

Hi all,

I'm asking a question I probably already know the answer to, but, just in case...

So I ripped off the guttering and some of the soffit boards on my house, water damage sparked the task.

There is a long board on one section, with a section missing, as per the photo.

I'm actually going to face the fascia with vinyl or aluminum for a maintenance free finish - the question is, would you remove and replace this long board, or leave it since it will be covered over?

Thanks in advance!!

Hugh

 

You need wood behind the aluminum fascia board. If that board is solid, I'd leave it, if it's bad/soft - replace it.

 

Well...... for a semi-maintenance free covering.

If you're planning on reinstalling gutters..... that wood needs to be intact and solid.
It's got a chunk out of it..... replace it.

 

Yeah, I wondered if anyone would say that the aluminum would be covering it up, so why change it - but my own "best to over engineer" attitude screams at me to change it, or at least the damaged part.

And of course the gutters need a solid fixing.

Thanks!!!

 

It wouldn't bother me to cover it as long as it would stay dry but the problem is your metal drip edge is not the right type to flash a gutter very well. You have 5" d-style drip edge which (in my area) is only used on gable ends because it's only about 1" long. You can't get a gutter up under it far enough to put any drop on the gutter. Thus water will leak behind the low end of the gutter.

The correct flashing to use over a gutter is gutter apron, which is longer. They also make 6" d-style which is longer than what you currently have. But as I have found out on this forum, some parts of the country must not have gutter apron.

 

Hi,

thanks for the input.

There was actually a drip there, about three inches down into the gutter. It's came off along with the gutter, and I'm going to replace it anyway.

Thanks!

 

Drip edge is normally attached to the roof sheathing before shingles go on and after the fascia is installed. I would use composite fascia.