Fascias and soffit replacement in Chigwell, Essex, May 2019.

If there’s one lesson that we all have to learn about our homes, it’s that even the finest building materials will have to be repaired or replaced one day.

This blog is the story of a 1970s house in Chigwell, Essex, which needed some urgent attention when Summit Cladding was called in.

Our client, Clive, is in charge of maintaining a portfolio of properties in Loughton and Chigwell and he contacted us when he noticed that nature was taking its toll on the wooden bargeboards.

After 40 years, the wood was beginning to rot and damp was getting into the soffits, partly because the gutters were full of debris and no longer working properly.

Removing old woodwork

Our first task was to erect scaffolding to get access to two awkward areas, over a conservatory roof and above a narrow side alley, in order to remove the damaged woodwork.

Usually, this is quite a straightforward part of the job, but we found that these original bargeboards were built to last – they were 40mm thick, about an inch and a half, and they took some getting off!

The unusually thick boarding meant it took longer than normal to remove them and we needed extra long jemmy bars to lever the timber away from the rafter feet.

Eventually, though, all the timber was removed and we replaced it with a full fascia board, complimented by a tongue and groove Pvc soffit.

New air vents fitted

To avoid a build-up of moisture while ensuring that the roof got plenty of insulation, we fitted an over-fascia vent that enables a flow of air to get into the roof space and prevents the rafter feet from sweating.

Finally, we fitted a “Marshall Tufflex” deep flow rainwater system that has double the capacity of the original guttering.

The job took five days to complete and our client is delighted with the end result — coupled with the fact that he knows everything comes with a 10-year guarantee.

Categorised in: Bargeboards, Cladding, Soffits & Fascias

This post was written by Summit Cladding