I am considering getting some jobs done, the diy bit being the planning :).
These will be fascias and soffit replacement and resurfacing of our drive.
There is clearly a bit of cross over with perhaps replacement of gullies required. So which comes first, the drive or the fascias?
I am also considering getting the drains inspected before the drive is laid as there are areas that don't drain well as though the ground is regularly sodden.
Anything to watch out for or to make preparation for in this scheme?
Yes I am considering over cladding the gable ends. Taking wood fascias off that are fairly sound from gable ends looks like it will almost definitely damage the overlapping tiles and pointing.
He might be looking for colour coordination.. grin. Personally, I'd go for the house items first, and no planning issues unless in a conservation area. It would not be nice to make a nice hard standing then crack it by dropping a cast iron gutter onto the edge of it.
Discussing renewing garage fascias and soffits with my tenant carpenter, he suggested overfitting with plastic on the basis that the existing softwood is sound (brown paint and Ivy notwithstanding) and removal may lead to further work with roof tiles.
Nothing wrong with that, but will you be able to push back the tiles that overhang the fascia board to put a run of dpc or epdm cut into long strips, that goes under any existing roofing felt and overhangs the fascia and new UPVC so that no water can get in between timber and upvc ?.
Yes, Tim, a company would suggest that method given they then don't have to disturb the roof cover to slide a thin piece of plastic against the face of the fascia. Overall, an effective, nice cosmetic look.
On the other hand, to replace the system as a whole, ideally, the roof cover will have to be removed to get good lines and fixings. If the cover is tile and the bottom row of tiles is not fixed they can simply push the bottom row of tiles up to have working space.
Otherwise they may have to remove a section length of tile. If there is under-felt, it may be perished or, brittle, so they should also replace a section length. Hopefully it will lift without tearing to allow the new felt to be pushed under it to create a good lap.
A friend of many years ago had the same thing done. Given they just tacked the plastic to any part of the surface, rather than the rafter ends, it began to sag in places and drop off over a couple of years because the wood fascia beneath had no 'body' to it. In winds it would rattle. The weight of the plastic gutter also brought down a section of the original wooden(rotten) fascia.
Be sure the fascia is sound all around. Take into consideration the quantity and weight of water. 100mm cubed is a kilo. That's 10 kilo a meter length of the gutter should it fill.
And, top down seems reasonable procedure for the works.
I was once instructed, by the home owner, to cut back an Ivy from the roof. It grew on the whole gable of the property. It encroached onto both sides of roof by ~2 meters along both gable verges(back and front). It was pure toil. Every few inches it needed cutting and as it got to the verge the branches were 20mm thick. Nothing like cutting a branch off a tree. This stuff wrapped around itself such that several cuts may then lead to a relatively small, piece being removed. No easy task. At the end of day, as I was preparing to leave, the ivy peeled back and brought the best of the outer skin of the gable wall down. The damage to party fence and wheely bins was disastrous.
Hmm. The *attachment tendrils* come off with a sharp paint scraper on wood. No satisfactory method yet found for brick:-( (angle grinder + wire brush and pressure washer nbg) Time and weather might work!
The problem area is where the felt overlaps the fascia. This degrades with time and tends to sag and droop down behind the fascia so any water getting blown under the tiles ends up where it shouldn't.
Also there is normally a strip of tile batten along the top of the fascia board (is on all the 70's houses where I live) and if water gets into this it rots away and allows the bottom row of tiles to drop.
The thing with some plants is, they will store enough energy below ground to pop back up at several new sites with a temper. And, there growth rate can be immense.
It has to be systemic execution, as lovely as they look on some properties. Modern homes don't last more than 40 years these days, do they? Let the plant play with it, I say.
I've come across such builds, Andrew. I would panel the area under the lowest tile batten so the felt has as little a lip against the rear of the fascia as possible.
When you see the mess that can occur, I cannot allow myself to leave it as is. Thankfully, I can look back with a clear conscience.
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