Eaves And Fascia Board: How (Not) To Fix Them

Eaves are a vulnerable part of your house, exposed to weather and damage by falling limbs.  Luckily, they aren't too hard to repair when the inevitable happens and repair is needed.  So, if your eaves are wooden, and you have some damage to your fascia board to deal with and if not why are you reading this? 

Fascia? That's the name for the vertical board or panel on the front of your eaves.  It's complement is the "soffit"- the board that forms the bottom of the structure.

The first thing is getting to the eaves, which means using a ladder.  That's the dangerous part, especially if the ground where you need to work is uneven or sloping.  It's important to find or create an even, level surface for the ladder.

Once you are up there, you need to remove the damaged part of the board.  In this case it was easy because the damaged section of board was already short.  But if you have damage to a long section of fascia board, you may choose to replace just the damaged portion.  That's not easy because the need to protect the roof deck of itself makes it hard to make a complete cut across the fascia board.  A reciprocating saw, sometimes referred to as a "Sawzall" is probably your best option.

Once the damaged board is removed, you are ready to begin fabricating the replacement pieces.  Often that will just mean the main fascia board itself.  The common board in use for this purpose in North America is a 1x6.

If you're replacing a corner piece, the easiest way to measure the angle you need is to use the old board as a template.  You can do this even if the old board doesn't have a clean, complete edge due to the damage suffered.  Just use a straightedge to create the straight line you need, as shown below.  

Once the board is cut to fit, paint it.  I believe in painting both faves of the board to better protect it from moisture and insects, though contractors will usually just paint the outside.

The next step is to replace the fillet.  You can use a cardboard template or pattern to fill the space.  I actually drew directly on the scrap piece of plywood used for the repair.  Paint the piece as you did for the fascia board, and then install it.  

Seal joints with a paintable sealant, both for a smooth finish appearance and to keep moisture out.  I used a good quality latex product.  

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