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Replacing fascia

| Posted in Construction Techniques on January 18, 2002 03:05am

*
My house in El Sobrante, CA, has some dry rot in areas of the fascia. The original appears to have been 1×10 redwood (circa 1957). One of the neighbors replaced some and said that redwood is still available but is VERY pricey. We don’t have redwood up here in Portland where I am now, but we do have cedar. I just checked at a lumber yard that specializes in cedar and they want $3.75 per running foot for 1×10 clear cedar. Any suggestions on anything that can be used to replace the sections of fascia that will look decent, hold up reasonably well, and costs less than redwood or cedar?

A couple of years ago I replaced a section of fascia on mother’s house in Oregon that had some rotted cedar fascia. The cedar in that case was a little over 5/4 by a little over 12″ wide. I couldn’t find any such cedar in the small town she lives in so being in a hurry, I replaced the section with a section of 1.25″ plywood. I filled the rough edges, but the grain of the plywood doesn’t quite match the texture of the remaining cedar, so it doesn’t look exactly right, but fortunately it is a back corner so I doubt that anyone notices.

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  1. Cliff._Johnston | Jan 08, 2002 07:04am | #1

    *
    Casey,

    There are no substitutes for redwood and cedar. My suggestion is to bite the bullet and use the redwood, even if you have to piece it in - if done properly, it'll be OK.

    The big question to me is, "Why is the redwood rotting?" Is there water getting in behind it somewhere? Check the shingles, shingle penetrations, metal drip edge, etc.. We don't have too much moisture or humidity over here in Texas where I am, but whenever I see decaying fascia boards I ALWAYS look for water infiltration - and find it, and repair it.

    Good luck,

    Cliff.

    1. Mike_Smith | Jan 08, 2002 07:16am | #2

      *casey.. if it's painted ,i'd use GP PrimeTrim, 1x10.... if it's stained or natural.. i'd use the red cedar or the rdwood.... NO FINGER JOINT...

      1. CaseyR_ | Jan 08, 2002 08:42pm | #3

        *Cliff, the reason that it is rotting is that it is a stupid roof design... The roof itself is a single layer of 2" by 2'x8' Cellotex tongue and grove panel that is laid on 4x6 beams on 8' centers. There is a fairly wide roof overhang and then the fascia is a 2x6 nailed to the of the beams and the 1x10 then nailed onto the 2x6 with about 2" of the 1x10 protruding above the roof. The roof is something below a 2 in 12. The hot mopped roofing felt is then extended over the 2" of the 1x10 that protrudes above the roof to provide a trough that is supposed to channel the water to downspouts at the corners. Unfortunately, what happens in these roofs is that there is some settling and warping of the roof that causes the hot mopped roofing to crack and allow water to seep down behind the fascia. The settling and warping also means that some sections of the overhang become low enough to trap water in puddles so that even more water flows through the cracks into the fascia. My mother's roof was a similar design and this type of roof seems almost guaranteed to produce rot in the fascia after about 5 to 10 years even though the bulk of the roof appears to be in good shape. I am thinking of lowering the 1x10 on the fascia so that the water cascades over the edge rather than being trapped behind it. Mike - the fascia is painted. Thanks for the tip on the Prime Trim, I will look into it.

        1. Cliff._Johnston | Jan 09, 2002 05:34pm | #4

          *Casey,Point: "...there is some settling and warping of the roof that causes the hot mopped roofing to crack and allow water to seep...". It really doesn't matter what wood you use. If you don't resolve the cause of the rotting, ie: water infiltration, then your problem will continue. Redwood and cedar will last the longest if your roof leak situation is not corrected. Anything else will rot out much faster, regardless of what over-the-counter primer or paint you use. It's just a matter of time.I agree with you. The roof has a bad case of the NASTIES. It needs some serious work done on it.Good luck,Cliff.

          1. CaseyR_ | Jan 09, 2002 09:16pm | #5

            *Indeed, the reason I have to replace the fascia is so they can do a new hot mop roof over the top of them. As I indicated above, I am tempted to cut them down so that they no longer form a trough and let the water just cascade over the edge of the roof. I don't know if this style roof is done any more, but I certainly would not recommend this type of construction unless someone reapplies the roofing tar to the area where the facia extends above the roof every few years. Perhaps an alternative, if someone can give me some advice as to material, is to place a layer of some type of membrane in the area of the roof adjacent to, and extending up the inside of the fascia that would be able to withstand any slight movement between the roof and the fascia better than the roofing felt and tar. This would need to be material that could be covered by the hot mop application.

          2. Cliff._Johnston | Jan 11, 2002 05:06pm | #6

            *Casey,OK, now you're talking turkey. Ponding water will always create problems. A hot mopped roof is guaranteed failure in the near future.We do waterproofing, and have been using an elastomeric material manufactured by Sealoflex. It is essentially a built-in-place, fabric reinforced, 100% adhering, elastomeric system. I started using some other similar systems back in the mid '80's. This stuff is a joy to use by comparison. Do yourself a favor and call Rob at (800) 770-6466. Tell him your problem and ask about the Sealofex roofing systems. You've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.Cliff.

          3. ed_hardwicke | Jan 18, 2002 03:05am | #7

            *Do yourself a favor and avoid ponding of water.Let mother nature do it and let it run off into the yard (change the fascia)

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