Overclad or Replace ?

All too often we see and hear of cheap jobs being undertaken. One of the worst is over cladding. Wood should never be covered with a non porous material, if not allowed to breathe it will simply start to rot, over cladding adds to the problem. Over cladding the existing wooden roofline may see a cheaper alternative to having your fascias soffits cladding and guttering fully replaced. If the eaves felt has rotted away water will still be able to soak into the back of the over cladded fascia. It is therefore very important to remember covering a problem up does not solve a problem.

Tiles are extremely important in keeping out the vast majority of the rain water but most tiled roofs are not 100% waterproof. Although most of the rainwater runs off the surface to the gutter, in prolonged periods of rain the tiles become soaked and water drips off the underside of the tile. If the rain is accompanied by strong winds, the wind can force the rain water back under the tile or throughthe roof joists. In both cases ingress of water in the roof.

In the late 1950's a significant improvement in roof construction was made to overcome this problem. A layer of under felt was added between the roof rafters and tiles it is fixed onto the fascia and hangs into the gutter. But this improvement has a flaw !

The felt hangs into the gutter, rots away, it is here where the trouble starts. Over a period of 10 to 15 years the felt deteriorates at this bottom edge, where it is fixed to the fascia. This means that the rainwater running down the felt will run into the back of the fascia and not the gutter thus providing the ideal conditions for rot. This is when you start to notice how unsightly the fascias look and start to think ! I must paint my fascias and stop water getting in, the trouble is you can paint the fascias as many times as you want, but it will not stop the rot because as explained above the moisture is coming from the back ! This is why it is so important to understand what is happening at the eaves of your roof and take professional advice.