Exteriors
Rotted fascia and damaged soffit repaired in Memphis
The roof edge takes water from both sides: rain off the shingles and backsplash from the gutter. When fascia rots or soffit sags, gutters pull loose, animals find a way in, and the attic loses the air it needs.
We answer 24/7 across Memphis and Shelby County
The job
Why the roof edge rots first
Quick answer
Fascia and soffit repair in Memphis means replacing rotted fascia boards behind the gutter, repairing or replacing the soffit panels under the eaves, and restoring the vents in them. Most fascia rot starts where water gets behind the gutter or where drip edge is missing, so the cause gets fixed along with the wood.
Fascia is the board along the ends of the rafters that the gutter hangs on; soffit is the underside of the overhang. Both sit where water, sun and gutter overflow meet, and both are often bare wood painted once and forgotten.
Fixing them properly means finding why water got in, cutting out every soft section back to sound wood, and closing the edge so it stays dry, with drip edge, sealed gutters and working soffit vents.
Cost
What drives the cost of fascia and soffit repair
Edge repairs are priced by the linear foot of damaged wood and what has to come off to reach it.
- Length of rot
Measured in linear feet once the soft wood is found.
- Rafter tail damage
Sistering damaged tails adds carpentry.
- Gutter removal
Gutters come down and are rehung on new wood.
- Soffit material
Wood, vinyl and aluminum panels differ.
- Vent work
Opening or adding soffit vents and screens.
- Wrap or paint
Aluminum wrap and paint finishes price differently.
- Height
Second-story eaves need more ladder time.
Rotted fascia board replacement
We take the gutter down, cut out the soft fascia back to solid wood, and check the rafter tails behind it, since rot often continues into them. New fascia is primed on all sides before it goes up, including the cut ends, which is where replacement boards usually start to fail. Where a rafter tail is damaged, we sister it before the new board is fastened. Then the drip edge is checked or added so water from the shingles lands in the gutter, not behind it, and the gutter is rehung on sound wood.
Vented soffit repair
Soffit panels sag when the nailers behind them rot or when the panels were never supported properly. We replace damaged wood or vinyl soffit, add nailing strips where needed, and restore the vents that let the attic breathe. Many soffits have vent strips that were painted over or never had an opening cut behind them, so the attic gets no intake even though the vents look fine from the ground. We check from the attic side before closing everything up, and screen any openings so animals cannot get in.
Wrapping and painting fascia
Once the wood is sound, it needs protection. Aluminum fascia wrap, bent on site to fit the board, covers it in a low-maintenance metal skin that does not need repainting, in colors to match the trim and gutters. On older homes where the look of painted wood matters, we prime and paint instead with exterior coatings made for trim. Either way, the joints are sealed and the wrap stops short of trapping water behind it, which is how wrapped rotten wood keeps rotting unseen.
Local conditions
Fascia on Bartlett ranch homes and under Memphis trees
The ranch-style homes common in Bartlett run long, low eaves around the whole house, which means more fascia and soffit per home than a two-story of similar size, and more places for gutter overflow to reach the wood. Across Memphis, heavy tree cover makes it worse: the canopy that tangles power lines so often also fills gutters, which then spill onto the fascia. That is why clearing the gutters and fixing the drip edge are part of every fascia job we do here.
How it runs
How we repair the roof edge
- 01
Probe and mark
Soft wood found and marked along the whole edge.
- 02
Remove gutters
Gutters taken down where the fascia is bad.
- 03
Cut and replace
Rotten fascia and soffit cut back to sound wood.
- 04
Repair tails
Damaged rafter tails sistered.
- 05
Protect
New wood primed, wrapped or painted; drip edge added.
- 06
Rehang and test
Gutters rehung and water run through them.
Gutter pulling off a soft fascia board?
Call and we will check how far the rot runs, fix the wood and rehang the gutter on sound boards.
Call (901) 459-6395Warning signs
Signs your fascia or soffit needs repair
- Gutters pulling away
Hangers that will not hold in soft wood.
- Peeling or bubbling paint
Moisture working out of the board.
- Soft spots
Wood that dents under a screwdriver.
- Sagging soffit
Panels dropping between the rafters.
- Animals in the attic
Squirrels or birds entering at the eaves.
FAQ
Fascia and soffit questions from Memphis homeowners
Yes. We cut back to sound wood and splice in new board, so an entire run rarely needs replacing.
It cuts upkeep, but only over sound wood. Wrapping rotten boards hides the problem while it spreads.
Sagging or broken panels leave gaps at the eaves. We close them and screen the vents.
Yes. Soffit vents are the intake half of the system; blocked ones leave the attic hot and damp.
Not always. Sound gutters are rehung on the new fascia; damaged ones are replaced at the same time.