Until there’s a problem, some homeowners may never investigate just what’s hanging overhead. However, regular roof maintenance helps reduce the severity and cost of future repairs or replacements. Properly installed soffit and fascia cladding, for example, helps mitigate long-term health risks, conserves energy and maintains the integrity of the home’s exterior for years to come.
What Is Soffit and Fascia Cladding?
To understand why cladding is so important, it’s helpful to quickly review the function of soffit and fascia. The horizontal band one sees at the edge of the roof when looking at a house is the fascia. It connects the underside of the roof to the ends of the rafters. Because it’s so visible, the fascia is also an important architectural element in many homes. It’s the strip of colour that defines the roof and coordinates it with the trim on the home’s windows and door frames.
The soffit is the space underneath the overhanging eaves that lies between the rafter tails on the underside of the roof. The soffits are only visible when standing underneath the eaves of the house, but they play a very important role in keeping the whole structure sound and the interior comfortable.
What Does This Cladding Do?
When soffit and fascia cladding is improperly sealed, moisture from interior air or exterior weather can collect in the attic’s warm, dark spaces, forming the perfect incubators for mold and rot. These issues, in turn, can damage or destroy the substructure of the roof, leading to leaks or collapses. Toxic black mold poses a particularly serious health hazard for inhabitants, as well as a significant risk of property damage.
Soffit and fascia cladding helps seal and insulate these spaces from the elements. Thus, it also protects the exterior and interior structure of the home, helping to guard against mold growth, wildlife infestations and structural damage from water and wind. Ventilation ducts in soffits also help keep homes evenly temperate. They minimize energy loss while at the same time help channel the heat that roofs naturally generate.
While cladding can be wood, vinyl and aluminum are both popular choices for durability and versatility. Available in many colours and styles including wood-grain, they require less maintenance and age better than wood. Beaumont Aluminum offers soffit and fascia cladding options to complement any home style. Contact us for more information about our services for roofs, eaves, siding and more.