Rot at one short section is a clue
If a fascia is sound for most of its length and badly decayed in one place, look above that spot. A split slate, damaged underlay, leaking valley or gutter joint can feed water to the roof edge. Old felt sometimes sags behind the fascia and behaves like a hidden gutter, carrying water sideways before it escapes.
The visible rot may therefore be the end of the route, not the beginning.
Probe the adjacent timber
Soft paint and peeling coating do not tell you how deep decay has gone. Once access is available, the ends of rafters or sprockets behind the fascia should be checked. Timber that remains firm and dry after the leak is corrected may need little more than local treatment or making good.
Where rafter ends are soft, the repair needs to deal with structure as well as appearance.
Photograph the area before work starts if you can do so from a safe position. It gives you something concrete to compare with the finished repair.
UPVC capping does not cure wet timber
Covering an existing fascia can improve appearance, but it should not be used to seal damp or rotten timber out of sight. Water still needs a proper route from the roof covering into the gutter. Eaves trays are sometimes used where old underlay has deteriorated at the bottom edge.
The detail must tuck correctly beneath the underlay and discharge into the gutter. A strip that merely sits behind the fascia will not achieve much.
Check the gutter after the repair
A new fascia can alter gutter position if brackets are refitted differently. The gutter should still sit at the right level to catch water from the roof and fall towards the outlet.
After completion, look along the line from ground level. Severe dips, twisted sections or water running behind the gutter deserve attention before the scaffold or access equipment disappears.
Need somebody to look at the roof?
If you want to ask local contractors about the repair, describe the symptom and include anything you have noticed about the weather or the part of the roof involved.
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