Facia with plastic cover

[Jono11]

Hi

I requested to have a facia replaced and a plastic protective cover put over it. I needed the facia replaced as the power line into the house was pulling the facia away from the house as it was rotting. The electricity company wants to renew the power line but are refusing to attach it to the old facia. I was quoted £190 for a 6m run.

The work was done today but the old wood facia is still there and the plastic has been put over it. The power line is still pulling the facia away from the house. The roofer called and said the wood does not get removed these days and the plastic is stronger and is naied into the eves.

I have attached a few pics. Two show the gap between two plastic covers and the old wood behind and two show the plastic pieces over the facia.

Was I expecting too much to have the wood replaced, I don't want to pay and the electric company say I still need it replacing as it is not strong enough (and as it is still being pulled away from the wall where the power attaches to the facia it does not look strong enough)

Jono

 

[chappers]

Can't see what's going on from your photos they are too close up, but the plastic fascia will only be as strong as what it's fixed too. The plastic fascia won't hold the tension of an electric cable which will need to be fixed through it to solid timber at the very least.

 

[^woody^]

Take some pictures with a camera, not a microscope.

What's the actual question, BTW?

 

[seasickstevie]

Was I expecting too much to have the wood replaced [?]

For £190? Yes.

You need something structurally sound to fix a supply cable to. Plastic cladding won't do it.

 

[Jono11]

Thanks for the comments.
So what is a ball park amount for 8m of facia replacement, no scaffolding needed (he used a crawler plank on garage / carport).
He is coming back tonight to discuss but he has already said on the phone that the cladding is strong enough as it is nailed into the eves.
I have attached a picture of the offending bit but it is dark when I leave home in the morning so the distorted bit is not clear.

My questions are what are my options, I want the facia replaced.
He originally texted me the words "£160 to replace the facia" and later on £30 extra to cover with a plastic cap.
Can he now charge extra and if he does and I think it is too high what do I do, do I need to pay him for what he has done as it was not asked for. (All contact with him has been by text so there is proof of what was said)

I did not get any other quotes as I was in a bit of a hurry and he was the one out of two phoned who turned up.

 

[seasickstevie]

If the words were "£160 to replace the facia", yet he obviously hasn't replaced the facia, then he hasn't done the job.

 

[chappers]

Can't really see anything from your last photos. Ideally you need to retake the first pictures from further away.
There is no way that nylon headed fascia pins are sufficient to hold the fascia sufficiently even if nailed into the eaves.
Also as previously said even full thickness uPVC fascia won't be sufficiently strong to hold an incoming electricity cable.

To be honest the whole thing is irrelevant he quoted you to replace the wooden fascia and then cap with uPVC and he hasn't done that. the electricity board will need sound wood suitably fixed, behind the uPVC to fix too.
This guy sounds like a chancer.
Just out of interest what has he done where the electric cable restraint is currently

 

[Mw Roofline]

He's put 16mm jumbo fascia over the existing rotting wood using 65mm nails. Hard to tell but it looks about an inch too short on the height. He may as well have poured chicken soup over it. Even with that bodge he should have lifted the tiles and located the joists and belted the nails right through to try and hold it in place. Instead your timber fascia is now even heavier with this new fascia nailed over it and your tile overhang has been reduced by 16mm and now water can get in between the plastic fascia and the wood beacause it's not tucked right up under the tiles.
I couldn't possibly text a customer a price, maybe I'm too old school.
Btw, the roofer should have notified the electric company he was working around those cables, they come out the same day/next day to safely shroud them and it doesn't cost you or him a penny. Insulated or not he shouldn't be working that close to them.

 

[chappers]

Ah well deciphered Mw I can now see what's going on.
Everything that Mw said and also the cover joints he has used aren't even covering the whole fascia( I was wondering what those gaps were and now realise that the photo is really close up) As Mw alluded to he has used the wrong fascia he should have replaced the wood as requested and used thinner capping fascia.
I would send him one more text and that would be telling him never to darken your doors again and then get someone decent in to do it.

 

[Jono11]

Thanks for the replies.

We arranged to meet last night to discuss but he did not turn up.
I will try to arrange another appointment with him, do I really need to give him a chance to make good.
I am reluctant to pay him anything for the job, I know he has spent 2 hours on it but he has not done what I asked for and I still need the facia replaced before the electricity company will replace their line.

What is a ballpark amount to replace 8m of facia (remove old wood and put in new), if he does come back I don't want him to simply add the existing £160 on to a new job of replacing the facia.

Sorry about the picture quality, I took them as I expected him to try and say he had replaced the facia and wanted a close up of the rotted wood.

 

[chappers]

I reckon to remove the guttering, replace wooden fascia, cap and replace guttering I would charge about £300.
Did he even remove the guttering.
But more importantly how can the fascia behind the electricity mounting bracket be replaced with it in place.
What really needs to happen is the electric board come and remove the cable, and whilst they are stringing the new cable the fascia should be changed. so they can reattach to it.

 

[Nige F]

Why can't the elec. co. fix a new bracket to something more substantial like a wall ?

 

[vinn]

Exactly, there's no Regs (from my limited experience) saying that the connection bracket has to be fixed to a fascia - if anything that is a far more unstable fixing than fixing to brickwork.

Perhaps enquire in the sparkies forum?

 

[Jono11]

Hi all

The owner has come and said his boys say the fascia wood is sound and if he were to replace it the tiles will drop and he will need to re-cement them in place, this will disturb the roof etc etc.
He has said the exposed bit of wood above the plastic facia cover is the batten the tiles sit on, not the old facia.
He has used 10mm facia cover, not the 18mm cladding as the wood is sound.
He has offered to replace the wood or remove all he has done and let me get someone else in, but he is not keen to replace the wood.
He doesn't know why the power line is still pulling the facia away

What are the thoughts about the tile drop issue (and the other bits he has said)


The electricity company wanted to attach to the wall but we did not want them to, I did not think it would be a big issue.

Unfortunately he seems nice enough and the whole issue was probably due to miscommunication between him / us and his workers.

 

[vinn]

As above ref the photos - and lack of definite info. as to exactly who said what.

Mw Roofline gives excellent advice - and uncanny eyesight.

Why are you persisting with the fascia business - let the leccy fix it to the wall?