How to fix soffit boards?

[JDLDIY]

The house has upvc facia and soffit boards, but the soffits were attached and supported on vertical batons which ran down the outside walls on top of which was fitted plastic cladding, thish was run up to the soffits and the whole lot sealed wich mastic.

The cladding is to be removed and replaced with render which means that I have to fix the soffit boards properly and so can anyone tell me how I should do that? Presumably they should be attached to the roof rafters?

Thanks a lot.

 

[chappers]

Normally that would be the case you would have a seat cut(horizontal cut) on the ends of the rafters then a batten fixed to the wall at the same height, the soffit can then be nailed or screwed up to them both.
If a seat cut has not been made you can then screw a batten to the back of the fascia (provided it hangs far enough below the rafters) and one to the wall and attach it to those.

 

[JDLDIY]

Thanks Chappers. Hmmm... I don't know without trying to get my head under the soffit (not easy) whether a seat cut has been made or not. At the moment the facia board is fixed vertically to the rafters with screws, but the soffit is joined to the facia with bead and then as it goes towards the house it goes up at an angle, not at right angles to the house wall, if you see what I mean! As the house was originally designed to have cladding they didn't bother building the exterior leaf of the wall up above the top of the upstairs windows and so it would be difficult to fix a batten to the house wall. I was hoping to fix the soffit to the underneath of the rafters, I think it runs up against the underneath of them but will check tomorrow. Any idea what kind of screws should I use?

JD

 

[chappers]

What are you going to render to? If you are going to replace the cladding with ply or something and the mesh and render to that then just fix your batten to the vertical battens and then fix your soffit to that .

 

[JDLDIY]

Well we were going to render straight onto the brickwork, at the top where we need to fill a course of bricks we were intending to do that with timber covered with expanded metal. The soffit can't really be made to lie at 90 degrees thinking about it, as it is held at an upward angle at the gable ends, it's made to fit like that if you can imagine what I mean.

 

[masona]

Can you post a picture ?

 

[chappers]

well done Masona now why didn't I think of that

 

[JDLDIY]

Never had much success with posting pics, can anyone recommend somewhere I can host pics to link to from here?
Can't get it working with btyahoo
Cheers, thanks for the help
JD

 

[masona]

well done Masona now why didn't I think of that

I know, the trouble is I've done so many difference soffit type and they are all difference !

 

[masona]

Never had much success with posting pics, can anyone recommend somewhere I can host pics to link to from here?
Can't get it working with btyahoo
Cheers, thanks for the help
JD

See this

 

[JDLDIY]

Here you go;

You can see where the soffit boards were fixed by nails to the vertical batons and the angle which the boards need to be fixed at.

Thanks for any advice

JD

 

[masona]

Look like there're are fitted to the rafter as it's the same angle of the roof, you will need white plastic headed nail for pvc.

I know the picture is wrong but yours go up the same angle of the roof rafter

 

[JDLDIY]

Thanks Masona, so I use nails - I'll have a look out for them. Presumably there's nothing wrong with using screws either, I've seen those plastic screw caps you can use to weather proof them, not sure I can get a hammer swing in with the angle involved. Do you need to drill pilot holes first through the pvc?

So, a follow on question if I may. The order of play here as I see it is to get replacement windows installed first and then I want to have the wall rendered. A problem identified by the window firm is that the exterior leaf of brickwork stops at the top of the upstairs windows. Obviously the house was designed to have cladding of some kind from the word go, so they didn't need to finish the brickwork off. The window people have suggested that they could fill the gap with timber (3" x 2" I think), there are some bricks up there that have been laid across the interior and exterior leafs which they could fix it to, this could then be covered with expanded metal for the plasterer to lay the render on and it would give them something to fix the new windows up to. What do you think? This may be a stupid question thinking about it as from your title I take it your background is in bricklaying, so maybe you would just put a course of bricks up without even thinking about it!

How would you then finish off between the soffit and the rendered wall, is it just a case of sealing them together using frame sealant from a gun?

Many thanks again

JD

 

[masona]

Double posted

 

[masona]

Presumably there's nothing wrong with using screws either, I've seen those plastic screw caps you can use to weather proof them,

No problem there providing you can get a screwdriver in.

not sure I can get a hammer swing in with the angle involved.

I would bang the nails straight up instead of a angle, I don't think it will be noticeable. The white headed nail tend to looks better than screw caps, you may find the cap might come off or undo when the screw is in a angle.

Do you need to drill pilot holes first through the pvc?

It would be easier or you could use a bradawl

The window people have suggested that they could fill the gap with timber (3" x 2" I think), there are some bricks up there that have been laid across the interior and exterior leafs which they could fix it to, this could then be covered with expanded metal for the plasterer to lay the render on and it would give them something to fix the new windows up to. What do you think?

It is okay but I would rather have a brick lintel such as celcon block type, like I say it is okay which ever way you want to do it.

How would you then finish off between the soffit and the rendered wall, is it just a case of sealing them together using frame sealant from a gun?

All depends how wide the gap will be when the rendering is done. You could put up a exterior decorative window coving or white decorative coving before render. I have done similar by cutting a white square gutter in half length way and cut a groove into the brickwork and fix the half a gutter then render up to it and gave a decorative coving or maybe fix a 2" x 1" batten and a pvc decorative skirting board upside side nail to the batten to the underside of the soffit then render to the batten which you won't see. Someone here might come up with some more idea. Having said that you may get away with sealant as you said but will need expanding metal by the soffit area first.