Do you know the difference between soffit and fascia?

This might be your first time hearing about it, and it’s okay! At some point, we’re sure you’ve already encountered them.

Soffits and Fascias are usually fixed between your roofing system and your siding and they serve several functions.

Keep reading, and we’ll tell you more about them!

What Are Soffit And Fascia?

Go out of your home, stand under the roof overhang, and lookup. That’s a soffit and fascia!

Soffit

Soffits are the exposed side of your roof overhang. You won’t be able to see them from a distance. It doesn’t have any of that curb appeal.

Whenever you’re standing close to your home, at street level, or standing under the roof hanging, you’ll see them.

That being said, soffits play an essential role in the design of your home.

Usually, soffits installed on your home have the same color as your home’s siding. But, if you want to add more flair to your home, you can change the color!

Soffit also comes in different shades and colors, depending on your taste and preference. Rest assured, you’ll always have a choice to match your style.

Soffit also comes in different materials. You can choose from the aluminum soffit, vinyl soffit, or wood soffit. You name it. You can match the soffit to the material of your home!

When we are installing new soffit on a home, we almost always use a vented soffit over a non-vented soffit because when we allow the roof to breathe, it can help prevent ice dams and let the ridge vent do it’s job.

Regardless of your choice, make sure to choose a soffit material that’s suitable for the climate in your area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OID2YKpmwc

Fascia

Fascia’s go together with your soffit. It’s the side that goes directly above the soffit, and where gutters are often placed.

They’re more visible than soffit, so you’ll need to keep them in good shape!

Fascia and soffits share a similarity. The materials could be made of wood, aluminum, and vinyl.

Why is Soffit and Fascia Important?

Now that you know what soffits and fascia are, it’s time to see why they’re essential.

True, you’ll only find soffit in a small area of your home. Nevertheless, did you know that it plays a vital function in your home? Besides keeping your home good looking, it also helps make your home energy efficient.

The most important reason you want a soffit is for ventilation. Soffit has a venting function to make sure there’s proper and steady air flow in your roof and attic.

Reduce energy consumption

Without proper air flow, your attic can get pretty heated immediately. The outcome? It can break down your shingles, cause water leaks during the winter when water is backing up due to ice dams.

As you can imagine, this will greatly affect not only the life of your roof, but your roofing warranty.

You can also face the problem of increased energy consumption. Without proper air flow, your attic could heat up pretty quickly (used in conjunction with ridge vents). Soon, the heat will spread to your house and heat it as well.

The results? A hot and moist house. You might not notice it but might end up opening your air conditioning more than you intend to.

Prevent molds

Imagine what happens if your attic doesn’t get proper air flow.

Molds can start forming and spread through everything you have in the attic. It can end up ruining your perfectly okay items.

You can avoid that if you have a vented soffit. It keeps the attic well ventilated and keeps moisture out. Having a soffit vent can do wonders, especially during the hot season.

Prevent bugs and insects

Soffit also helps with keeping bugs and animals out of your house. Nevertheless, you’ll need to do a little maintenance.

Bugs like bees and wasps enjoy nestling in soffit. They can build their colony and invade roof panels! You can solve this problem by inspecting your roof panels. Are cracks and holes? If yes, you’ll need to repair them at least.

Beautiful and functional

Design is only secondary to why you need a soffit for your roof, but they’re nevertheless important.

Soffit provides your roof with a nice finished look. With a ton of styles to choose from, there’s always something for you. You can mix and match everything and come up with a nice-looking exterior.

Which Soffit and Fascia Material Should I Choose?

We’ve already made mention that soffit and fascia come in different materials. There’s aluminum, wood, and vinyl soffit.

Vinyl Soffit

So which materials should you choose for your home? We recommend picking vinyl. Why?

First, they’re highly resistant! They won’t crack, warp, nor rot in the long-term. They’re technically maintenance free! It’s perfect for people who don’t have enough time to clean their soffit or fascia regularly.

Nonetheless, we still recommend that you check on your vinyl once in a while.

Second, there’s a ton of options when you choose vinyl. You can choose from wood grain finishes, minus the negative aspects of choosing wood.

Who wouldn’t want wood grain finishes for their soffit? Wood grain design looks very sleek and clean, especially if your home is made of wood.

Finally, vinyl is probably the most energy-efficient choice there is. It can withstand various weather conditions, like rain and snow. It can even keep rodents and bugs out of your home.

Aluminum

Aluminum soffit works just as well as vinyl, but not entirely.

Generally, aluminum is very malleable. It’s the perfect material to use when if you plan to fit in a variety of spaces!

The best part of using aluminum is that they’re highly durable. It won’t chip, crack, nor rot anytime. You can even expect it to survive after a fire!

It’s easy to clean because it doesn’t attract dirt. Not just that, they’re also water-resistant. So if you’re living in a region that’s always wet, this should be one of your options.

One significant drawback of using aluminum is the price!

Aluminum is more expensive than vinyl, so if you plan to use it in a large area, expect your cost balloon quickly.

Wood 

Wood looks beautiful and timeless. But in terms of function, it doesn’t fair well compared to vinyl.

If you plan to use wood, then prepare yourself for frequent scraping and painting. Why? The material is highly susceptible to warping and rotting, especially if exposed to a lot of moisture!

So, if you’re from the Midwest, we don’t recommend using wood soffit and fascia for your roof and be congnitive of what kind of nails you are using to install.

Final Words

The next time you’re installing fiber cement on your whole home area, take a moment to pause. Are you using a fiber cement soffit?

If not, then you might want to reconsider. Look for fiber cement soffit, install it on the area you’re working on, and you’re good to go.

Soffits may only occupy a small portion of your home’s exterior, but they’re nevertheless important.

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to invest and take necessary care to preserve this area.