What they are, and why they matter
The fascia runs along the bottom edge of the roof and carries the spouting. Barge boards (or bargeboards) run up the sloping edges of a gable end, usually with a barge flashing, a folded metal capping, over the edge of the roofing to keep wind-driven rain out. The lining under the eaves is the soffit.
They look like trim, but they do real work. If the fascia rots, the spouting brackets have nothing to grip. If a barge board or its flashing lifts, wind and rain get in under the roof edge.
On tiled roofs, the gable edge is often finished with barge tiles instead. Monier includes its ridge and barge tiles in the 30-year manufacturing defects warranty on its concrete and terracotta tiles.
Signs they need work
From the ground, look for paint peeling or blistering along the fascia, dark streaks running down it, spouting that sags or has brackets pulling out, gaps where the barge meets the roof, or a barge board that's shifted after a storm. Birds or wasps going in and out of the eaves usually means there's a gap somewhere.
Spouting overflow is a common culprit. Marley designs its spouting with a high front and a gap at the back, so a blocked run spills outside the building rather than in. That protects the house, but it sends the water straight down the face of the fascia. Keep the spouting clear and you take away the main source of wet.
Repaint, repair, cover or replace?
| When it suits | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|
| Repaint | Paint failing, timber still firm | Do it before bare timber starts taking on water |
| Cut out and splice | A short soft section with sound timber either side | The new piece needs priming and painting to match |
| Replace the run | Rot in several places, or new spouting going on anyway | The spouting has to come off, so do both at once |
| Metal cover | Sound timber you'd rather not keep repainting | Never over rot, which carries on unseen underneath |
| Metal fascia system | New spouting and fascia together | Metalcraft makes metal fascia in 135, 155 and 185 sizes, and COLORSTEEL MAXAM accessories, fascia included, carry 15 years against perforation in NZ Steel's Mild to Very Severe categories |
When it turns into a structural or consent question
Replacing fascia or barge boards with comparable material in the same position is normally exempt from building consent under Schedule 1 of the Building Act, and the work still has to meet the Building Code.
It changes if rot has spread into the rafter ends or the framing behind. The exemption doesn't cover complete or substantial replacement of parts that hold the building up. If that repair needs a consent, the structural work is restricted building work, which an LBP has to carry out or supervise. Our guide to checking an LBP shows how. A good roofer or builder will stop and show you what they've found rather than cover it over.
Do it with the spouting, or with a re-roof
Fascia replacement means taking the spouting off, so it makes sense to do both together rather than setting up access twice. If your spouting is due, ask for the fascia to be checked and quoted as its own line.
A re-roof is the other natural time. The barge boards are exposed and easy to inspect, and the barge flashings are usually renewed with the roofing. Our roof flashings page covers the metal side.
Old eaves and gables can hide asbestos
WorkSafe lists gables and eaves among the places asbestos turns up, and says a home built before 2000 may contain it. You can't tell by looking. Don't drill, cut, sand or water-blast old soffit or gable sheets, and ask for a test before any fascia or barge work disturbs them. Our guide is my roof asbestos? explains how testing works.
What a good fascia or barge quote covers
- Which lengths are being repaired and which replaced, ideally marked on photos
- The timber and its treatment, or the metal product by name
- Priming and painting: how many coats, and whether it's included
- Taking down and refitting the spouting, or replacing it at the same time
- New or refitted barge flashings
- How rot found behind the boards will be handled, agreed in writing before work carries on
- An asbestos test if the soffits or gables are old sheet material
- Scaffolding or edge protection, and the warranty and upkeep details you'll get at the end
What you can do, and what's for a roofer or builder
You can
- Looking along the fascia and barges from the ground, with binoculars if you have them
- Photographing peeling paint, streaks and gaps
- Keeping the spouting clear so it stops overflowing onto the fascia
- Hosing salt off metal fascia and soffits from the ground, near the coast
Leave to a roofer
- Anything at eave or gable height, painting included
- Cutting out and replacing timber
- Fitting metal covers or new barge flashings
- Anything that might be asbestos
What we'd do with tired fascia
If the paint's failing but the timber's firm, we'd get it prepared and painted before rot gets a start. If more than the odd length is soft, we'd replace the run while the spouting's off and look hard at why it rotted, which is usually overflow. Metal covers are fine over sound timber, never over rot. If you'd like a roofer to take a look, tell us what you're seeing and we'll pass it to one checked local roofer.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.