Soffit and Fascia Costs UK — What to Charge to Replace Them in 2026

What Soffits and Fascias Actually Do

The fascia is the vertical board fixed to the ends of the roof rafters along the eaves — it's what the guttering screws onto and what gives the roofline a finished edge. The soffit is the horizontal board tucked underneath the fascia, closing off the gap between the wall and the edge of the roof. Together they seal the eaves, support the gutter, keep weather and pests out of the loft, and let the roof breathe through ventilation built into the soffit.

On older properties these boards are timber, usually softwood, and they were almost always painted. Once the paint fails, water gets into the wood and rot sets in. Because the boards sit at roof level and rarely get inspected, the damage is often well advanced before anyone notices.

Signs of Failure — What Customers Are Reacting To

Most enquiries come in when a homeowner spots one of these. Knowing the signs helps you survey accurately and explain why replacement, not patching, is the right call.

• Rot and soft timber: Flaking, blistering or peeling paint is the first visible sign. Press the board with a screwdriver — if it sinks in, the timber is gone.
• Sagging fascia or gutter: When the fascia rots, the screws holding the gutter lose their grip and the guttering starts to drop, pool and overflow.
• Black mould and green staining: Persistent damp from a leaking gutter or overflow keeps the boards wet and discoloured.
• Birds, wasps and squirrels in the loft: Rotten or gapped soffits give pests a way into the roof space. Customers often call about the noise before they realise the soffit has failed.
• Daylight or draughts in the loft: Visible gaps where the boards have shrunk, warped or rotted away.

Capping vs Full Replacement

There are two ways to deal with tired timber fascias and soffits, and the difference matters for both your quote and your reputation.

Capping (Cladding Over)

Capping — sometimes called over-cladding — means leaving the existing timber in place and covering the face of it with a thin uPVC cladding board, then fitting new uPVC trims. It's quicker and cheaper because there's no strip-out, and it gives a clean white finish from the ground.

The problem is that capping hides rot rather than removing it. If the timber underneath is already wet, you're sealing moisture in — the rot continues, the fixings eventually fail, and the customer is back to square one in a few years with a board that looks fine until it falls off. Capping only makes sense where the underlying timber is genuinely sound and dry, which is rare on the jobs that generate enquiries.

Full Replacement

Full replacement means stripping off the old timber fascias and soffits entirely, checking and treating the rafter ends, and fitting new full-thickness uPVC (or replacement timber) boards. It costs more and takes longer, but it's the right job: you can see and treat any rot in the rafter feet, fit proper ventilation, and give a finish that genuinely lasts 20–30 years.

Always quote full replacement as your recommended option and explain why. If a customer pushes for capping to save money, document in writing that the existing timber has not been replaced and that you cannot warrant work over boards you haven't removed. Most informed customers choose full replacement once the difference is explained.

Materials and Price per Metre

uPVC (Most Common)

uPVC is now the default for replacement fascias and soffits. It doesn't rot, never needs painting, comes in white, black, grey (anthracite) and woodgrain foil finishes, and is quick to fit. Around 90% of replacement work you quote will be uPVC. Material cost for fascia board runs roughly £8–£18 per metre depending on depth and finish, with soffit board similar, plus trims, vents and fixings.

Timber

Replacement timber fascias and soffits are mostly specified on listed buildings, in conservation areas, or where a customer wants a traditional look. Timber is cheaper to buy than uPVC per metre but far more expensive over its life — it must be primed, painted and repainted every few years. Factor in priming and two coats of exterior paint as part of the job, and price the ongoing maintenance reality into your conversation.

Composite

Composite boards (cellular PVC or wood-fibre composites) sit at the premium end. They look closer to painted timber than standard uPVC, hold colour well and carry long warranties, but material cost is roughly double uPVC. Reserve them for higher-value properties where the customer wants the timber look without the maintenance.

Labour — Pricing per Metre and per Day

Fascia and soffit work is usually priced by the linear metre of roofline, or as a day rate for a two-person team. A typical installed rate — supply and fit, full replacement in uPVC — runs around £35–£60 per metre including materials, depending on access, board depth and how much rotten timber needs cutting out and making good.

A two-person team will generally strip and replace fascias, soffits and guttering on a standard terraced run in 1–2 days, a semi in 2–3 days, and a detached in 3–5 days. Add time wherever the rafter feet are rotten and need splicing or sistering before the new boards can go on — this is the single most common reason a job overruns, so survey for it and price a contingency.

Typical Full-House Jobs

These ranges are for full replacement in uPVC including new guttering and access, which is how most of these jobs are sold. They assume two-storey properties and standard roofline complexity.

• Terraced house (front and rear, shorter roofline): £800–£1,500
• Semi-detached (front, rear and one gable run): £1,200–£2,200
• Detached (full perimeter, longer and more complex roofline): £2,000–£4,000

Bungalows often come in below the terraced figure because the roofline is at single-storey height and access is simpler. Large detached homes with multiple gables, dormers or bay windows can run well above £4,000 — price these on a proper measured survey rather than a rule of thumb.

Guttering — Almost Always Replaced at the Same Time

Whenever you replace fascias you should replace the guttering too, and you should quote it that way as standard. The guttering is fixed to the fascia, so it has to come off to do the work — and the old uPVC gutter is usually brittle, sun-faded and the same age as the boards you're removing. Refitting tired guttering onto brand-new fascias is a false economy that almost always leads to a callback.

Budget roughly £10–£20 per metre for new half-round or square-line uPVC guttering supplied and fitted, plus downpipes, hoppers and brackets. On a typical semi that adds something in the region of £200–£500 to the job. Quote it as a clear line item so the customer sees the value rather than feeling it's been padded in.

Ventilation — Don't Skip It

A roof needs airflow at the eaves to stop condensation building up in the loft and rotting the timbers. When you replace soffits you must maintain or add that ventilation, and on many older properties the original boards had little or none — so a straight like-for-like replacement that seals the eaves up tight can actually cause damp problems.

The two common solutions are soffit vents (circular or continuous-strip vents set into the soffit board) and over-fascia vents (a vented strip fitted along the top of the fascia behind the gutter, used where the soffit is too narrow to vent). Current building practice expects a continuous equivalent of around a 10mm gap at the eaves on most pitched roofs, more where there's no ridge ventilation. Build ventilation into every soffit quote — it's cheap, it's expected, and skipping it is how you get a damp-loft callback two winters later.

Access — Scaffold vs Tower

Fascia and soffit work happens at roof level under the Working at Height Regulations 2005, and access is one of the biggest variables in your quote. Get it costed before you price the job.

• Scaffold tower / podium: Fine for short, accessible runs at bungalow or low two-storey height. Cheapest option where it's genuinely safe — often your own kit, so no third-party cost beyond your time.
• Full edge scaffold: Needed for most two-storey properties, longer runs, and anywhere the team needs to move along the roofline with both hands free. Budget £600–£1,500 for a typical semi and more for a detached.
• MEWP / cherry picker: Useful for awkward gable ends or where scaffold can't be erected. Half-day hire runs roughly £300–£600.

Quote access as a separate line. Customers understand scaffold is a real cost, and itemising it stops you being undercut by anyone pricing the job off a ladder — which is unsafe and shouldn't be matched.

What Affects the Quote

Two properties of the same type can be hundreds of pounds apart. The factors that move the price:

• Length and complexity of roofline: Gables, dormers, bay windows and multiple roof levels all add metres and cutting time.
• Condition of the rafter feet: Rotten rafter ends need cutting back and splicing before boards go on — the biggest hidden cost.
• Capping vs full replacement: Full strip-out costs more in labour and disposal than over-cladding.
• Material choice: Composite or woodgrain-foil uPVC costs more than plain white; replacement timber adds painting.
• Guttering and downpipes: Replaced as standard, but the run length and any hoppers or special outlets vary the figure.
• Access: Scaffold vs tower vs MEWP, side-access width, conservatories and obstructions below the eaves.
• Region: London and the South East run noticeably higher than the North and Midlands for the same work.
• Waste disposal: Old timber, asbestos-cement soffits on some pre-2000 homes (which need licensed disposal), and skip hire.

Quick Reference: Soffit and Fascia Prices UK 2026