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Keeping your home watertight is an important part of protecting the home, and fascias are an area of the roofline which shouldn’t be over-looked. At Edge Building Products, we believe that it’s crucial to choose the right fascia material for your clients’ needs. But with so many options on the market, it can be hard to know which to pick, and so in this blog we aim to cut through the noise and take a deep dive into the pros and cons of timber versus PVC fascias.
Let’s begin with an overview of fascias themselves.
Fascias are the horizontal boards that run along the roof line and cover the ends of the rafters on a pitched roof. Although technically part of roof, from the ground they can look more like they are part of the wall. Not only do fascias give the roof its finished appearance, they have a practical purpose more importantly, which is to prevent rainwater and debris from entering the loft space.
While Fascias are not required to maintain the structure of the roof, they can help to extend its life by providing additional protection against harsh weather. Choosing the right fascia product for the home therefore is incredibly important to support the roof tiles and guttering.
Increasing the aesthetics of the exterior of a house is also a valid consideration for homeowners as the right fascias can considerably improve the curb appeal of a home.
There are various materials that can be used for fascias, but the main materials are wood and PVC. We’ll take an in depth look at both these materials in this blog.
Timber Fascias
Timber is a popular choice for fascias due to its strength and durability. It’s also a natural material of course, so it’s environmentally friendly (when the fascias are removed from the property, they will simply rot away over time.) Sustainability is an important consideration but checking the environmental accreditations of the wood used in the project is a prerequisite for homeowners and the building trade alike. This will ensure it has actually been sourced sustainably.
For the very reason that timber is an environmentally friendly option, however, timber is susceptible to damage. The wood will be prone to weathering and can split, rot, or crack out of shape, and to reduce this happening, it will need to be regularly treated and maintained.
Timber fascias could last around 20-25 years if well-maintained, but if left untreated, they may only have a lifespan of 10 years. Timber fascias are therefore a sizable investment, not just because of the cost of the material itself (which is usually more expensive than that of its UPVC counterpart), but because of the installation costs to replace the timber when it degrades.
Timber isn’t as fire resistant as PVC of course, and whilst this is unlikely to be the only reason why a homeowner would choose PVC fascias over timber, it could be a considering factor.
As fascias go, timber is an attractive choice. The natural look of wooden fascias can be particularly appealing for period properties which need the fascias to fit in seamlessly with the rest of the house, and as they are highly visible when standing outside of the property, their appearance is important.
Wood can, of course, also be painted to match the rest of the property’s exterior, but the paint work will also need to be repainted every few years to stop peeling and flaking. The colour can also be changed over time if desired, which is one of the other benefits of timber.
PVC Fascias
Polyvinyl Chloride, or PVC for short, is a synthetic plastic material – the third most widely produced polymer of plastic. About 40 million tons of PVC are produced each year and it is widely used as a construction material due to its resistance to rot and insect damage, unlike timber.
PVC is strong and durable, and easy to install. The boards can be bolted into place using screws and brackets, unlike timber that often require nailing or gluing. It’s also low maintenance and easy to clean, which could be an important consideration for time-poor homeowners.
PVC fascias don’t require painting, staining, or sealing like timber does, and all they need is the occasional rinse with a long-handled brush or a hose to keep them clean. UPVC fascias have only been manufactured for 20 years or so, but it’s estimated that the lifespan is far greater than this, and they will almost certainly have a longer life span than timber if fitted correctly.
PVC is considerably cheaper than timber, so with a longer life span, and a smaller initial financial investment, it is an extremely popular option for fascias, and becoming increasingly so over time.
We strongly believe that the pros of PVC fascias far outweigh the cons, and for this reason, we stock only PVC Fascias at Edge Building Products. We have a wide range of Fascias available, and our range includes [Square Leg Fascias], [flat roof fascias], [bullnose fascias] and [ogee Fascias]. Each product comes in a variety of lengths, and we have the added benefit of being able to spray paint our fascias to any RAL or BS colours.
Our fascias products are available at our Horsham, Chichester and Croydon trade counters, and we can also supply the required fascia accessories, including corners and joints, meaning everything can be purchased from one centralised place and there is no need to go anywhere else.
If you would like more information on our fascias, please do contact us on [email protected] or telephone 0345 021 3333 where we can answer any questions you may have and advise of stock levels of all our products.