Does anyone have experience with how box gutters, soffit, and fascia trim were constructed in say, 1901? That is, do the third floor floor joists stick out to hold up the box gutters, with the soffit fastened to the bottom? The house is basically a four square (but with an extension on the back side for the kitchen and maid’s room – so L shaped), brick wall construction, slate roof (the type that looks like a pyramid with the top cut off). The flat roof and the gutters have been re-done with EBDM rubber, probably about 1991. I need to do some soffit repairs and before I climb 30 ft in the air I want to get an idea of how I’ll need to proceed.
I’ll post some pictures as soon as I can figure out how to reduce the file size.
Thanks!
Replies
Sure do. I have just completed a re-do 2 months ago. rip out the old pan..look for rot, replace the wood, reline with copper..take a nap.
watch the slope, and have a GOOD metal guy( like Greencu here) do the bending. Air nails or screws for the wood work , no room to swing a hammer, and too much vibration will destroy the soft (hopefully real dry) wood attachments.
Solder the seams, and downspout leaders.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I'll just do it>
do the third floor floor joists stick out to hold up the box gutters, with the soffit fastened to the bottom?
Maybe. Sometimes the whole thing (cornice and gutter box) is supported on outlookers fastened to the sides of the joists or rafters. Some box gutters are flat bottomed and some are vee shaped ( this normally occurs when the outlookers are connected to the rafters). There didn't seem to be any concensus on how to build box gutters. I've worked on 150+ box gutters and I've not seen two exactly alike. There are similarities, but each one is kind of unique as far as the support system and gutter box design. I've got to meet with a customer right now, but I'll post some links when I return.
No rush, I won't be doing anything until spring. Just trying to figure out what I'm a gonna do.I'll get some pics from inside in the attic crawl space and post those and the outside ones soon. I'm not surprised that every one you've seen is different.I THINK that only the soffit is a problem. That is, the gutters seem to be working ok, and we had a specific roof and gutter inspection as part of the purchase.
I THINK that only the soffit is a problem.
The soffit is the symptom. The gutter liner is the problem. Where did the h2o that rotted the soffit come from? If the soffit is rotten, then some structure is rotten.
I had a link to the National Park Service that had some good box gutter info on it, but I can't seem to find it. I'll keep looking as time allows. If I remember correctly, it had several cross section drawings that were helpfull in visualizing the structure of a box gutter. Pulling some soffit out will let you see what you've got, though.
I've got several rebuild/reline jobs in the works. I'll take some photos if possible and post them later. I've been intending to do a box gutter photo gallery anyway.
I've got several rebuild/reline jobs in the works. I'll take some photos if possible and post them later. I've been intending to do a box gutter photo gallery anyway.
That would be a good thread. I always thought it would be nice to know how to rebuild the box gutters the CORRECT way ;)
So a nice series of pics and a how-to?
jt8
I believe the gutter leaks are old and have been fixed, but I won't know until I get up there. Here are some pics of the problem area in the soffit (there used to be an electric line run up the outside through the soffit. Don't know why since we easily feed a sub-panel supply up the pipe chase).The NRafter pics are near the inside corner of the soffit pic.I'd certainly love to read a thread devoted to box gutters. Maybe you could even write an article for Old House Journal? I'll get you author information if you need it.Move in day is Friday. Whooo whooo!!!
OHJ just had an article several months ago.
The soffit damage doesn't look too bad. If it's box gutter lining leaks, they're probably patchable if they haven't already been. The soffit damage also lines up with chimney and dormer flashing. Might be worth a check. Good luck with the move.
Thanks. Yeah the damage is not too bad, I'm just trying to figure out how everything is put together. Are corbels (am I spelling that right) typically nailed on? Are they usually at a joist/out rigger/block? I realize there is no "typical" when it comes to 104 year old houses, but what have you encountered?It's real far up, so I want to know as much as possible before I ascend the ladder...