We are going to use tongue and groove cedar on our soffits and are not sure which direction it should be run.
I think it would look best run parallel to the house walls on all sides (eaves and rakes), taking full advantage of the full length of the pieces, which are all 14′ or 16′. All the houses I see around here have the soffit material on the gables running perpendicular to the house, which would mean cutting it up into short lengths.
Can anyone give us some advice on what is the standard way to do this? What are the advantages or disadvantages of doing it one way or the other ?
The overhangs are all 2′. The gables are 14/12 pitch and the house is two-story so the soffits will be in full view as one approaches the house. We want them to look great!
Replies
There is no standard way to run your soffit boards, though I can't think of an old house where the gable soffits are run perpendicular to the house. Of course old houses do not use t&g for the soffits. If the boards are run perpendicular, they will appear to be the underside of the roof sheathing. We do it either way at the behest of the owners. Both look good on the proper house.
you puttingin soffit vents? like, the continious strip thing?, then running the boards parrallel like you say works great . Get brown finish.
listening for the secret.......searching for the sound...
Sally, I have worked on a couple old (b/4 the turn of the last century) homes with both wide plank and narrow, 3" t&g. Nice lines as it runs around the house. Upside, looks good, uses conventional lookouts for fastening, vent strip should work good. Downside, two guy install, hard to get a nice fit on the board joints, stiff neck........i don't know, can't think of any more. Where you turn the corner can be an interesting place. I think the nicest was with a sort of beaded porch ceiling, that they stepped as they changed direction. Best of luck.
__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
normally we do it perpindicular to the building lines.. because we're using a beaded vinyl...
here's a pic. of a Vic. with 1x3 beaded fir soffit run parallel to the bldg lines..Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'd run it parallel to the house. You need to consider the corner details also. Will you be mitering the corners or will you "weave" them? I've seen it done both ways and kinda prefer the weave, just because it takes more skill ($$). Also, if you have gable ends, you need to consider the transition between soffit and gable.