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soffit enclosure help

rickjl | Posted in Construction Techniques on September 5, 2007 07:30am

I want to enclose the soffit with ventilated hardi-plank soffit board (24″ wide). The rafter tails overhang about 2 feet and the top of the windows are just about level with the bottom of the fascia board and in my neighborhood they don’t put the soffit perpendicular to the wall (boxed soffit?).

 http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/rick-l/audi/wall.jpg

The outer ridge boards (?? the overhang on the gabled end) are also 2×6.

How do you go about this? Cut a wedge to match the angle of the 5-12 roof and tack it to the bottom of the fascia bard and cut the bottom edge of a 2×4 at the same angle and nail it to the wall to attach the other side? Am I missing something?

This is one way i thought of doing it but the bottom trim looks goofy

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d170/rick-l/audi/wall2.jpg

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  1. DanH | Sep 05, 2007 07:57pm | #1

    Normal in our neighborhood (probably different for the McMansions nearby) is to have the soffit nailed/screwed directly to the underside of the 2x4 rafter tails. Fascia is generally just 1x6 (originally 7/8" cedar, now PrimeTrim on our house) attached directly to the (plumb cut) tails (no structural fascia) and the 1x6 is grooved on the bottom to accept the edge of the soffit. A trim board is installed along the top-most corner to close that gap. (Even without the groove in the fascia, reasonably thin soffit needs no trim at the bottom edge, if the fascia is reasonably straight. You really have to twist your neck in an awkward way to see that joint.)

    Gable ends are pretty much a continuation of the above -- 2x4 ladder gable extensions with a 2x4 structural fascia, covered by the 1x6. Yeah, the bottom tip of the gable 1x6 dips a half inch or so below the adjoining horizontal fascia, but no one ever notices.

    Dunno if that helps or not, since it sounds like you already have the 2x6 fascia.

    So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
    1. rickjl | Sep 05, 2007 09:39pm | #2

      I would like to cover that 2x6 fascia board but I guess sanding and painting it is an option.  It kind of goes against the 0 maintainence objective.

      1. DanH | Sep 05, 2007 10:17pm | #3

        Well, there are lots of variations in the details of this stuff. Certainly no single right way to do it (and even more wrong ways). Kinda sounds like in your case the expectation may have been to wrap the fascia with metal and install metal/vinyl soffit.
        So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin

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