08/16/2026
Good morning. A little PSA this morning. If you are looking into buying an older home, or maybe you have bought an older home. If you have aluminum facia, especially if the house was flipped, you may be in for a suprise.
I am currently working on building a covered deck/porch. In order to attach the roof to this enclosed porch and have everything run in the same plain i had to remove the facias. I was not expecting to find a big mess. As I went to start removing the first piece I noticed there were a few missing nails. (This by its self isn't that big of a deal). With my fingers I pulled down on the bottom of the facia and four nails fell to the ground along with, well, rotted wood chunks.
There was also vinyl vented soffit covering up the original solid soffit. More aluminum covering up some trim.
So. Quick flips are not always done right. Not saying they are always done wrong either. If you have aluminum facia, or vented soffit. Take a look. If you can reach your facia, try and see if the bottom lip moves easy. Look for any missing nails, and if the bottom lip does move can you finish pulling the nail out with your fingers. If you have vented soffit, take a look at your roof. If your roof is vented, especially if its shingled you will notice. The caps on the ridge of your roof will stand out off the shingles as if there is something under it. That is because the materials used to vent the roof hold the caps off so are can escape. If youe roof isn't vented and you have vented soffits it doesnt mean you have rotted soffits, however it could mean it was used to cover it to make it look better instead of repainting it. Now if in the gable ends you see some vents, one on each side, then your vented soffits absolutely have a purpose.
This has been a PSA from you local friendly carpenter. Here to help keep your homes beautiful and functioning properly.
