What goes wrong with fascia & trim if you wait
Fascia rot behind the gutters
Water that overflows a clogged gutter or wicks behind it sits against the fascia for months. The paint lets go, the wood soaks it up, and the board turns soft from the back where you cannot see it. By the time you notice it from the ground, the rot has often spread into the rafter tails and roof sheathing.
Gutters pulling away from the house
Gutter hangers are screwed into the fascia. Once that board softens, the screws lose their grip and a full gutter of rain or wet needles pulls the whole run down. That dumps water straight onto your siding, walkway and foundation.
Pests in the attic
Gaps from rotted or shrunken trim are a perfect entry point for rats, squirrels, birds and wasps. Damp, softened wood is also exactly what carpenter ants and dampwood termites look for on the coast.
Water behind siding and around windows
Corner boards and window trim are sealed with caulking. When the caulk cracks and the trim opens up, rain gets behind the siding and into the wall cavity, which can lead to hidden mould, rotted sheathing and stained drywall inside.
Common jobs we take on
- Rotten fascia board replacement
- Soft corner trim and window trim repair
- Exterior trim caulking and repainting
- Soffit vent and trim gaps sealed
How Lower Mainland weather affects fascia & trim
Metro Vancouver is one of the wettest metro areas in Canada, and the Tri-Cities sit right at the foot of the mountains, so Coquitlam, Port Moody and Anmore get even more rain than downtown Vancouver. From October to April the trim on your house may barely dry out. Long rainy stretches and atmospheric rivers, like the one that flooded parts of the Fraser Valley in November 2021, push wind-driven rain sideways into every joint.
Then summer flips the problem. Strong UV and heat, like the June 2021 heat dome, bake south and west facing trim, crack the paint film and open up the caulked joints. Add tall firs and cedars dropping needles into gutters, moss on the roof edge and the odd winter cold snap, and fascia boards in the Lower Mainland work harder than almost anywhere else in the country.
Warning signs to watch for
- Peeling, blistering or flaking paint on the fascia or corner boards
- Dark stains or green algae streaks on the trim below the gutters
- Wood that feels soft or spongy when you press it with a screwdriver
- Gutters that sag, lean outward or have gaps behind them
- Gaps, cracks or missing caulking where trim meets siding
- Wasp nests, droppings or chewed wood near the roofline
Maintenance tips
- Walk around the house every fall and look up at the fascia and trim, especially behind the gutters
- Clean gutters at least twice a year, more often if you live near firs and cedars
- Fill and seal small paint cracks and failed caulking before the rainy season starts
- Repaint exterior trim every 5 to 7 years, sooner on sunny south and west walls
- Fix sagging gutters right away so water stops running down the fascia
How G2 Home Services handles fascia & trim
We probe every board to find where the rot stops, cut out the damaged sections and replace them with primed, rot-resistant material. If the rafter tails behind are soft, we repair those too, then re-hang the gutters on solid wood, caulk every joint and finish with two coats of exterior paint matched to your house. You get photos of the damage and the repair, and a written price before we start.
Every job is backed by our written promise: a locked-in price before we start, we redo anything you are not happy with, and a one-year workmanship guarantee.
Fascia & Trim Repair near you
We are based in Coquitlam and take on these jobs across the Tri-Cities, Burnaby, New Westminster, Vancouver, Richmond and the North Shore. Got other small jobs too? Add them to the list and we will do them in the same visit. See small jobs & odd jobs.
Fascia & Trim Repair: frequently asked questions
How much does fascia board repair cost in Coquitlam?
It depends on how many metres are damaged and whether the rafter tails behind are affected. Small sections are often a half-day job, while a full side of the house takes longer. We give you a written, locked-in price after a free look at the damage.
Can you just paint over rotten fascia?
No. Paint seals moisture into the wood and the rot keeps spreading underneath. Soft wood has to be cut out and replaced first, then primed and painted.
Do I need to replace my gutters too?
Not always. In many cases we take the gutters down, replace the fascia and re-hang the same gutters with new hangers. If the gutters are damaged or pitched wrong, we will tell you before we start.
