What Is A Roofline and How To Know If Yours Needs Replacing

The roofline of your property is so important, yet many of us have barely even heard the term used, let alone got to grips with what this is and how to look after it.

So we thought it was time that changed.

That’s why we’ve put together this guide to take a detailed look at what your roofline is, what it does to protect your home and why it’s so vital that you replace an ineffective roofline if something goes wrong or becomes damaged.

So, if you’d like to be more clued up on how to protect your property, read on to find out more.

What is a roofline?

A roofline is not simply one thing. Instead, it is the term used to describe the combing of four important features that together make up the roof of your property. These four features are fascias, soffits, bargeboards and guttering.

Below, we’re going to give a more in-depth description of each of these and look at why these are such an important part of your roofline.

Fascias

Fascias are the boards that run along the edge of a property’s roof and these are fixed directly to the roof trusses. They are there to support a good deal of weight from the roofing itself, so as you can imagine, these need to be strong – especially in bad weather such as heavy rain or strong winds.

Why are these important for protecting your home:

They protect the exposed ends of rafters, which can reduce the risk of damp or rot
They hold the bottom row of roofless in place
They give you a solid base on which to attach and hold your guttering

Soffits

The soffit boards are the section that overhangs your roof. These are less visible than the fascias, which means they are slightly more protected from the elements.

Why are these important for protecting your home:

The soffits protect your rafters from small animals and insects getting inside
They seal your roof space and prevent moisture from getting in

Bargeboards

Bargeboards are very similar to fascia boards, but these are fixed onto the diagonal eaves of your house. Again, these are designed to protect your home from the elements.

Why are these important for protecting your home:

They cover exposed rafters and prevent moisture from getting in

Guttering

You’re probably most familiar with the guttering on your house. This runs all the way around the outside of the property and is connected to a downpipe used to divert water away. This can either feed into a water butt or a soakaway.

Why is this important for protecting your home:

Guttering drains rainwater away from your property
It ensures that water is collected or diverted back into the ground, so it does not pool around your property

How do you know if your roofline needs replacing?

There are several key signs that your roofline might need replacing and you should regularly check for these to ensure any damage doesn’t become too big or costly.

The key signs that you should look out for include rotting or flaking wood around the roofline, blistering paintwork, rust or watermarks and signs of animals living in your roof (for example, droppings).

If you notice any of these signs, it’s important that you take action right away and don’t let them get any worse. It’s also important that you get a professional in to install or replace any parts of your roofline and don’t try to sort this out yourself. So get in touch with us if you need a new roofline.

Why it’s vital that you replace an ineffective roofline

Finally, your roofline is your homes first defence against the elements and therefore, it is such an integral part of the structure of your property. If it becomes weak or damaged, this could have some serious issues for your property in the future.

So, to sum up, we’ve pulled together a few key reasons that you need to make sure you replace an ineffective roofline as quickly as possible:

To continue protecting your property from the weather, animals and insects
To future-proofs your home and stop it from becoming weak or damaged
To keep your home looking fantastic all year round
Because a quality roofline is easy to maintain and can stop bigger problems from arising