Fascia outside corners not wrapped.

[pr3dict]

Yet again it seems I've been let down by the quality of a contractor... This winter I hired a company to do the siding and aluminum fascia because it was about to start snowing and I didnt have a month to do it myself...

Today, crazy enough, I noticed I had a birds nest in one of the bird boxes and while cleaning it out noticed that the outside corners of the fascia board are not wrapped in aluminum. It seems the guy just butted two pieces together at the corner. It was hard to see from the ground this winter because I have 12ft walls but when I was on the ladder you can clearly see the wood underneath...

What can I do to fix this? I'm afraid it's going to prematurely rot the boards underneath. While it probably is going to look terrible would a door/trim caulk work or am I SOL?

 

[nadogail]

Can you bend sheet stock into a shape that will cover the opening and attach it to the existing fascia?

 

[pr3dict]

This is what it looks like. I guess I could use a hand bender thing to bend a piece of stock.

 

[BillK]

I think I would call them and have them re-do it. Not sure if there is going to be a good way to patch it. Has it looked like that since they did the job ????? I wouldn't have paid them till they finished it correctly.

 

[captain14]

That’s only going to get worse. I had the same thing happen to my three dormers when I had siding, soffit and fascia installed after the new windows went in.

I’m not an expert but I think each corner should have had a bend (overlap- I’m not sure if the correct term) to tie them together to prevent that. The birds will continue to nest and destroy the soffits.

I’ll try to find the YouTube video I saw about doing corners like that and post a link.

 

[GeeTeeOhh]

I would insist they redo the fascia all around. As a former siding contractor, I can tell you that the fascia appears to be hand fabricated in a brake. usually the 1" return at the bottom has another 1/8" return to keep the fascia stiff, along with emboss finish. and the corner is a hand bent 1" return to neatly trim the corner, not a separate piece of trim. See the Edco image. there is no way this guy can call himself a siding contractor

 

[captain14]

Here’s a YouTube video on doing these correctly.

I agree to get the contractor out to fix it correctly. Each corner should have a bend to tie it together and held together with fasteners.

 

[Sumboodie]

Make a 90* bend in flashing, maybe 1-2" each side and put it over the corner.

 

[GeeTeeOhh]

Also, we generally avoided face nailing as it looks sloppy and causes buckling when the fascia heats up. Our standard was to use steel fascia, and white hex head screws going up through the 1" bottom return into the wood fascia. if you cant the the contractor to redo the fascia, about all you can do is have him fabricate a proper corner piece that includes the return. a 1x1 or 1-1/2 x 1-1/2" would do.

 

[pr3dict]

I think I made a mistake in letting him know he was the lowest bidder as he asked me after I hired him. He left his apprentice each day to do the work while he went to work on another project. There were a few things that I wasnt in love with. When installing the gable vents I insisted that he put flashing around the entire thing like a window and he said in his 20+ years doing it that it was not necessary.

I noticed the waviness/buckling on the face starting already and it's only april. I can't even imagine what it's going to look like in the summer. It cost me $2500 cash for a 27'x24' siding and fascia wrapped. I provided the material. Took the one guy ~ 3 days. Granted it probably would have taken me a month especially in January.

I'll call him tomorrow but I doubt he's going to come back to fix it.

 

[Sumboodie]

That's not a horrible price.

I had a 16x20 shed sided as well as aluminum fascia, trimmed out a garage door too.
I paid $2k I believe. Was easily done in a day. The owner and an apprentice.

Did a great job and I've referred many folks to him in the last 10 years.

 

[glennm]

If you paid him cash and he won’t fix it tell him your next call will be to the tax department ��

 

[SALIV8]

This is the reason I hate dealing with most contractors..

Usually I can do it better than the pro I’m paying.

 

[CraigStu]

Since it is so far up and hard to see, how about running a bead of your favorite clear sealer on the underside of each aluminum edge and pushing them into position?

 

[pr3dict]

Since it is so far up and hard to see, how about running a bead of your favorite clear sealer on the underside of each aluminum edge and pushing them into position?

That's what I was wondering? Will this work?

To the untrained eye (like myself before realizing waht happened) it looks fine. I'm more worried about it rotting or getting termites or something lol.

 

[Renegade1LI]

This is what it looks like. I guess I could use a hand bender thing to bend a piece of stock.

If you can't get him back you could bend up some 90 deg pcs 2" x 2" & place them over the corner, trim to fit. Then if you can realign the existing trim predrill 1/8" from the bottom edge & lightly nail them into place. As a finishing touch give all the seams a little caulk & I think it will look. Fascia should always be nailed from the bottom, one nail at each end to hang it & a couple in between just to hold it, trim should almost snap in & hang, never nailed tight & the holes should be slightly over sized.

 

[Sumboodie]

What exactly is a "predrill".

 

[rustyjames]

What exactly is a "predrill".

As in drilling the fascia before installing as opposed to just punching a trim nail through. Aluminum (and vinyl) trim/siding needs to be "hung" not fastened tight. Otherwise it'll buckle.

 

[Mikeske]

Since it is so far up and hard to see, how about running a bead of your favorite clear sealer on the underside of each aluminum edge and pushing them into position?

I don't think it work for the long term. The issue is the clear seal will eventually fail due to the metal expanding and contracting differently then the wood underlayment.

 

[Sumboodie]

As in drilling the fascia before installing as opposed to just punching a trim nail through. Aluminum (and vinyl) trim/siding needs to be "hung" not fastened tight. Otherwise it'll buckle.

Huh. All the aluminum trim on my house, garage, and shed is just nailed in place.
A few spots buckle slightly when the sun is roasting on it, but it's not by much.

Just thought it's funny to say predrill. Wouldn't it just be drilling a hole for the nail?

 

[58Yeoman]

Huh. All the aluminum trim on my house, garage, and shed is just nailed in place.
A few spots buckle slightly when the sun is roasting on it, but it's not by much.

Just thought it's funny to say predrill. Wouldn't it just be drilling a hole for the nail?

Yeah, the same as "pre-ordering" a car that isn't built yet, like the Tesla PU.

 

[Renegade1LI]

As in drilling the fascia before installing as opposed to just punching a trim nail through. Aluminum (and vinyl) trim/siding needs to be "hung" not fastened tight. Otherwise it'll buckle.

Exactly!

 

[Renegade1LI]

If you drill it in place for the first two nails you may drill a starter hole into the wood making a final adjustment harder.

 

[CraigStu]

I don't think it work for the long term. The issue is the clear seal will eventually fail due to the metal expanding and contracting differently then the wood underlayment.

Yep, no question it may not be a forever repair. Just thinking that a proper repair probably involves some new aluminum and, if he can't get the contractor to do it, that could be a real pain. I know that I can't buy a small piece of the appropriate aluminum and the best bends I can do involve a work bench edge, a couple of pieces of 2x, and clamps so they don't come out as nice as I'd like.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Yep, no question it may not be a forever repair. Just thinking that a proper repair probably involves some new aluminum and, if he can't get the contractor to do it, that could be a real pain. I know that I can't buy a small piece of the appropriate aluminum and the best bends I can do involve a work bench edge, a couple of pieces of 2x, and clamps so they don't come out as nice as I'd like.

Just go to hd and get some aluminum step flashing in white, trim to fit corners and overlay the fascia trim,a little white caulk it will be stable and look good.

 

[spudley]

As loose at that job is, you could slide a piece under the fascia. Either way I'd still use some caulk, metal to metal. Drill/predrill holes slightly larger than the nail, not larger than the head.
Years ago I had a fast talking neighbor claiming he was a siding contractor. Turns out he was "selling" jobs and hiring any dufus he could find to show up and do what happened to the OP.
Guys like that need to meet the business end of a baseball bat.