Starting at Square....something - All Inclusive Exterior Questions

Good day Ladies and Gents, My name is Jeremy and I am a homeowner working my way towards finishing a remodeling project. Over the last year, I have completely gutted and refinished my house on the inside. I am now living there, and I'm turning my attention to the outside. Below is a picture of what this thread will be dealing with...



So, as you can see I have already replaced the roof. The next items on my list are siding/soffit/fascia.

First off, I've never dealt with anything from the roof down aside from boarding up/installing windows (I apologize for my ignorance). That said, I'm not sure where to begin. I have purchased the siding (Vinyl Siding, DBW45 Pebble Clay D/L). I have just recouped from that purchase and will be purchasing the soffit/fascia and 1/4" fan fold insulation....stuff.

So what comes first? Do I start with the soffit/fascia and then attack the siding? or vise versa? My assumption is to start with the soffit, so until told otherwise - I'll start there.

Currently, the soffit looks to be 1x with a couple vents per side of the house. I plan to purchase perforated vinyl soffit. Obviously I will need to cut out the old 1x. When I cut the old stuff out, how do I fasten the new stuff? Do I need to start with the fascia first? I've not seen fascia yet, so I'm not sure how that installs either. Will that just slide under the drip edge from the roof? Will I nail through the drip edge to attach my fascia?

Here's a couple close up pics of what we are dealing with...





I'll stop there as I don't want to wear out my welcome. I promise to update the thread with progress pics. I really need the help of people who have done this before...

Thank you, Jeremy

The fascia is attached to your rafter tails.We remove then install the siding and stop short of the soffit/fascia.I have never seen 1x's used as soffit but on older homes tongue/groove was visible on open overhangs,but anything is possible.I can offer our process even thogh some might do it different.We remove the siding only on the side you can put back before any rain/storms.
If this is a weekend type of project you can remove a complete section including outerpost install housewrap/insulation board hang the siding and stop short of the soffit.Put plywood up to protect your new work.Remove the soffit being careful not to damage fascia because doing so will warp/bind your drip edge/shingle starter course..clean the workspace then tap fascia from inside out lightly as to only expose the nails holding the fascia.,then use a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade and cut the nails from between the fascia and rafter tails.Only use this process if the nails cannot be removed with a nail bar.Finish your siding, we install the soffit track above the J-channel.Replace your fascia,then cut your soffit install in the track,fasten, space your vents to code,brake your fascia wrap and I am assuming you will have gutters installed so fasten your wrap where it will not have direct contact with moisture.Do not fasten thru the drip edge since doing so will compromise the performance of the drip edge.I recommend to make sure all rafter tails are in really good condition and if not replace them.
Some people just get in and tear everything off and until you are familiar with the siding/soffit process it is easier to have at least something still there to go off from instead of being overwhelmed and not really remembering what was what and what angle was where.Hope it helps lol

I have removed all of the soffit leaving the fascia board in tact. Below are a couple more pictures to show what it looks like now....








Can I go through and do the Soffit/Fascia first? Then do the sidding? Or do you have to side up to the soffit so you know where to hang the soffit track?

The soffit can be installed 2-ways slightly angled to the corner which is tacky,The easiest is level off the bottom of the fascia,and yes install the track(level)close out your siding,install the soffit then hang the fascia wrap.

Well, Everything was just dropped off at the house. It appears I have made a little bit of a mistake. When i took the initial measurement for the fascia, I only measured two sides. One side was 6" and the other was 4". The 4" side needed to be replaced anyway, so I was planning to do that. However, after further measuring, it appears that only the one side was 6" - the rest was 5". When I went to replace the 4", I was just going to make it 6 and call it a day.

Would I be better off getting my sawzaw out and starting over? The aluminum fascia cover I ordered is all 6".

If I replace the fascia board does it need to be painted? or because it is PT, it is ok....

Questions questions questions.... Thanks to anyone who has the time!

Well I guess you found out why you should measure every area.It has happened to us all.I would make it all 6" and does the PT mean pressure treated or primer treated ? It should be primed/treated even though the fascia
wrap will cover it.If I were you and you were getting gutters then 6" is your best out of the rest.I like 1x8"s because the 4" and 5" would make it difficult for your gutters to sit right against the fascia.When gutters are installed they are lowered on one end to assist the draining,If your gutters are hung from the left to the right and being under the drip edge on a 4" or 5" then by the time the gutters are hung and you factor in the drop that will be needed for them to drain(right side) you will run out of fascia(top to bottom) and have nothing to fasten your gutters tr the bottom of the gutters will hang to low below fascia and overtime the elements(Heavy rains,snow,ice)will pull the gutters down,destroying the new fascia and the wrap and gutters and damage whatever or whoever it falls on.

I decided to go ahead and take it all down. Well, 70% of it anyway as the remaining 30% is where it needs to be.

Thanks Roofmaster for the continued advice. I will be doing the 6" as you have recommended. I'll take a progress pic tonight and post in the AM.

I am sure it will look nice,you cannot go wrong with 6",I prefer 8" but 6" will give you a solid base for you gutters to be hung on.I will be going to Oklahoma (Midwest City) to work in sales for a local reputable Roof Co,There is not much work here due to the lack of storms in our area.Generally we have had at least 1-2 hailstorms,not that you care but I hope you don't erase this thread so I can see it on saturday.Good luck with your project.

Things are progressing slowly. I've decided to at least hang the starter strip before I finish out the Soffit. This is for two reasons. One, I want to make sure I don't end up with a skinny piece of siding at the top, and two, the vinyl soffit is 12", however the opening is 13".

In order to hang the starter strip, I had to put up the fan fold. In order to put up the fanfold, I had to frame out my windows....

I hope to finish putting up the fanfold by the end of the week. I'm in Denver all next week.