"HeyBub" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I need to have about 100 ft of my fascia and soffit replaced, and I'm
thinking about doing it myself. But before I proceed further, I would
like some expert opinions:

1. How much would a handyman charge for this job (material looks like
cheap wood, not vinyl or aluminum)? Is this something a homeowner with
average skill can do, or does it have to be done by a professional?

Handy-man can do it - there's no such thing as a "professional soffit
installer."

If your hand fits a hammer, you can probably do it, too. Once you take the
old ones down, you'll see how they were erected.


2. What kind of primer and paint should I use?

Whatever you like. Latex exterior house paint is probably easiest. Hint:
Paint the boards BEFORE you put them up - it's easier. Then all you do is
"touch up" the finished construction.


3. Would I need any special tools?

No. I don't know about your fascia, but the soffit boards are probably
1/4" plywood. A power saw and some saw horses are indicated.

Now here's an interesting thing: You can't have too many soffit vents. In
your case, these could be large openings in the soffits covered with wire
mesh (to keep out the birds). Create these vents before you mount the
soffits.
The above advice may be correct, depending upon where you live. In this
area of central Florida, soffits are usually perforated aluminum sections
without separate soffit vents. The entire soffit area is perforated and
allows airflow. The soffit comes in 12' long sections, 2 panels wide, and
you cut them to the right length for your particular requirements. They
come in white and bronze. Other styles/colors are probably available from
roofers or aluminum sources.

I used to try and do my own maintenance work, but now I've got enough other
tasks that I don't want to spend hours doing things a qualiafied tradesman
can do in minutes. In my case, during renovations the roofing company
installed new soffit material. For reasons that aren't worth explaining
they left a gap of about 9" at one corner. There was interference with an
adjacent wall and awning over a doorway and I didn't want to take the time
to buy a single section of soffitt, maneuver around the obstructions and
insert this small section so I prevailed on the renovation contractor to get
it done. The aluminum screen-room guy was able to get it done in about 45
minutes once he had the right materials. It would have taken me hours, left
me with a lot of left-over material, and wouldn't have been as neat a job as
he did.

The reason I even mention this is that you may want to check your soffits to
see if you have any areas that are difficult to reach or where working on
them would be difficult -- if so, you may want a roofing company or aluminum
company to do the work, since they're faced with those problems every day.
Regards --