Wood Rot, Soffit and Fascia Repair

A soft spot in the fascia or peeling paint above the gutter, cut out and replaced before it reaches the framing.

Serving Swannanoa · Black Mountain · East Asheville · Oteen · Asheville and Buncombe County

  • Over 40 years of experience
  • One carpenter, start to finish
  • Free written estimates
  • Based in Swannanoa

Rob Stimson Carpentry repairs rotted wood on homes in Swannanoa, Asheville, Oteen, and across Buncombe County. Rob has been a carpenter since 1985 and has worked here since 1991, and soffit and fascia repair is the most common call he gets on older houses in this area.

The work covers soffit and fascia replacement, rot around windows, doors, and trim, siding repair and board replacement, and porch columns, posts, and skirting. Rot starts where rain sits and a humid summer never quite lets the wood dry out, which is why the board above the gutter usually goes first.

Estimates are free. Rob comes out and probes it, because rot cannot be judged from the driveway, and he will not price rot off a photograph. If you have peeling paint above the gutter, a soft spot a screwdriver sinks into, or birds getting in under the roof edge, that is rot and it spreads. Nobody knows the full extent until the bad material is off, so if it runs further than the estimate covered, he stops and writes a change order rather than running up the bill quietly. What he takes out gets replaced and painted to match the rest of the house.

Rot that has reached framing needs a permit in your name, and Rob still takes the job. Ladders are fine at any height, second storey included. He does not walk on a roof surface.

How it works

What happens after you get in touch.

1

Tell him what you are seeing

Peeling paint above the gutter, a soft spot, or birds getting in under the roof edge. A photo from the driveway is a fine place to start.

2

He comes out and probes it

Rot cannot be judged from the ground, so he gets a ladder on it and finds where the soft wood stops. That visit is free.

3

You get the number first

The price is in writing and you have agreed to it before anything gets cut out of the house.

Questions

Questions about wood rot

How do estimates work? +
Rob comes out, looks at the job, and gives you a price before any work starts. Estimates are free. If it turns out to be something he does not do, he will say so on the phone first rather than driving out and wasting your afternoon.
What does Rob charge? +
Small jobs are hourly with a minimum. Larger jobs get a written price before work begins, so you know the number up front.
Does Rob do plumbing or electrical work? +
No. He is a carpenter, not a plumber or an electrician. He will swap a light fixture or a switch for the same kind of thing, but he does not run new wiring, add circuits, or move pipes. If that is what the job needs, you need a different trade first.
What won't Rob take on? +
No plumbing or electrical. Nothing that requires getting onto a roof, which rules out roofing, chimneys, and skylights. No gutter cleaning and no garage doors. Ladder work is fine, including soffit, fascia, and second-storey trim. The line is the roof surface, not the height.
What areas does Rob serve? +
Swannanoa first, since that is home, then Black Mountain, East Asheville, Oteen, Fairview, Montreat, Ridgecrest, and Asheville. Further out is possible depending on the job. Just ask.
What if the rot has reached the framing? +
Rob still takes it. He cuts out what is gone and replaces the structural wood. That step needs a permit, in your name as the property owner, and he tells you that is what he is looking at before anything starts. He does not get on the roof surface to do it.

Where the line is

What needs a permit, and what doesn't.

Rob would rather tell you now than find out in your driveway.

No permit needed

  • Soffit and fascia repair and replacement
  • Rot around windows, doors, and trim
  • Siding repair, like for like
  • Porch columns, posts, and skirting
  • Ladder work at any height

Needs a permit first

The permit goes in your name as the property owner. Rob tells you what the job needs before it starts, then does the work and coordinates around the inspections.

  • Rot that has reached framing, rafter tails, or structural wood
  • Posts, beams, or ledgers that have to be replaced

Cutting out rotten trim, soffit, fascia, and siding does not need a permit. Once the rot has reached framing, it does, and Rob does that work too. Ladders are fine at any height. Roof surfaces are not.

Not his trade, at any size: plumbing, electrical, anything on a roof surface, gutter cleaning, garage doors, and lawn and yard work. He will usually know who to call.

Is that soft spot worse than it looks?

Send a photo or call. The estimate is free, and Rob will tell you what he finds up there.

Call Estimate