# Do you start gable soffit from the top down??



## Ron6519

Soffit material from the bottom up. For aluminum material at under 11" wide I would cut it 1/8" shorter then the opening.
Ron


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## Willie T

You asked some very intuitive questions about running gables. The answers depend upon a variety of conditions and circumstances that will vary some with each house you do.

The first consideration in all trim work, aluminum soffits included, is aesthetic balance. You don’t want a short sliver of soffit anywhere if you can help it. So you have to look at any run, calculate the number of pieces it will take, and determine what the size of the final cut-off is going to be.

This may mean you will not begin with a full piece, because to do so might give you a tiny little ending piece at the other end... OR it might cause you to finish the run with one of the “V” grooves too close to an edge that may not be square. This will show up like a sore thumb, and make your job look bad.

Secondly, getting to the gables, much will depend upon just how each end of the gable is built... how it ends. And, again aesthetic balance comes into play. You always have to look at the beginning and the end of any run, and do some division math. Try never to end up with a “V”” groove too near an end... or worse yet, half under the channel strip. This looks very amateurish.

If your gable is “boxed” on the lower end (as most are) you’ll probably want to begin at the bottom, and stack upward. However, if it is open at the bottom end, it is easier to run from the top down, and just trim the last piece along the edge.

One thing that will make your gable end job stand out as having been done by someone who knew their stuff is this..........

Up at the peak, where both sides meet, if possible (sometimes it’s too steep to do this, but not often), either begin there – or work out the calculations – so that you can fold a piece on one of the “V” grooves, right in the center of the peak. If you do not begin at the top, this takes some careful calculating, and honestly is not child’s play. But it can be done. This makes a beautiful peak, and eliminates the need to put a tacky cross piece of trim up there. It also keeps you from being tempted to fold a peak piece somewhere out in the flat portion. This looks like a mistake.

But, no matter where you start, how you run, make sure to try to never have two dissimilar sizes of cuts right next to each other. Can you imagine how the peak would look if you had a full piece on one side, and a 1-1/4” piece on the other? Low-rent as can be!

Fascia. Make certain your overlapping pieces work with your most prominent visual angle. In other words, say you are standing at your entryway, and look up at a run of fascia down the front of the house....... You do NOT want to look into the end of an overlap. You want the piece closest to you to overlap the next piece further away. And it continues that way till out of sight. Same thing with front to back on the sides of your house. If the side of your house is easily seen from the street, begin running your fascia from the back of the house so that all the overlaps are visually softened from the street view. There is no hard-and-fast rule on this and each house portion's visual angle has to be considered individually.

And the cardinal rule! Never ever run a cheap looking short piece to finish out a run. Think ahead, and waste a piece or two if you have to to keep all of the pieces reasonably long and close to equal lengths.

There are a few other tricks - like fake 45 degree corners on the channel - folded, not CUT fascia corners - and trimmed, end matching 45's on flat corner panels. But this will get you started in the right direction.


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## 4just1don

Thanks for the info.

My next area of concern is which is the very corner,,,where the gable end meets the 45 degree eave roof edge. From the edge of my fascia board its like 9" to sheathing. so how do you end eave soffit and transition to gable soffit? I realize you end up with a triangle little piece,,,but the very corner,is that GABLE soffit angled down from above or flat horizontal from the eave? And what does this corner piece nail on to? There seems nothing to fasten to.

Okay and while I am asking,,,I assume the tyvek/typar is placed UNDER the f channel,,in other words FIRST before any soffit so small amount of excess paper is up in soffit?? Or does it matter it is completely up that very high? Would think so based on water tightness


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## Willie T

4just1don said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> My next area of concern is which is the very corner,,,where the gable end meets the 45 degree eave roof edge. From the edge of my fascia board its like 9" to sheathing. so how do you end eave soffit and transition to gable soffit? I realize you end up with a triangle little piece,,,but the very corner,is that GABLE soffit angled down from above or flat horizontal from the eave? And what does this corner piece nail on to? There seems nothing to fasten to.
> 
> Okay and while I am asking,,,I assume the tyvek/typar is placed UNDER the f channel,,in other words FIRST before any soffit so small amount of excess paper is up in soffit?? Or does it matter it is completely up that very high? Would think so based on water tightness


I'm having a hard time following your drift. Are you talking about the triangle shaped box that is the last two feet or so of the gable structure?

The really best way to handle that is with coil stock (larger sheets of aluminium). But you can also do it by starting fascia at the house under the gable, and making the corner, running out to the flat eave. Then you cut off the lip of another run of fascia, and overlap the first run of fascia by an inch or so. And do it again if you need to, til you have the sides of that triangle box covered in aluminium.

Then you run the gable fascia all the way down to the eave where you will have to cut it at a plumb angle just short of the eave. This also entails having to cut off the lip on the gable fascia where it runs down over the metal covered box.

Then you run the eave fascia, making about a 1/2" to 3/4" turn back onto the side of the box. This is one of the few exposed cuts you have to make, so make it nice and clean. About four nails hold it in snug where it makes that short corner. Nail gently so as not to dent and warp that little return strip of the eave fascia.

Yes, the paper goes on first. And it doesn't hurt to let it run up a few inches. It's not going to get in the way of anything.

Are you going to stucco or side? I think you said siding. There is a two-way channel for that area, but I doubt you will find it easily. Just keep your two channels tight together, and smooth... no problem. There is a very professional way of doing those two channels, but it means you have to fir out the gable channel to match the future depth of the siding "J" channel, so it doesn't look like you buried your soffit channel back under the siding. Play around and hold some of both channels up there together as they will be installed, and you will soon see what I'm talking about. If you are using "F" channel, that is usually made with a long enough lip that it sticks out past where the siding will be.... in that case, you are already in good shape on this. I hope that's the case.

I'm thinking more about the gable to eave transition. I think I'm with you now. Truthfully, most guys square off the bottom of the gable (cut it) and run the last few inches parallel with the ground. I prefer to use different width facia on the gable and on the eave, and make a close to prefect pointed corner, using adhesive to hold it together. 2p10 works very well, and sets up in just seconds... although there are all kinds available. Sometimes the way the wood it already run, you may be stuck having to just work out the flat kind of corner as best as you can. All I can suggest here is to go look at some soffits already done around your area.


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## Willie T

Boy am I dumb! I re-read your post. That involves a little bit of carpentry on your part.
Just nail in a piece of 2 x 4 (or whatever fits) at the edge of the house corner, and slip a short piece of fascia onto it to finish off the eave run.
Then just run the gable soffit all the way right on down.

You were asking a simple question, and I went halfway to China to explain construction you don't even have on your house if I'm correct here.

The photo below shows what I mean. And the drawing is just some more ideas to kick around.


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## Salem747

*Gable End Soffit*

For the gable end soffit do you install it directly to the ladder of the roof and then slide the fascia cover over it or should you install the j-trim and fascia cover and then slide the soffit pieces in like you would on the eave end? 

Seem faster/easier to tack it up to the ladder first then come along after with the fascia cover.


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## Willie T

I have usually fastened the "J" channel to run along the wall of the house.
Then slipped each piece of soffit in just a 1/2" or so below the previous piece.
Slide the new piece up to lock into the previous piece.
Then nail or staple the outside edge of each installed piece right in the center groove.
To finish it off, drop the fascia in snug against the full run of pieces, and gently fasten it with a nail every so often.


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## Salem747

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Have it in the J and then tack it up and install the cover over top of it, then you don't have to play around trying to feed in the soffit at 25' in the air, makes it easier for your little trick about bending a piece for the peak too.


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