Soffit & Fascia Cost Calculator

What this calculator estimates

This calculator quotes the all-in installed price for soffit and fascia replacement or new installation on a residential home in 2026 US dollars. It separates the bill into the line items real eaves contractors invoice:

• Soffit panels — the horizontal under-eave covering, sold per linear foot of eave run.
• Fascia board — the vertical board behind the gutter, sold per linear foot of eave run.
• Tear-out — removal and disposal of existing soffit and fascia (almost always required on a replacement job).
• Paint or factory finish — on bare wood or where field-painting is needed.
• Ventilated soffit strip — continuous perforated or vented panel for IRC R806 attic intake ventilation.
• Corner returns — pre-formed outside corner pieces (4 corners on a simple gable; 6 to 12 on hip and complex layouts).

A minimum service-call floor of $450 applies in most US metro markets. Small jobs under 40 to 50 linear feet hit the floor because mobilising a crew, ladders or lift, vehicle, and disposal is the dominant cost on small jobs.

How to use it

1. Soffit linear feet — measure the total eave run (where the soffit meets the wall). For a simple rectangular ranch, this is the perimeter of the eaves. Typical ranch: 100 to 150 ft.
2. Fascia linear feet — usually equal to the soffit run for standard gable or hip homes. Add rake fascia if you want to wrap the gable ends.
3. Material — vinyl (cheapest), aluminum (most common 2026 choice), painted wood, fiber-cement (most durable), or composite cellular PVC / HPL (premium).
4. Building height — single-storey is the baseline. Two-storey adds 15 percent for ladder positioning. Three-storey or higher adds 35 percent for swing-stage or boom-lift.
5. Site access — easy (clear ground, no obstructions), moderate (some landscaping, normal setback), or difficult (power lines, tight setback, lift required).
6. Tear-out — toggle ON for replacement jobs. Tear-out is roughly $2 to $3 per linear foot and includes haul-away and dump fees.
7. Paint or finish — toggle ON for raw wood that needs field-painting. Aluminum, vinyl, fiber-cement, and composite typically arrive factory-finished and skip this line.
8. Vent strip — toggle ON to add continuous ventilated soffit for attic intake (IRC R806). Strongly recommended on any vented-attic home.
9. Outside corners — count the external corners of the eave where soffit and fascia turn 90 degrees. Simple gable: 4. Hip roof: 4 to 8. Complex layouts: 8 to 16.

Typical 2026 US soffit & fascia cost ranges

Add 10 to 25 percent in coastal salt-spray regions for marine-grade aluminum or fully sealed fasteners.

Cost drivers

Material. Vinyl is the cheapest material at roughly $4 to $6 per linear foot delivered, but aluminum is the workhorse — better paint life, no brittleness, fire-resistant, and only 10 percent more expensive on average. Wood (cedar, pine, hardboard) is mid-priced but adds an ongoing 8- to 12-year paint cycle. Fiber-cement (James Hardie HardieSoffit, Cembrit Patina) is more durable than wood with the appearance of painted wood, but adds 30 to 50 percent to installed cost because of weight, cutting time, and the need for silica-rated dust control under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153. Composite (Versatex cellular PVC, Trespa HPL, Rockpanel HPL) is the most durable and most expensive — 50 to 80 percent over vinyl.

Building height. Single-storey is the baseline. Two-storey adds 15 percent for ladder repositioning and harness setup at every eave run. Three-storey or higher adds 30 to 40 percent because of 28- to 32-ft extension ladders, stand-off stabilizers, OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501 fall-protection requirements, and the slower pace working at height. Some three-storey jobs require boom-lift rental ($350 to $650 per day) that gets billed through.

Site access. Clear ground with no obstructions is easy. Mature landscaping, decks, or air-conditioner condensers under the eave are moderate. Power lines within 10 ft of the eave (anything closer than the OSHA-mandated minimum approach distance for unqualified workers under 29 CFR 1926.1408) require either utility de-energising or a qualified line clearance crew on standby — that scenario can add 25 to 40 percent.

Tear-out condition. Sound wood being replaced for cosmetics is easy tear-out. Rotted wood with active fungal damage often reveals damaged rafter tails or sub-fascia underneath, which adds carpentry time at $65 to $95 per hour. Asbestos-cement soffit (pre-1990 construction) requires licensed abatement that can triple the tear-out line. Always include a 10 to 15 percent contingency for rot discovery on any home over 30 years old.

Vent strip and corner count. A 10-corner hip-and-valley home costs $80 to $200 more in corner returns than a 4-corner gable. Continuous vent strip adds $4 to $5 per linear foot but is non-negotiable if you want the new roof to qualify for the manufacturer warranty (most warranties require IRC R806 compliance).

When to replace soffit and fascia

Visible rot or peeling paint. Once paint starts peeling and the wood underneath is soft, you have less than 12 months before the fascia loses its ability to hold gutter hangers — gutters then sag, water back-flows, and you accelerate the rot. Replace at first sign.

Re-roof timing. Always check soffit and fascia condition before signing the re-roof contract. The cheapest moment to replace them is during the re-roof while the gutters are off and the crew is on site. Adding it after the fact often costs 25 to 40 percent more.

Gutter replacement timing. New gutters mounted on rotted fascia will sag, leak at the back, and pull out of failing wood within 2 to 3 years. Replace fascia at the same time as gutters or beforehand.

Pest entry. Squirrels, raccoons, and birds enter attics through gaps in soffit and rotted fascia corners. If you have had any pest entry, you almost certainly need soffit work — not just exclusion screening.

Storm damage. Wind events above 50 mph commonly peel aluminum or vinyl soffit panels off lower edges and tear at fascia corners. Document with photos within 72 hours for the insurance claim.

What to look for in a contractor

A competent contractor will:

1. Measure on-site, not from a photo or aerial estimate.
2. Inspect rafter tails and sub-fascia for rot before quoting.
3. Quote line-by-line: soffit material, fascia material, tear-out, vent strip, corners, paint, scaffolding.
4. Provide manufacturer specification for soffit panels (vented vs solid mix, vent slot net free area).
5. Pull and bag old aluminum or copper soffit for scrap value credit on the invoice (a courtesy on premium quotes).
6. Carry general liability and workers’ comp insurance for ladder and lift work.
7. Warrant labour for at least 2 years and use the manufacturer’s full product warranty (typically 30 to 50 years on aluminum, lifetime on Hardie).

Red flags: refusal to inspect rafter tails before quoting, suspicious low quotes that exclude tear-out, requests for cash, vague “material upgrade” language without a specific brand and series.

Code references and standards (US)

• IRC R806 — Attic ventilation requirements (1/300 net free area, balanced intake and exhaust).
• IRC R905 — Roof covering installation including drip edge and fascia detail.
• ASTM E1592 — Standard test method for soffit and fascia uplift resistance.
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501 — Fall protection above 6 ft.
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153 — Silica exposure control for fiber-cement cutting.
• NRCA Architectural Manual — Industry-standard detailing for eave construction.

Diagnostic checklist before quoting

Before signing a contract, walk the perimeter with the contractor and tick:

• Soft spots or sponginess in fascia (probe with a screwdriver).
• Paint peeling, blistering, or fading more than 30 percent.
• Visible nail-head bleed-through (rust stains running down fascia).
• Gutter joints leaking or hangers pulled loose.
• Daylight visible from inside the attic at the eave line (gap between sheathing and fascia top).
• Bird, squirrel, or wasp entry in soffit corners.
• Bare wood exposed where vinyl or aluminum has detached.
• Asbestos suspicion on pre-1990 fibre-cement soffit (test before disturbing).

Related calculators

• Gutter installation cost calculator — replace gutters when you replace fascia.
• Gutter replacement cost calculator — like-for-like gutter swap pricing.
• Roof flashing cost calculator — drip-edge and headwall flashing pair with soffit and fascia.

Sources: 2026 HomeAdvisor Soffit & Fascia Cost Guide; Angi 2026 True Cost Report; Lowe’s installed-price soffit and fascia quotes; James Hardie HardieSoffit Installation Manual; NRCA Architectural Manual; IRC R806 (attic ventilation); OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501 (fall protection); OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153 (silica).