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Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, or PVCu (or uPVC) as it's more commonly known, has almost completely swept the board in the new guttering and fascia market. Their are numerous reasons why homeowners now opt for PVC-U when considering a guttering replacement and new fascias on their property.

It is now widely recognised that the maintenance inconvenience and the technical performance of wood, in particular for roofline, is no longer acceptable when compared with PVC-U.

A PVC-U roofline is better than wood because, as we all appreciate, wood is a porous substance. Once water has breached the external layer, it is a matter of when and not if it will demand replacing. This then paves the way for woodworm and many other vermin to set up home ultimately causing structural damage. UPVC rooflines will not rot, will never want painting, do not discolour and will continue being maintenance free for up to fourty years. All they will require is the occasional clean with warm lathery water.

Soffits
Fascia boards, also known as soffits, are boards fixed to the top of the outside walls of a building, just under the rooftop, which then projects over the fascia. This used to be usually made from wood, but these days PVCu replacements are more wanted as they are light, straightforward to fix, long lasting and cheaper. Wood boards need regular painting and replacement and PVCu in opposition is very resilient, only fading and cracking after quite a few decades.

Guttering
The guttering is fitted to the fascia and collects the rain from the roof, diverting it into down pipes which take the water down into the public sewerage system, or away from the house to a soakaway, where it can disband without damage. Larger diameter downpipes take effluent from the toilets down into the sewers. If the guttering or downpipe is blocked or cracked, then water can escape over the brickwork and enter into the home, creating damp issues.

Guttering has been built from all sorts of materials, including concrete, wood, aluminium, galvanised steel and other metals, but before plastic became popular, they were mainly painted steel. This needs frequent washing and re-painting and if it's not done, rust can set in and create leaks. This means replacing sections, which is expensive and difficult because of the weight of the steel. UPVC scores highly over steel on both those counts and when considering guttering replacement on your house we strongly propose you opt for UPVC .