Facia What? I need your help.

Six months ago I was having a minor panic attack about the exterior colors of the Memorial house, and then I decided to handle it the way mental trauma should be handled – which is to say I put it out of my mind until it needed to be dealt with again. Guess what that time is? Um, now.

Yesterday I’m pondering the meaning of existence and rubble in the living room, and the next thing I know someone says something about facia. I gave a flip answer, like “yeah, order it, let’s get it done” and then every 2-3 hours since MysteryMan has been peppering me with facia questions to the point where I can no longer drive down the street faster than 20 MPH because I need to analyze the color and composition of the facia on every house I see.

Possibly Related Note: We found a full file of valium from a previous tenant dated 1983 in what’s left of the kitchen. You think that’s still good?

Anyway, if you have absolutely no idea what facia is, here:

The facia board, possible facia cover, and drip edge are the items currently giving me a twitch in my left eye.

My original plan was to use 2×8 rough sawn cedar painted the same color as the window trim (which is an off-white). Here is the plan for blending a gray/brown roof with cream colored windows, dark blue or green wavy edged cedar siding, and wood accents.

exterior_mockup2

Then MysteryMan asked me about the drip edge, and even after 60 hours of contractors class the drip edge eludes me. I know why it’s there, but tell me this, have you ever noticed the drip edge on someone’s house before?

In this picture it blends in with the facia, and the whole damn house is white. I always wondered why people chose all white for their house, and now I know. Way less decisions.

MysteryMan is thinking the drip edge (and facia) should possibly blend in with the roof, not the trim on the windows/doors.

So homeowners, here are my questions:

1. If you have a house that is a color, does your facia match your roof, your trim, or the color of your siding?

2. Does your drip edge match your facia board, or the roof?

3. Do you have facia/drip-edge that is an off white or some other non-standard color? (Did you have to paint it to match your trim or did it come that way?) So far I’ve only found the standard bright-freaking-white, gray, and brown colors of drip edge, and I’m trying to figure out how in the hell anyone gets the rest of their trim to match off-white windows.

4. If you have wood facia, does it really matter if it’s rough-sawn or a painted treated-pine? I mean, is anyone ever going to notice that?

Please, give us a little help here, and save MysteryMan from jail time for attempting to drug me with 17 year-old valium.

11 Responses

  1. On my home the fascia is the same color as my trim, ditto on the drip edge. I think it looks good.

  2. ours is the same color as our trim… which is the same color as the roof… that is the same color as the brick. so yeah, our house is really blah looking. i think i’d go with the off white color for your fascia, same as the trim. as for the drip edge – does it come prefinished? if so, it might be difficult to paint and you might want to leave that the same color as the roof.

  3. yikes, that’s 27 year old valium. I hope all the stress hasn’t put you into a state of confusion where you think it’s actually the year 2000 and start singing “Oops I did it again”.

    My fascia (and drip edge I guess I have one) match the trim. It’s all white, no interesting colors. I don’t think it would look good as the same color as the roof or as the same color as the house.

  4. On my house, everything that’s not brick is white (trim, facia, rain gutters) – actually not sure if we even have a drip edge; if we do, it must be hidden behind the rain gutters.

    I think you might be right about other people not noticing the facia on our house, but I see it whenever I look out the window, so I would probably be inclined to make it pretty.

    Good luck!

  5. 1. Fascia matches my trim.

    2. Drip edge matches my roof.

    3. My fascia, trim, gutters, etc. are a non-standard white. Fascia and trim I painted myself; the gutters were available in a color that was an almost perfect match. The drip-edge is …hmmm, I don’t remember what the heck it’s called but it’s sortof a bronzey-grey-brown. When I did some later renovations, the roofing place was out of the drip-edge I needed in that color. So I bought their standard brown and got some good quality brozey spray paint. It was a darn good match and is especially good enough for 15 feet off the ground.

    4. Not likely. But I don’t have a lot of gables (meaning most of it is covered with a gutter).

    Good luck!

  6. We matched our drip edge to our fascia (both bright white). We looked at doing brown to better match the roof, but thought the white looked better (also easier to paint and repaint the fascia if you don’t have to worry about getting a little on the drip edge). We used pre-primed SPF and I think it’s fine. Smooth on the outside face, rougher on the hidden, inside face (from what I remember). And I agree, I think the drip edge is probably paintable if you want to go that route.

  7. Thanks all! It’s actually helpful to know it’s done so many different ways. Means whatever we do, we can’t do it wrong.

    Carmen – Thanks for the photo, I love the cream color of the top part of your house. I’m always interested in what colors go well with brick. I think maybe your drip edge DOES match the roof.

    Tiny- I think it was 1993 – but that’s the kind of math that happens after midnight around here. lol.

    Lauren- Your house was my inspiration for thinking the white trim could work with blue and wood accents. Love it!

    Final decision: We drove by some houses to check out shingle colors today, and the house that had the color of shingles we picked had drip edge that matched the shingles over white-ish facia. I think that’s the route we’re going to go, although Lauren, I agree it’s going to make repainting a right pain in the ass.

  8. In almost cases the drip edge is matched to the trim color. This is a labor calculation on the part of home builders, as it is easier to run one paint line reducing the labor in building houses.

    Since the vast majority of homes available are development built, this detail is motivated by economics rather than design.

  9. I have to pipe up on this one, as a custom home builder for the last, Oh let’s say somewhere in the area of 30 + years having worked with AIA architects, interior designers, Nut job Clients and Clients who trusted me and my companies judgement, there is also this thing called common sense, (that Nobody uses anymore) and what looks good to me (myself) and or you and MM!…….. there is no rule as to drip edge color. My professional opinion is that it should indeed match the roof color as close as possible as it is part of the roofing system as a whole. Facia or Facsia is trim and roofing drip edge is roofing drip edge. Other than that crack open a cold one, step on a rusty nail and hug the Mysteryman, get a tetanus Booster and enjoy the process. Building is in a human’s nature we need shelter, but to what degree? Steam heated towel bars, Garage doors for our Hatteras at Bay Harbor, or a cabin in the U.P. with a small wood burning stove. You read the book ! Richard Pronnecke found challenge, accomplishment, and most of all inner peace with himself and Nature at Twin lakes. …Do your thing Baby!……. You guy’s got it goin’ on!…….Oh Yeah,……. Tom Petty is OK, …… I dig Seger myself. R.E. TD whispered diydiva to me and I have followed your awesome progress, as….. REO have sung so elegantly “Keep on Rollin”.. Hell I’m proud of you an MM, and I don’t even know you. ….But I guess I do! You Guy’s are a trip to follow!….. TCT. P.S. I pass by the Old Tigemeyer station at least once a week! I am watching U! I guess that makes me a drive by!!

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