How much does soffit replacement cost?
The soffit is the underside of the eave. It costs less than the roof above it and does more for the attic than most homeowners realise.
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The numbers at a glance
- Vinyl soffit
- $4 – $8 / linear ft
- Aluminum soffit
- $6 – $12 / linear ft
- Wood soffit
- $8 – $15 / linear ft
- Fiber cement
- $12 – $20 / linear ft
- Matching fascia
- $7 – $22 / linear ft
What soffit replacement costs per linear foot
Soffit is priced by the linear foot of eave, not by the square foot of panel, because the labour is in the perimeter: scaffolding, cutting around rafters, and fitting vented sections where the intake has to line up with the attic bays.
A typical single-story house has 120 to 200 linear feet of eave. At $6 per foot installed, a mid-range vinyl job lands between $700 and $1,200; the same run in fiber cement is closer to $1,400 to $4,000. The material is rarely more than a third of the total — access and detail work carry the rest.
The figures below are installed prices for 2026, including removal of the old panels, new vented sections and disposal. Fascia is quoted separately and is almost always replaced at the same time.
Installed soffit cost per linear foot, 2026 national ranges
| Material | Installed cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | $4 – $8 | The default choice: vented panels, no painting, wide colour range |
| Aluminum | $6 – $12 | Coastal homes and anywhere salt or humidity attacks vinyl fasteners |
| Wood (pine or cedar) | $8 – $15 | Historic houses where the profile is visible and must match the original |
| Fiber cement | $12 – $20 | Long service life, non-combustible, holds paint far longer than wood |
| Composite or PVC | $10 – $18 | Cedar-like profiles without repainting, common on higher-end re-sides |
These ranges assume single-story access. Add 10 to 20 percent for a second story, and more where shrubs, decks or a steep grade block the ladder line.
Soffit and fascia: why the two are quoted together
The fascia is the vertical board at the edge of the roof; the soffit is the horizontal panel underneath it. They meet at the same corner, are fixed to the same rafter tails, and fail for the same reasons. Replacing one without the other leaves the joint open to water and insects.
That is why a quote that mentions only soffit is worth questioning. In practice, most contractors price the pair, and the fascia line is often the larger of the two on older houses where the rafter tails have softened.
If the fascia is sound and only the soffit panels are stained or cracked, an a-la-carte soffit job is legitimate. Ask the contractor to probe the fascia board at three or four points before agreeing to that scope.
What the eave job breaks down into
| Line item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Soffit panels, installed | $4 – $20 / lf | Material decides the spread; vented panels cost 10 – 15% more than solid |
| Fascia board, installed | $7 – $22 / lf | Aluminum wrap is the cheap end; primed cedar and fiber cement the top |
| Removal and disposal | $1 – $3 / lf | More on older houses where panels are nailed over furring strips |
| Vent baffles and chutes | $3 – $6 each | Keeps insulation from blocking the intake; one per rafter bay |
| Gutter detach and re-hang | $150 – $400 | Often unavoidable; a gutter cannot stay up while the fascia comes off |
| Permit | $75 – $250 | Required in many jurisdictions when the work includes structural fascia |
Soffit is sometimes quoted per square foot instead: the equivalent is roughly $3 to $7 per square foot of panel for vinyl, and $9 to $16 for fiber cement.
Ventilation is the reason the soffit exists
A soffit that looks right but does not vent is an expensive mistake. Warm moist air rising from the house has to leave the attic, and for it to leave, replacement air has to enter. The soffit is where it enters; the ridge or gable vents are where it leaves.
The usual rule is one square foot of net free vent area for every 150 square feet of attic floor, split evenly between intake and exhaust. With a vapour barrier in place the ratio relaxes to 1:300, but the 50/50 split still applies. A 1,200 square foot attic therefore needs about 8 square feet of net free area: 4 square feet of intake along the eaves and 4 square feet of exhaust at the top.
Manufacturers print the net free area on the carton. A vented vinyl panel typically delivers 4 to 9 square inches per linear foot depending on the perforation. That sounds generous until you divide it by 144 and multiply by 160 feet of eave.
The second failure is insulation. Blown-in insulation pushed to the very edge of the attic blocks the gap between the top plate and the roof deck. Baffles — the plastic chutes sold for a few dollars each — keep that channel open, and they only work if the soffit above them is actually vented.
- One square foot of net free vent area per 150 square feet of attic, split evenly between intake and exhaust.
- A 1,200 sq ft attic needs about 4 sq ft of intake — roughly 576 square inches of net free area along the eaves.
- Vented panels cost 10 to 15 percent more than solid ones; the difference is trivial next to rotten decking.
- Baffles at every rafter bay stop insulation from closing the intake.
- Homes with no soffit at all — some 1960s designs — need a different intake strategy, not a decorative panel.
A worked example: 165 linear feet of eave on a single-story ranch
A 1970s ranch with 165 linear feet of eave, 18-inch soffit, original aluminum fascia that has been painted three times, and gutters that have to come down to reach the fascia.
165 lf of vinyl soffit with matching aluminum fascia
Priced at national averages, single story, with the gutters re-hung at the end.
- Vented vinyl soffit, 165 lf$6 per linear foot installed, including vented sections
- $990
- Aluminum fascia wrap, 165 lf$9 per linear foot, covering sound rafter tails
- $1,485
- Removal and disposal$2.50 per foot of old soffit and fascia
- $410
- Vent baffles, 22 baysOne per rafter bay, fitted before the new panels go up
- $240
- Gutter detach and re-hangThree runs, new hangers on the oldest section
- $180
- PermitLocal eave and fascia permit
- $120
$3,425 — about $21 per linear foot, soffit and fascia together
The same job in fiber cement lands near $5,800 and in cedar near $5,200. The vinyl figure is not a cheap imitation here: on a 1970s ranch with no visible profile, it is the same result for less money.
When to replace soffit, and when to repair it
Soffit fails in visible ways: sagging panels, peeling paint, rust streaks at the fasteners, or wasp nests in a corner that keeps coming back. Not all of it means replacement.
Local damage — a section knocked out by a ladder, one panel chewed by squirrels, a stain under a failed gutter joint — is a repair. A contractor can lift the surrounding panels, replace the damaged run and reuse the rest, usually for $150 to $400.
Replacement is the right call when the damage is systemic: sagging along several bays, rot spreading through the fascia behind it, or panels that were installed without venting in the first place. At that point the labour to patch is a large fraction of the labour to replace, and the result is a patchwork.
Repair or replace
| What you see | Usual decision | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| One or two damaged panels | Repair | $150 – $400 |
| Sagging along a whole run | Replace that elevation | $600 – $1,500 |
| Rot behind the soffit, soft fascia | Replace soffit and fascia | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| No vents, or vents blocked by insulation | Replace with vented panels, add baffles | $1,200 – $3,000 |
| Paint peeling on sound aluminum | Repaint | $300 – $800 |
Ask the contractor to show you the back of the fascia once a panel is off. That single look decides the scope more reliably than any exterior inspection.
- Repair one run when the damage is local and the panels are still available.
- Replace the elevation when sagging repeats along several bays.
- Treat soft fascia as a structural finding, not a cosmetic one — it carries the gutter.
- If the old soffit was solid, budget for vented panels and baffles at the same time.
- Fiber cement and aluminum are worth the premium on coastal homes; vinyl is fine inland.
How long a soffit replacement takes
Soffit is a fast job once the scaffolding is up. Most of the calendar time is ordering and weather.
Inspection and measurement
1 day
Perimeter measured, rafter tails probed, vent area calculated and panels ordered.
Material lead time
3 – 10 days
Stock vinyl is immediate; a specific colour or fiber cement profile takes longer.
Removal and reframing
1 – 2 days
Old panels and fascia off, furring repaired, vent baffles fitted.
Installation and gutters
1 – 2 days
Soffit, fascia, caulk, gutter re-hang. A 165-foot run is a two-day job for a two-person crew.
Total: one to two weeks from approval on a straight run. A two-story house with porches and dormers takes longer because every elevation is its own access problem.
The six most expensive soffit mistakes
Most of the cost of a bad soffit job shows up a year later, inside the attic.
Buying solid panels because they are cheaper
The saving is 10 to 15 percent of the panel price and the cost is a damp attic. If the house relies on soffit intake, the panels must be vented.
Replacing soffit over rotten fascia
New panels nailed to a soft board come loose within a season, and the gutter above them pulls away. Probe the fascia before ordering.
Skipping the baffles
Insulation crews blow right to the edge of the attic. Without baffles, a perfectly vented soffit is sealed from above.
Forgetting the net free area calculation
A row of small perforations looks like ventilation and can be a third of what the attic needs. Ask for the number, not the pitch.
Reusing the old gutters without new hangers
The gutter has to come down. Putting it back on the old fasteners into new fascia is how it ends up hanging off one end.
Choosing fiber cement for a house that will be repainted in five years anyway
The premium is real. On a house with vinyl siding and no plan to stay a decade, aluminum or vinyl does the same job for half.
Before you approve a soffit quote
The scope is decided by what is behind the panels, so insist on seeing it.
- Confirm whether the quote covers soffit only, or soffit and fascia.
- Ask for the net free vent area of the chosen panel and the calculation for your attic.
- Confirm vent baffles are included, one per rafter bay.
- Check that removal and disposal of the old material is a line item.
- Confirm gutter detach and re-hang, and whether new hangers are included.
- Ask what happens if the fascia or rafter tails are found to be soft.
- Get the panel colour and profile in writing, with a sample if possible.
- Confirm the permit is pulled in the contractor’s name, and check the workmanship warranty in years.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does soffit replacement cost per linear foot?
Vinyl runs $4 to $8 per linear foot installed, aluminum $6 to $12, wood $8 to $15 and fiber cement $12 to $20. Those figures include removal and disposal but not the fascia, which is quoted separately at $7 to $22 per linear foot.
Do I have to replace the fascia when I replace the soffit?
Not always, but usually. The two meet at the same corner and are fixed to the same rafter tails, so if the fascia is soft or the wrap is failing it makes sense to do both at once. Replacing soffit over a rotten fascia means the new panels will come loose and the gutter will pull away.
How much vent area does my attic need?
One square foot of net free vent area per 150 square feet of attic floor, split evenly between intake at the soffit and exhaust at the ridge. A 1,200 square foot attic needs about 4 square feet of intake, which is roughly 576 square inches of net free area along the eaves.
Can I replace soffit myself?
On a single-story house with a low eave, vinyl panels are within reach of a careful DIYer. The parts that catch people out are the vent calculation, the baffles above the panels and the fascia behind them. On a second story or over a deck, the scaffolding and fall risk make it a contractor job.
Why is my new soffit sagging?
Almost always fastening spacing or missing furring. Panels need a fixing at every rafter and often a continuous furring strip behind them. In humid climates, vinyl also sags if it is installed tight with no room for expansion.
How long does vinyl soffit last?
Twenty to thirty years inland, less on the coast where salt and UV break down the fasteners and the panel surface. Aluminum lasts about as long but dents; fiber cement can reach forty years if it is painted on schedule.
Where these numbers come from
Ranges are installed national averages for 2026, excluding structural repairs. Regional labour rates move the total by 15 to 25 percent either way.
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