The fascia was the flat board that ran along the edge of the roof. A plank of wood nailed across the ends of the rafters that gave the roof a face. The fascia was the building's jawline. Without the fascia you saw the ragged ends of the rafters sticking out and the building looked unfinished. The fascia covered the rough work and gave the building a clean edge where the roof met the sky.

The fascia held the gutter. The gutter was nailed to the fascia and the fascia held the gutter and the gutter held the rain and the rain ran down to the downspout and the downspout ran to the street. The fascia was the first link in the chain that got the water off the roof. A rotted fascia dropped the gutter and the gutter pulled away from the building and the rain went wherever it wanted. A building with a rotted fascia is a building losing its grip.

You painted the fascia every five years. That was the deal. You climbed a ladder and scraped the old paint and primed the bare wood and painted two coats of exterior and the fascia lasted another five years. The paint was the fascia's armor. Without the paint the water got in and the wood swelled and cracked and the squirrels moved in because a soft fascia is an invitation to anything with teeth. Painting the fascia was the least glamorous job on the house and the most important because the fascia protected everything behind it.

The fascia board was pine. Cheap and easy to work and it lasted thirty years if you painted it. Cedar lasted longer without paint but nobody used cedar on a tenement because cedar cost money and the landlord did not spend money on things the tenant could not see from the apartment. The tenant saw the walls. The tenant saw the floor. The tenant did not see the fascia. The fascia was the landlord's conscience. If the fascia was painted the landlord was paying attention.

They wrap the fascia in aluminum now. A sheet of aluminum bent around the wood so you never have to paint it. The aluminum does not rot. The aluminum does not crack. The aluminum does not need you. The wood fascia needed you every five years and every five years you stood on a ladder and looked at the roof and you knew what shape the building was in. The aluminum says do not look. The painted wood said look and I will tell you the truth.

See also: Soffit, Downspout