Restore or replace in vintage homes?

Richard Montgomery
For Press-Gazette Media
The question of whether to replace or restore elements in vintage homes is a multifaceted one.

Q: I have a mid-century, brick, two-bedroom, two-bath house in a nice older neighborhood. Paid $215,000 for it and did some remodeling. The last appraisal was $236,000. The soffit is very wide (4 inches or so) and is part of the architectural design of the house. I have four spots that need repair for a quote of about $920 (plywood and paint). I looked into vinyl soffit and fascia and got a quote for a little over $6,000. The proposal includes archways front and back, window tops, garage door facing, etc.

My question is twofold: Will a good quality vinyl soffit and fascia add value to my home? Is it wise to spend $6,000 as an investment in the house, which is in excellent shape? Or should I keep doing patch repair as needed?

Thanks for any light you can shed. — Beth C.

A: The home sounds like a very attractive and practical home. There are two philosophies to apply to the questions you ask.

» Philosophy A: The purist. While your home is not yet of the age to be considered vintage or even historical, the architecture itself may be an example of times past that predate the actual age of the home. As it ages, your home comes closer to being considered worthy of preservation. The purist would be dissuaded if the original components were removed or covered over. Here is a link to a preservation article suggesting not applying vinyl:

» Philosophy B: The pragmatist. Ultimately, coating the soffit and fascia with vinyl will eliminate future expense on an architectural feature of the home. The appearance may improve if the actual application is a high-quality product and installed to the manufacturer's specifications.

Questions to ask

How long do you plan to live in the home? Are there other improvements with which $6,000 could make a larger impact (the roof, as an example)? Did you buy the home as an investment or a place to live and call home? Are your finances such that the money will not have an impact on you? When you bought the home, do you believe that the purchase price represented a price at or below the low end of the home's range of value or do you feel it was a premium at the top of the range of value?

If you bought the home to flip it, or you will be there for less than five years and the goal is to make the home a good investment, then consider the $900 repair.

If you bought the home because you have no plans for the foreseeable future to relocate, and you love your job and it is secure, then the convenience of not have the expense of maintaining it with paint and possibly more replacement work becomes more valuable to you. If you are relocated and decide to sell, when the home goes on the market, some buyers would not even notice the soffit and fascia. They will be looking at the kitchen, the bathrooms and how far they must travel to work. Be cautious about various articles, particularly in magazines devoted to home ownership, that print lists predicting a percentage value increase to certain types of home improvements.

The outcome is a moving target

It is difficult to predict unequivocally the outcome and measure it conclusively either way. The answers to the questions posed to you above that you know the answers to might sway you one way or another.

You did not ask, but consider this article about choosing a contractor at, and seeking two more opinions as to cost and choices of material if you decide to move forward with the vinyl work. Also, consider reviewing similar installations of this product that have been in place for several years to see if the product has stood the test of time.

Another consideration would be a contractor assessment as to the likelihood of similar failures of the fascia on other parts of the house in the future. The fascia under the eaves is protected from the elements more than any other exterior feature. Can the cause of the four spots repeat in other sections? What is the likelihood of that happening?
