We paint fascias, soffits, gutters and downpipes in Thorplands, NN3, 3.3 miles north-east of Northampton town centre. Many homes here date from around 1971, so where the roofline is still timber Dean checks each board for rot before quoting, and most can be reached by ladder or a small tower.
Fifty-year-old boards at two-storey height
On the main Thorplands courts, EPC records put most homes between 1967 and 1975. A timber fascia fitted then has been through more than fifty winters. Plenty of homes on the estate will have had their rooflines replaced with uPVC since, and those need no paint. The ones that are still timber are the reason for this page, because boards of that age are exactly where rot starts to show.
The weak points are predictable. Rot tends to begin at the joints between lengths of fascia, at mitred corners on end terraces, and along the board that carries the gutter, where a leaking joint has kept the wood wet for years. A paint film can hide soft timber for a while, so we press-test along every board before anything is scraped or primed. If a section is too far gone to paint, we will say so and price the repair or point you to a carpenter.
Ladders on a footpath, not scaffold on a drive
Almost all housing in Thorplands is low-rise: two-storey terraces and small blocks of flats. That keeps the roofline within ladder reach, or a small mobile tower for longer runs and the flat blocks. A full scaffold is rarely needed, which helps the cost.
The catch is where the ladder stands. Homes on Great Holme Court, Waterpump Court, Midfield Court and the other courts mostly face shared walkways, not private drives. We set up so that the path stays usable, move the ladder along as each section is finished, and never leave equipment out overnight on a route that neighbours and children use. Gear is carried in from the nearest shared parking.
Terraces, rows and the later homes
On a mid-terrace your fascia is one stretch of a continuous run. If next door’s section is uPVC or painted another colour, the new coat has to stop cleanly at the party line. When neighbours want theirs done too, painting a row in one visit gives a single, even roofline.
Not every house fits the 1971 pattern. Huxloe Rise has a median build year of 1979, with homes in the 1976-1990 bands, and Pindar Rise runs from 1971 to 1986. There are also a few bungalows. Boards, profiles and earlier coatings on these later homes can differ from the core stock, so we check rather than assume.
Corners and gables on the end terraces
End terraces are on every Thorplands court in the records, and each one turns the roofline round a corner onto a gable. Where there are timber bargeboards on that gable, they take wind-driven rain side-on and usually look worse than the front fascia. The mitre at the corner is a common spot for a gap to open, letting water into the end grain. We rake out and fill or seal those joints before priming, because paint alone will not close them, and we take care with the soffit underneath, which is often the last place anyone looks.
Gutters and downpipes in the same visit
Once the ladder is up it makes sense to paint the gutters, brackets and downpipes where they are cast iron or painted, and to note any leaking joint so it can be fixed before it soaks the new paint. The full order of work is on our main fascia and soffit painting page.
If you rent from a housing provider, the roofline is normally their responsibility, so speak to them first. Owner-occupiers on the estate are free to choose colours, as there is no conservation area here. For a sense of what affects price, our painter and decorator cost guide covers the main factors, and our Thorplands area page covers the rest of the estate.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
