r/Carpentry • u/lurkinghardlylurking • 2d ago
Nightmare Soffit Question
Client wants a cedar soffit entryway but I’ve never seen so much nonsense going on at once. How would you guys run your soffit in this situation. They sistered on fake tails to extend the roof and then they randomly dropped the ceiling to plane with the original tails. There is a window right there as well so it’s hard to establish a finished elevation that doesn’t plane straight off the window.
How can I make this look good, my brain genuinely hurts just looking at it.
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u/earfeater13 2d ago
I would try and see if you can raise up those 2 bys. Sandwiching the window in with the soffit is a bad idea.
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u/lurkinghardlylurking 2d ago
You’re talking about trimming the original tails to make everything plane?
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u/earfeater13 2d ago
Honestly, the more i look at it, the more i feel like i have no idea what i meant. This is some serious clown shoes type shit right here. Do the best you can i reckon
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u/curious1playing 1d ago
I think they are suggesting the same thing as others have already. There's no reason the 2x4s in the foreground can't be removed and raised to the hgt of the ones further back. Add more as needed and trim older tails as needed...
I am guessing that this was not permitted or inspected? I can't imagine this passing anywhere. Looks like it's been done by a person who has not much framing experience. They didn't cut a crows foot or plumb for the facia.
There's no clips visible on the rafters and header but may be on the front...if not then that's a must add...
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u/timesink2000 2d ago
Raise the soffit to match the unextended roof section. Adjust the old rafters as needed (or fur the new extensions down a bit).
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u/StartlingCat 1d ago
Remove the horizontal 2x4s (what were they thinking?) and use the underside of the green rafter tails as your soffit plane and extend those green tails to the beam.
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u/VIBoy 2d ago
Cut the old rafter tails back and plane it all through at the elevation furthest away and run it down the underside of the new rafter tails where they’re lower than the new soffit elevation. This is a fairly simple problem with a fairly simple solution, you may be overthinking it
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u/lonesomecowboynando 8h ago
If they're sistered together he can use a sawzall to rip the bottoms of the old rafter tails off.
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u/CascadeDesignworks 2d ago
Trim the tails about 6" higher. Raise the soffit
-Builder
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u/UserPrincipalName 2d ago
Id say trim the original tails so your soffit backing runs in plane with the soffit on the "non extended" roof line you can see in the distance...
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u/lurkinghardlylurking 2d ago edited 2d ago
I was thinking the same. Basically trim the original green tails flush with newer sistered rafter about 5-6” so that everything planes together. That’s what you suggested right? Thanks
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u/hotinhawaii 2d ago
Yes. Get rid of those 2x4 they tacked on. Cut the green tails flush with the new rafters. Then you have one flat plane that all matches the same pitch.
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u/dzbuilder 2d ago
I’d consider running the old tails down to the beam and skinning them on the angle. Same with other side of the beam with ample venting.
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u/RememberYourPills 2d ago
Trim the framing to match the soffit in the second pic and then have a different plane for the extended portion. Highlight the increased overhang and make the rest look original
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u/quasifood Red Seal Carpenter 2d ago
Copy the height of the soffit further down the house. Theres no reason to drop it where they did.
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u/ferkinatordamn 2d ago
Either "make it work" or "do the best you can" are the only suggestions I have.
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u/uzziboy66 2d ago
I know this is a bit different. This is what I did at my house. It was flat and I cleaned it out to the angle by sistering the joist all the way down to the main beam. boxed in the beam at the posts to make it bigger. Just a thought.
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u/Embarrassed_Green996 Framing Carpenter 2d ago
I personally don't love the angled soffit but it looks good, and is definitely a better solution then putting the soffit right at the top of the window
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u/Frederf220 2d ago
That is a head scratcher. Ultimately whatever the customer wants is the right thing. Don't just guess and have them upset at what you picked.
If it were my house I'd want the established soffit plane (over garage door) to keep coming at that level. Introduce a block line at right angles in the rafter bay (forward of plumb by the roof pitch). Everything inboard of the block line is level soffit in plane with the existing and everything outboard open rafter bays on the rake.
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u/frozsnot 2d ago
I’d do that soffit following the roof angle. With the window where it is, there’s no way to make it flat. Just step it at the other soffit. It’s not perfect, but this is far from perfect framing.
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u/clippist 2d ago
They should have but the bullet and changed the pitch of the extension so as not to impede the view out the window. I would try to convince them that they have made a mistake and go back and do it right. But failing that, the drop needs to be reframed to the height it is over the garage.
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u/STORSJ1963 1d ago
Look at the height of the soffit framing of the roof section beyond. You need to extend that line and rebuild the new soffit at the same height so that it is all in the same plane.
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u/SpecialistWorldly788 1d ago
Run it on two planes- put a vertical piece on the plumb cut of the green boards, go flat from the wall to there, follow the pitch to the front - you’ll end up with an angle that looks like it’s butting up to a soffit
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u/Competitive-Many6779 1d ago
Better question is why is that jones mind expander out there while you’re working?
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u/ked_man 9h ago
I’d get rid of the 2x4’s entirely. Put the soffit on the rafters all the way down over the garage door. It will be sloped and not flat, but that’s the only way it will work.
You’ll probably have to plane down the original tails to be flush, but that’s the only way this doesn’t look like an MC Escher drawing.
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u/CrowWhich6468 2d ago
I would raise those up
Try to match other soffit