How do I fix this missing soffit?

Question

After this past harsh winter I noticed this spot on our house where it looks like some soffit panels had fallen out. Honestly, I'm not sure what was in the space prior; I never found any panels on the ground if it'd blown down. And there's no lip really, just a nail as if maybe whomever set it up originally just nailed a piece onto the roof frame or something?

I'm looking for suggestions on what I should fix this with. Do I get a soffit panel and nail it over the spot? Just get some plywood and nail it there? Should I be putting something inside the empty space first before sealing it up? Ultimately I just want to seal it up to keep any potential critters and pests out, plus it was probably leading to some of the drafts over the winter!

Here are some pics:

Answer 1

As mentioned by other comments and posts, the soffit needs to remain vented. For what it is worth, that one piece won't matter if it is perforated or not, (the whole soffit is open on the inside, that is a good thing) but use perforated soffit anyway so it matches. This material is available at any big box store.

The picture have captions in them that should explain what I seen needing to be done. What I have illustrated is the simplest way to proved a repair that will last without taking the fascia and soffit down. The only detail I left out was how to fasten the soffit panel in. Once the block is in that I drew in, add a piece of "F" track that will hold the soffit piece at the wall, or it can be screwed directly to the block. The outside egde can be screwed in too but the added fascia "extension lip" to replace the one that was torn off, is made to hold that end of the soffit in place.

Answer 2

This area was just very poorly designed. Air is supposed to come in so that isn't a big deal but you do need to close it up for animals and bad weather.

On the far side (inside) you need to extend the wall up to give some backing to your channel. Can be some plywood or a couple 2x4s. I know it is a PITA to get to but if you don't get something up there that is sturdy then this will keep happening. The issue happened because of design, not bad luck or installation.

I would also put in a 2x4 on the left side (perpendicular to the roofline) so that the bottom edge of the 2x4 gives backing when installing the soffit vent parallel. From there I would bend the soffit panel slightly on the two back edge and give it a lot of screws everywhere.

Answer 3

Just a few suggestions to help you solve your problem: I would most likely get a soffit panel and do my best to nail it over the spot. You could possibly get a good piece of plywood and just nail it there also. I would probably put something inside the empty space first before I went ahead and sealed it up. Potentially, you will want to close this space up to keep birds and other rodents out of there. Not to mention I'm sure you had some cold air seeping through in the winter!