Is it okay to face nail the drip edge to the fascia

fasciaguttersroofing

A sunroom contractor is adding a screened in deck to my house. The drip edge was not delivered before the roofer installed the roof and he said that the drip edge could be installed later by lifting up the shingles and nailing. When the drip edge arrived, they did not lift the shingles. They nailed the drip edge to the fascia using aluminum siding nails.

Is this okay? On one hand, I can see how water could get through the nail holes; but on the other, there are already similar holes present for the aluminum siding wrap on other fascia on the home.

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Best Answer

I'll offer some thoughts in lieu of an answer. I think this is a subjective question with no objective truth to be found. I personally wouldn't have done it like that.

  • It's not difficult to lift shingles and nail from the top, even though it may mean pulling a few roofing nails. Your contractor just didn't feel like it.
  • The primary issue I have with this approach is that it ruins the aesthetic of the metal--not only do you now have nail heads where there shouldn't be any, but you get a wavy surface that's likely rather conspicuous at some times of the day.
  • You're not likely to have water problems as a result of those nails. Your shingle overhang is adequate to prevent most water contact, and not much would flow through the drip edge and the fascia anyway.
  • I would not try to seal the nail holes from the face. Any caulk will discolor and accumulate dirt and leave you with big splotches on your nice white surface.
  • If anything, I'd seal behind the edge flange, over the fascia. I probably wouldn't bother, though.
  • Those nails are typical for fascia installation, where they're usually driven up from below, into the edge of the sub-fascia. They're adequate for the job. If they ever did work loose I'd replace the edge and install it correctly before I'd put larger fasteners there.
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