Soffits are the undersides of an overhanging. Consider them small attics. Soffits appear on the exterior of homes and adjoin the fascia board at the edge of the eaves to the house.

You might have a soffit in your kitchen between the tops of your cabinets and the ceiling or even in your bathroom. They tend to be a good place to hide electrical wiring or even plumbing. On the exterior of homes, soffits just add a finished element--a sort of a ceiling for your eaves.

House Siding With a Soffit

When you install siding, the siding company you choose might have ready-made soffit pieces to install. James Hardie Siding, for instance, has soffit pieces in panels--vented and unvented--that are designed to adjoin with their fascia trim to create a soffit that looks finished and complete. The soffit panels hook to the fascia trim, running parallel to the ground, and then adjoin to the house. If you have a large porch, the soffit works architecturally to enclose the porch space and make it more like a room.

Without a Soffit: Baring it All

If you decide to go without a soffit, just consider that your eaves will be more susceptible to deterioration while exposed to the weather. You might also find an occasional wasp nest taking shape in the eaves. The corners and crevices are very attractive to flying insects and therefore spiders. A soffit can help you avoid all of that.

Siding Cost

Once you make a call to receive an estimate for house siding, consider that it might be less expensive to have the soffit installed at the same time. Likewise, the extra siding materials might lower your price per square foot, depending on the company. It is important to get three bids to compare your siding cost and ask for references.

Look at a lot of pictures to see if a soffit will give you the look you want.