Deep cedar soffits on new add-on can be seen here. We used the full depth of the I-beam supports used for roofing members to create them. This is a new look we have experimented with and are liking quite a bit. It also saves on some framing labor when installing the roofing, which is helpful.
Externally we applied an untreated quality grade cedar to the soffits, which should age nicely. The cedar tones work nicely with the new front garage door and the newly plastered house. Our friends and clients opted to, while we were adding on the new rooms, to re-plaster the entire house. That process involved reinforcing the older parapets on the house and plastering over some areas needing freshening.
The guttered areas shown here lead to a catchment pond, two of which were installed as per Santa Fe City code requirements. Each pond needed to hold a minimum required number of gallons and meet required depth and widths. Water catchment is also a possibility for garden use down the line. New builds in Santa Fe require, for certain sized additions or home water catchment as a mandate. Our project was just under the requirement, so not a mandate.