Air in (intake vents). Air out (exhaust vents). That’s attic ventilation in a nutshell. But it’s not always that simple depending on the complexity of the roof’s configuration. We asked roofing contractors who attend our best practices in residential attic ventilation seminars: "What roofs are the most challenging to properly ventilate and why?" These roofers did not design the houses, nor did they build them. But they were hired to replace the roofs and address the attic ventilation.
To help fight potentially damaging heat and moisture buildup inside an attic as well as ice dams in cold climates, attic ventilation should be a balanced system of intake vents (in the soffit/overhang or low on the roof) and exhaust vents (at or near the roof’s peak). The following types of roofs were identified as particularly challenging to achieve balanced attic ventilation. As you’re about to read, roofing contractors do the best with the cards they’ve been dealt.