# house with no soffits



## marc1 (Feb 9, 2012)

my house was built in 1955 with no soffits i have to roof vents and two gable end vents on the top portion of the peak by the way i live in winnipeg mb where winters are really cold and summers are hot and humid im wondering if i should add extra gable vents on the lower part of the gable to help with more ventilation


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

The vents you have now are doing almost no good without the soffit vents.
Far better if you closed off the gable vents, get rid of those ugle roof vents and just had a ridge vent.
Your going to add foam baffles near the wall to soffit area to make sure the insulation is not blocking the air flow.
The soffit vents will add life to the shingles, less chance of fungus forming and ice dams.


----------



## titanoman (Nov 27, 2011)

You have no soffits? Do you have pressure blocking between the rafters or is all open?
Or did you mean you have no soffit vents?


----------



## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

I know alot of people who hold faith in gable vents and roof vent combination.Adding more ventilation to the sides of your home still does nothing really productive if the air has no way of moving out.Heat rises so your concerns should lean more toward the soffit to help create a draw or push.

The best IMO ventilation combination is,has and always will be functioning soffit and RidgeVent combo.

I would add the soffit and on your next reroof I would remove the roof vents and add a a RidgeVent with a snow guard.


----------



## seeyou (Dec 12, 2008)

joecaption said:


> The vents you have now are doing almost no good without the soffit vents.
> Far better if you closed off the gable vents, get rid of those ugle roof vents and just had a ridge vent.
> Your going to add foam baffles near the wall to soffit area to make sure the insulation is not blocking the air flow.
> The soffit vents will add life to the shingles, less chance of fungus forming and ice dams.



He doesn't have soffits to put soffit vents in.


----------



## seeyou (Dec 12, 2008)

marc1 said:


> my house was built in 1955 with no soffits i have to roof vents and two gable end vents on the top portion of the peak by the way i live in winnipeg mb where winters are really cold and summers are hot and humid im wondering if i should add extra gable vents on the lower part of the gable to help with more ventilation



A picture or two would help immensely, but, you could add some roof vents near the bottom edge of the roof. As some one else mentioned, if you have a roof overhang with open cornice, you could possibly vent through the blocking between rafters. More info is needed to understand exactly what you've got there.

What are you trying to accomplish by adding venting? Moisture in the attic or something else?


----------



## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

Many older homes of that era were built with a minimum of overhang (6" or so) and solid blocking between joists because it was the style and was cheaper. The task of installing soffit vents is not cheap or easy and that is why many still exist.

When I lived in northern MI, many of the homes had sheet metal slide plates on roof installed to eliminate the ice dams and then just pumped in ceiling insulation to reduce heat loss through the ceilings.

Not the best solution, but is still done.


----------



## bcgfdc3 (Jan 28, 2012)

I have a very similar problem. I have a 1950 single story ranch where the roof ends right at the wall. No soffit what so ever. I have 2x6 stick built roof rafters and I am in the planning stage of putting on a new roof. I currently have two front and two rear roof vents near the peak. I also have two gable end vents. 

My question is should I get some 2x4 stock and sister it to the rafters close to the roofline and extend the rafters approximately 12" to allow for soffit venting? I want to increase the air circulation and make my new roof last as long as possible. I have windows that go all the way up to the top and stop just short of the fascia which is about 6" or 7" high. 

I know the ridge vent and closing all others with soffits is the best but not sure what to do if I do not add soffits.

Thanks for your help.:no:


----------



## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

Geezz.,I missed another one.I thought he said he had no soffit.,not that he had no overhang.


----------



## ratherbefishing (Jan 13, 2011)

Are there no soffits, or no soffit vents? Or no overhang at all?
I'm not a roofer or engineer. But I gave this a bit of thought before I redid my roof. 
Depending on the pitch of your roof and size of the gables, enlarging the gable vents might be effective, if you can create enough cross ventilation thru there.
My situation was different from yours. i have a low pitch with large soffits. I ended up with products from Aura Vent. They list a roof vent that can be mounted low, as an intake. But you may not want them on the front of the house. http://www.roofvents.com/intakevent.html
Might wanna give them a call and see what they suggest.
There may be a way to add vents to the fascia. Perhaps vents in the fascia, then add a second fascia board, held (furred) a couple of inches out from the original, to hide the vents?


----------



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

pics would be helpful here to get proper feedback.


----------



## R.W.Bumper (Oct 1, 2012)

*My house also has no soffit*

My house was built in 1962 my roof overhangs the sides of my house but there are no soffits.
My house originally had just two roof vents. I have added one gable end vent (which helped alot). I live in Los Angeles where it can be hot anytime of the year cold and dampness are not a big issue. I have rafters that exit above the walls with wood sealing the space between them the rafter continue out to the fascia board. Would be possible to install soffit vents in the wood that currently seals the space between the rafters, or is this a bad idea?


----------



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

You can drill holes and open up those 2x4s that are between the rafters and then cover the overhang with soffit. Pretty common.


----------



## GBrackins (Apr 26, 2012)

bumper,

Welcome to the forum! you may want to start your own thread so that replies to your post and the original one don't get confused ..... you may wind up doing something that was intended for the original post


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I use a 4" self feeding auger bit and a right angle Heavy duty dill to drill out the hole then just snap one of these in place.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...EEB4B0F3673913CA79911ABFCDAB504942C80&first=1


----------

