# No soffit to vent



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Hi jg and welcome to the forum.

"so do you just cut into the boards between the rafters?" basically, yes. But make sure the incoming air has a path to reach the high vents and calculate how much net free vent area is needed.

Bud


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## CrazyGuy (Nov 18, 2017)

NO! That board you want to cut into is structural as the rafters are mounted to it. Cutting that board will weaken your system.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

That house has done very well for nearly a hundred years so it's a lever house as in leave er alone. The gable vents have done very well.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

Jim covered it very well.

However, I always prefer more ventilation rather than too little.Adding some round vents down low will increase the venting and won't hurt anything, IMHO.
They will only work if the Insulation is installed such that there is free and clear space in front of (or behind) the vent plugs.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

The white board you see isn't likely a structural member, but just a trim piece. The structural top plate would be inside the wall with the rafters setting on top of it.

Not a fan of the little round inserts as the they provide little to no air flow. The rectangle louvered type aren't much better.
A shingle vent would provide you the most NFVA, but that would require roof work. 

Just as important, is knowing if your rafter cavities will allow air flow, or if they are tight with insulation. Providing low intake air is a good idea, but if the air has no place to go then you will not see the benefit of your improvement. Same goes for up top. Assuming the air could get thru the rafter bays, is there adequate ventilation for the air to exhaust? A continuous ridge vent along continuous low vents is what works best in most cases.


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