I’ve only worked with felt so far, and it’s definitely not great after a couple of rough storms, but I’m not sure if the price jump is justified unless you’re doing a full tear-off.
Honestly, synthetic underlayment is a game changer for weather resistance, but I wouldn’t bother unless you’re already pulling up the old stuff. On older roofs, it’s tough to get a solid seal without a full tear-off anyway. As for attic vents—added a ridge vent last year on my own place (midwest, wild temp swings), and it did help with moisture, but didn’t do much for ice dams. Those are more about insulation than ventilation in my experience.
Those are more about insulation than ventilation in my experience.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve seen a few cases where better airflow actually did help with minor ice damming, especially on low-pitch roofs. Maybe it’s just luck or the way the house was built? My uncle’s place had terrible ice dams until he added both a ridge vent and some extra soffit vents—didn’t solve everything, but it made a dent. Still, I agree insulation’s the bigger piece of the puzzle. Just feels like sometimes it’s a combo of both, not just one or the other.
Had a similar thing with one of my rentals a few years back—older place, shallow roof pitch, and we kept battling ice dams every winter. We tried beefing up insulation first, which helped, but there were still some issues until we added extra soffit vents. Not a total fix, but definitely reduced the problem. In my experience, it’s rarely just one thing... insulation and ventilation both play a part, especially in weird weather swings. Sometimes it’s just trial and error to see what makes the biggest difference.
I get the trial and error thing—ice dams are a pain, especially with older roofs. Insulation and ventilation are both key, but honestly, I’m always a bit skeptical that just adding more vents or insulation is enough for extreme weather. What’s made the biggest difference for me is switching to a green or “cool” roof membrane. It reflects heat in summer, helps shed snow in winter, and seems to keep the attic temp more stable. Not cheap, but after years of patching leaks and fighting ice, it’s been worth it. If you’re already redoing stuff, might be worth looking into.
Not gonna lie, I’ve looked into those “cool” membranes too, but I’m always a bit hesitant about the cost versus real-world results.
That’s great if you’re already redoing the roof, but if your structure’s old or weirdly shaped (like mine), sometimes there’s only so much those membranes can do. I actually had better luck focusing on air sealing first—plugging up weird attic gaps made a bigger dent in ice dams for me than just insulation or fancy membranes. Maybe it’s just my drafty old place, though...“It reflects heat in summer, helps shed snow in winter, and seems to keep the attic temp more stable.”
