Had something similar happen on a job last winter—thought it was ventilation at first, but turned out to be a hairline crack near the flashing. Only showed up when temps dropped way down. Worth checking out before jumping straight to seals or vents.
Good catch on the flashing issue—hairline cracks can be sneaky, especially when temps fluctuate. Had a similar scenario myself, but it turned out the insulation around the attic hatch was the culprit. Everyone was convinced it was ventilation-related, but nope... just a tiny gap letting cold air in and causing condensation. Sometimes it's the simplest things that trip us up. Definitely worth double-checking those overlooked spots before diving into more complex fixes.
"Sometimes it's the simplest things that trip us up."
Couldn't agree more. Had a job last winter where the homeowner was convinced poor ventilation was causing moisture buildup in their attic. We spent hours checking soffits, ridge vents, and even added extra baffles—nothing changed. Turned out, the bathroom exhaust fan duct had slipped loose and was venting straight into the attic space. Simple fix once we found it, but man, did it cause headaches before we spotted it.
It's easy to jump straight to ventilation issues because they're so common, but I've learned over the years to always check those small details first. Saves a lot of time (and frustration) in the long run...
"Turned out, the bathroom exhaust fan duct had slipped loose and was venting straight into the attic space."
Been there myself—spent a weekend chasing down a moisture issue only to find the dryer vent disconnected behind the wall. Felt pretty silly after all that hassle, but hey, it's always obvious after the fact, right? Good reminder to slow down and double-check the basics first... Glad you finally found it!
Ha, I feel this one. Last summer we had a similar issue on a new build we were roofing. Thought everything was going smooth until the homeowner called us back a week later—said their bathroom ceiling was dripping. Climbed up into the attic space and sure enough, the exhaust vent hadn't even been hooked up right. It was literally just blowing hot, humid air straight onto the underside of the plywood decking.
It's funny (well, kinda) how much damage something so simple can cause if no one catches it early. All that moisture soaking into the sheathing...not good. We had to strip off and replace a whole section of roof decking because it'd already started warping. Talk about a headache for everyone involved.
"Good reminder to slow down and double-check the basics first..."
Exactly this. Seems like when everyone's rushing to get things buttoned up and move on to the next job, it's always those little details that slip through—ducts, vents, flashing...stuff that's easy to overlook but can cause big headaches later on. I know from experience now: whenever we finish roofing a new build, I always do one last quick walk-through in the attic space. It's hot and uncomfortable as hell up there, but man it's worth it if it saves you from having to tear stuff apart later.
Honestly though, you'd think builders would have this stuff down by now. I've seen some really high-quality builds lately where ventilation was clearly an afterthought. Maybe it's because no one sees it once it's closed in...out of sight, out of mind type thing? Whatever it is, definitely something builders should pay closer attention to IMO.
Glad you got yours sorted without too much hassle at least. Live and learn, right?
