Had a similar issue myself—thought the builder messed up because our attic was always humid and stuffy. Turns out the roofers accidentally covered a couple ridge vent openings with shingles. Took me forever to figure it out, but once I trimmed back the shingles, airflow improved dramatically. Definitely agree it's worth checking the simple stuff first before assuming the worst.
Good catch on the ridge vents, but honestly, I've seen plenty of new builds where even correctly installed ridge vents aren't enough. Sometimes builders underestimate intake ventilation—like soffit vents. If those aren't adequate, your attic still won't breathe right no matter how clear your ridge vents are...
Yeah, that's spot-on about soffit vents. I've crawled through enough attics to know that builders sometimes treat intake ventilation like the forgotten stepchild of roofing. 😂 Had one homeowner swear their ridge vents were faulty—turns out, whoever installed the insulation covered half the soffit vents. Cleared that mess up and suddenly the attic could breathe again. Moral of the story: ridge vents alone aren't magic if your attic can't inhale properly...
"ridge vents alone aren't magic if your attic can't inhale properly..."
Ha, this reminds me of a new build I managed a couple years back. The builder insisted the ridge vents were "state-of-the-art" and intake wouldn't be an issue. Fast forward to summer—tenants complaining about heat buildup, HVAC working overtime, bills through the roof (pun intended). Turns out the insulation crew had jammed batts into nearly every soffit vent. Cleared that up, problem solved... builders definitely overlook intake ventilation more often than you'd think.
That's definitely a common oversight, but honestly, I think intake ventilation issues aren't always about builders missing the mark. I've seen plenty of cases where the original design had adequate intake vents, but later modifications by homeowners or even maintenance crews caused unintended problems.
For example, I managed a property once where the attic was perfectly ventilated at first—ridge vents and soffit vents working together just fine. Then, a couple years down the line, tenants decided to install DIY gutter guards to keep leaves out. Great idea in theory, right? But they accidentally blocked airflow into about half the soffit vents without realizing it. Suddenly, we had moisture buildup and mold growing in corners of the attic space.
So yeah, builder oversight happens for sure... but it's not always fair to pin it solely on them. Homeowners or even well-meaning handymen can unintentionally disrupt airflow too. Regular inspections and knowing exactly what's going on up there can save everyone headaches down the line. Just my two cents from dealing with this stuff regularly.
