It’s wild how often soffit vents get blocked by insulation—honestly, I see it all the time. Code just says “provide ventilation,” but nobody double-checks if it actually works in practice. Sometimes I wonder if the checklist mindset is half the problem. I’ve even crawled into attics where the only airflow was wishful thinking.
Had the same thing happen when I redid my attic insulation last year. I thought I was being careful, but after a hot summer, I realized the eaves were basically choked off. Ended up pulling some of it back and adding those baffle things—honestly, kind of a pain. I get why builders just tick the box and move on, but it’s not really “ventilation” if nothing’s actually moving. Seems like one of those details nobody checks until there’s a problem...
That’s exactly what I see during inspections—people think more insulation is always better, but if it’s blocking airflow at the eaves, you’re just asking for trouble. Those baffles are a pain to retrofit, for sure. Out of curiosity, did you notice any signs of moisture or mold before you fixed it, or was it just the heat buildup that tipped you off? Sometimes folks don’t realize there’s an issue until the attic starts smelling musty...
Sometimes folks don’t realize there’s an issue until the attic starts smelling musty...
Funny enough, I actually thought the musty smell was just “old house charm” at first. Turns out, it was more like “oops, you need more vents.” But honestly, I’m not convinced more insulation is always the villain. In my case, it was the weird roofline—no matter what I did, airflow was a nightmare. Maybe it’s not just about baffles and insulation, but also how these new builds are designed in the first place? I swear, my attic is like a sauna in July, even after fixing the obvious stuff.
I get what you’re saying about insulation not always being the main culprit. Honestly, I’ve seen plenty of attics where folks just keep piling on the insulation, thinking it’ll fix everything, but then they end up with more problems—trapped heat, moisture, you name it. But I wouldn’t let insulation off the hook entirely either. Sometimes it’s not how much you have, but how it’s installed. I’ve crawled through enough attics to see insulation jammed right up against the soffit vents, basically choking off any chance for air to move. Doesn’t matter how many baffles you add if the airflow’s blocked from the start.
That said, weird rooflines are a beast of their own. Had a job last summer on a new build with all these fancy peaks and valleys—looked great from the street, but inside? It was like trying to ventilate a maze. Even with ridge vents and extra soffits, some pockets just stayed hot and stale. Makes me wonder if architects ever actually climb into an attic before they draw up these blueprints.
I’m not convinced there’s a one-size-fits-all answer here. Some houses just aren’t built with ventilation in mind, especially with all the new energy codes pushing for tighter envelopes. You fix one thing and end up creating another problem somewhere else. It’s kind of a balancing act—enough airflow to keep things dry and cool, but not so much you’re losing all your conditioned air.
Anyway, I wouldn’t blame just the insulation or just the design—it’s usually a combo of both, plus maybe a little bad luck with how everything lines up. Sometimes you do everything by the book and still end up sweating buckets in July... been there more times than I’d like to admit.
