Soffit ventilation is an important part of a healthy Attic.  Older homes rely on fresh air to be drawn in through the soffit vents.  The air fills the soffit cavity and then travels over the wall plate (under the roof) and into the Attic space.  When inspecting an existing Attic we find all to often that this transition from soffit to attic space is congested, blocked, hampered by existing insulation or completely inaccessible.  As insulators we do our best to free up the ventilation from the perimeter, but it is not always  possible.  If we can’t physically reach out to the perimeter due to low slope roof pitch then there is little we can do.  Often in older homes there are 2×4’s framed in place that block soffit ventilation that can only be removed from the outside with the soffits open.

It is always encouraging to find attics like the one pictured below where the current plywood insulation stops are low enough to allow for ample air flow, as evident by the amount of daylight that appears in this picture.  We have excellent access to the perimeter which will allow us to install new styrofoam air chutes, which will maintain the intake air flow and help minimize insulation contact with the underside of the roof.  We can handfill the insulation under the new air chutes to ensure the exterior wall plate is insulated and then proceed with blowing  the new loosefill fiberglass.  There is a high certainty that this attic will continue to vent properly with improved insulation qualities.