Ventilation with proper air flow is crucial to any roof system. There are certain ratios for soffits to ridge.
Box or 'mushroom' vents are typical, but a hidden continuous ridge vent is much more efficient. With a ridge vent, the roof also looks 'cleaner' and works better because many protrusions and possible water entry points are eliminated.
For proper ventilation, you need openings at the overhangs as well as at the peak.
Soffits have multiple options.
- Use metal screens that come in a variety of colors and sizes;
- Or for narrow soffitts, use these round screens, which also come in various sizes. Just drill a hole with a hole saw and push the screen. They have tabs that prevent the screen from wiggling out.
If you do not have soffits, you can use special vents called 'stealth' vents that go near the bottom edge of the roof. These are either painted metal or granule coated.
