Ventilation is one of the most important — and most overlooked — parts of a roofing system. It’s also one of the most common places contractors cut corners, and homeowners pay for it for years without knowing why.
Here’s what proper ventilation actually does:
In summer, heat builds up in your attic to temperatures that can exceed 150 degrees. Without a way to exhaust that heat, it radiates down into your living space, drives up your cooling costs, and accelerates the breakdown of your shingles from underneath. Shingles are designed to shed weather from above — they’re not built to cook from below.
In winter, warm moist air from your living space rises into the attic. Without proper ventilation to move that air out, it condenses on your roof deck and framing, creating moisture damage, mold, and the conditions that lead to ice dams. It also shortens the life of your insulation and your structural components.
For your roof warranty, most manufacturer warranties — including Owens Corning — require proper ventilation as a condition of coverage. An improperly ventilated roof isn’t just uncomfortable and expensive to heat and cool. It’s a roof whose warranty can be voided before anything ever goes wrong with the shingles themselves.
Proper ventilation isn’t a feature. It’s a requirement — and we treat it that way on every roof we install.