Ridge vent NOT installed.

[michael wezwick]

An old friend (70 yr old grandma) had a new roof put on her 150+ old house in Glen Cove, NY. When I saw the finished job, I noticed they did not install a ridge vent. I am not sure but, I thought ridge vents are mandatory on new or replaced roofs. Where this new roof area was installed, there are no windows or vents to assist air flow. Are the installers are trying to save a few bucks and take advantage of an elderly lady or did they do the right job?

[Gunnar Alquist]

An old friend (70 yr old grandma) had a new roof put on her 150+ old house in Glen Cove, NY. When I saw the finished job, I noticed they did not install a ridge vent. I am not sure but, I thought ridge vents are mandatory on new or replaced roofs. Where this new roof area was installed, there are no windows or vents to assist air flow. Are the installers are trying to save a few bucks and take advantage of an elderly lady or did they do the right job?

In my area, venting is required (unless designed otherwise), but it does not have to be ridge venting. Gable-end and eyebrow vents (among others) are also allowed. Best bet would be to contact the local building department to find out their requirements, if a permit was pulled, and the roof inspected. You could also call the roofing company to ask how they addressed venting in this case.

[Jerry Peck]

Also, in most codes, all soffit venting is allowed, but all soffit venting requires twice the vent area of low and high venting, and the soffit vents are supposed to be cross ventilating from each other (i.e., soffit vents on two side of a gable roof, soffit vents on all sides of a hip roof, soffit vents on one side of a single sloped roof (shed roof) with no opposite side vents is basically useless and not what is required for all soffit venting.