Location: Brenham, Texas. 77833.
I'm working on a fixer upper. Just put new hardie siding (trim, eaves, rakes, frieze, unvented soffits) and painted it. Looks great.
I went with unvented soffits for this reason. The house was built in 1960 with simple open overhangs - just the rafter tails and 1X6 T&G decking above them. Between each pair of rafter tails, a 2X4 was fit. It would have been a ton of work to remove all of them, so I left them. (As a side note, I've never been too impressed with the effectiveness of soffit vents. Attics are still convections ovens around here.)
I'm supposed to be getting a new roof this next week, if the weather holds out. Roofer (a good one, and a friend) is asking me about ridge vents, and he's reprimanding me for not knocking out all the 2X4 blocking and putting in vented soffits. Too late now - I'm not tearing the soffits and blocking out. (Side note - the paint is still drying - I finished it today).
So I have an idea for good attic ventilation, and would like y'alls feedback. All I have right now is 3 gable vents (3 @ 16 X 24) and two turbines.
The house is pier and beam, with a crawl space under it. There are 6 foundation vents around it (~5" x ~18"), with just the north side of the house ventless (the garage is sunken to the main floor on the north side).
I'm thinking about boxing in a vertical pipe somewhere inside the house, that will connect the <cool> crawlspace to the attic. Visualize a flue pipe, or large plastic pipe, (or, heck, dust collector pipe!) with a screen on the bottom and top, creating a direct duct from the crawlspace to the attic.
What do you think? Think it would be effective? I'm thinking it would suck up a ping pong ball on a hot day. I would probably forego the ridge vents if this will work (save some $$) and the turbines and gable vents would suffice.
Todd