Soffit Installation

Melissa from Pennsylvania asks: I have a small home with a hip roof. I had my roof, soffit, fascia, and gutters replaced last June. The shingles are IKO Dynasty, and the soffit is Mastic vinyl hidden vent style. There has been some questions about if my soffit was installed correctly. It was nailed directly on top of the original soffit, which is solid wood with a 2" vent cut into it that runs the full perimeter of the roof. Is this installation providing enough intake ventilation? (In the images that are attached, the one of the exterior view of the soffit was taken by a home inspector that pulled the new soffit away from the original soffit to take the photo. The new soffit is normally laying snug against the old soffit.) I also have wrinkles in the shingles on the front and backsides of my roof. I have tried reaching out to the roofing company that did the installation, as well as a few other roofing companies, and have received various answers - from my roof/soffit are fine, to that I need the whole roof replaced ASAP, and the soffit/restricted ventilation is part of the cause. I don't know what to believe at this point. I would appreciate your opinion on the matter and howto proceed. Thank you

Below is what our roofing expert John Kenney from Cotney Consulting had to say in response to your question:

Melissa, after looking at the photos, I don't see anything that immediately tells me the roof needs to be replaced. In fact, the conditions shown are more consistent with a roof that needs further evaluation before anyone makes that kind of recommendation.

Starting with the soffit, if the original wood soffit has a continuous 2-inch vent slot around the perimeter and the new vented vinyl soffit was installed over it without blocking that opening, there is a good chance the intake ventilation is adequate. The key question is whether air can actually move from the soffit into the attic space and whether insulation is restricting that airflow. That requires an attic inspection, not just an exterior observation.

As for the shingle wrinkles, what I see in the photos appears to be localized waviness or slight buckling rather than widespread roof failure. That can be caused by several things, including minor deck movement, uneven decking, moisture-related expansion and contraction, or installation-related issues. Ventilation can contribute to shingle distortion in some cases, but I would not look at these photos and immediately conclude that ventilation is the cause.

The fact that you've received opinions ranging from "everything is fine" to "replace the roof immediately" tells me that no one has likely completed a thorough root-cause analysis. A one-year-old IKO Dynasty roof should not be condemned based solely on the conditions shown in these photos.

My recommendation would be to have an independent roofing professional inspect three things:

1. The actual intake ventilation path from the soffit into the attic.
2. The amount and balance of intake versus exhaust ventilation.
3. The roof deck condition beneath the areas showing waviness.

Bottom line:

Based on the photos and your description, I do not see evidence that would justify replacing the entire roof. The wrinkles should be investigated, but they do not automatically indicate roof failure. Likewise, the soffit installation may be perfectly acceptable if the original vent slot remains open and airflow is not blocked. Before spending money on major corrective work, get a proper ventilation and deck evaluation from an independent roofing professional who is not trying to sell you a replacement roof.