[boring advice thread] Soffits: Vented Fiber Cement v Wood Panel

Hardi is the way to go as it will not be compromised by the moisture and humidity and maintenance will be minimal over real wood. Since they will be removing the existing soffit, I would see if they can place vent covers on the inside of the roof to allow for the vents to distribute unobstructed (not get blocked by insulation) thru the attic. If you end up replacing the siding at some point with Hardi you can get an insurance discount as well. I would also consider checking the attic insulation and adding R-30 to the existing insurance to keep energy costs and sound down. Should be able to add for around $600 blown in.

 

Go with Hardie. We've been using it on some of our projects and it's durability is outstanding along with that it can be painted like wood. It's also pest resistant.

Even if you go with wood panel soffits you should vent your soffits. That will help your energy use and cut down on things like mold.

 

Your current soffits are vented too, just a different style. I prefer the perforated look because you don’t have vent covers and critters are less likely to get in.
And yes, if you’re repairing, go with the Hardie plank soffits/facia boards.

 

Is that really all it costs for blow in?
I may need to look into this

 

You have any experience with spray foam in rafters of attic?

 

Its fairly inexpensive still to have professionally blown in. I would contact a few companies that specialize in it. My last house I had it done after adding radiant barrier and ridge vents. The difference to the comfort level in the house and the reduction in utility bills was phenomenal, went from $300 a month to around $110 a month in the Summer months, but I also did windows. The sound reduction from planes ect that randomly flew over was a surprise. I had R 30 blown in on top of what they installed in my new house last March and have been very happy with the result.

Spray foam last I checked was on par with cost of installing regular insulation in a new build due to material costs sky rocketing. It is more expensive to install in an existing home. Radiant Barriers I highly recommend, I did spray in radiant barrier on the last house myself. for the cost and labor on a house built prior to 2010 that wont have a Radiant barrier unless added later. The best way to get good performing radiant barrier on an older home is when you replace the roof and use a radiant decking cover under the shingles to get better coverage of the entire roof system vs having a foil system retro fitted to the home.

Combined its all part of a system to get a reduction in energy use on the home. Ridge Vents, Soffits, insulation and radiant barrier.

 

In the attic, there should be a Divider that attaches to the roof above the soffit vent to prevent insulation from blocking the soffit vent. Its typically a polymer sheet that allows air to flow thru the vent above the insulation. More than likely the house does not currently have this as its a newer last decade building code.

 

The divider shouldn't be seen as unreasonable and easily done, even if its spaced and not the whole run. Its easier to accomplish with the soffit removed than trying to climb into the attic and install on the eves.

 

Yes the dividers are sometime called "Soffit Chutes". I redid my roof about 15 years ago and got them put in.

Here is a diagram showing venting for an attic space.

 

I thought about getting ridge vents put in back when I had my roof re-done via insurance back around 2015, but decided against it. I heard a lot of the outfits out there don't install them correctly and it causes future leaks or sometimes they get installed on houses where they don't vent properly due to roof slope/grade and cause more problems than they solve (but I'm no expert on that).

On a side note, when I built my house, one of the options by the builder was to blow in more foam insulation and from what I remember it was pretty cheap and I wouldn't have to get someone to come after the house was built. That being said, I don't remember what it costs, but I'm pretty sure it's one of the easiest ways to save a bit of energy with "minimal" effort.

On older houses, another major energy loss point would probably be windows. My house was built back in 2004 with double-pane windows, so that helped. I don't think I'll be replacing them unless they fail since I don't plan on living here too many more years (hopefully). Also, re-caulking those windows every so often is important. You'll know if you need to do either in the winter if you can feel cold air blowing through gaps or condensation on the windows.

I also had the hardieboard /perforated soffits on the house when it was built back then. I don't know much about the advantages, but hardieboard lasts for decades. Whenever I think of wood in Houston, all I can think about is maintenance, rot, bugs, etc. I think they make hardieboard soffit panels that look like wood grain, too.

There are outfits out there that do energy audits (maybe even your electric company does something) to see where you're potentially wasting energy. Even if it costs a bit up front, it's worth it in the long run if you plan on staying in the house for a few years.

Ultimately, the most important part is make sure the people doing the work know what they're doing and have a warranty or something on the work.