How To Cut A Roof For A Ridge Vent

It s less common for us to find that a builder cut away plywood for the ridge vent but that s he installed building paper or more likely roofing felt over the opening before installing the ridge vent.

How to cut a roof for a ridge vent.

Cut a 1 5 8 opening along the ridge on each side figure b. If you re cutting through a typical roof with 5 8 inch decking set the cutting depth of the blade to 3 4 inches. There is a process to install ridge vents and it begins with removing cap shingles along your roof s ridgeline. The ridge vent on a wood shingled roof can be finished in one of two ways.

Use a utility knife with a hook blade to cut the shingles back 3 inches or as recommended by the vent manufacturer from the ridge. Snap parallel lines on either side of the peak. Roofing felt obstructed ridge vents. On either side of the ridge board.

Take some chalk and run it down the center. In this case just cut away the building paper to expose the underside of the plastic ridge vent mesh plastic cor a vent material looks like a plastic version of the edge of a cardboard box or the opening into the aluminum ridge vent depending on which. Maximum slot opening is 3 1 4 wide. Cut along both chalk lines with the saw and remove the center piece.

Then run underlayment and wood shingles to the edge of the sheathing before nailing a ridge vent over the opening. The product instructions should specify how big to cut the slots based on your roof s support system. If installing on an existing roof remove the cap shingles from the ridge. To begin the ridge vent installation they measure down 3 inches from the top of the ridge and snap a line to cut the opening for the ridge vent.

Choose which end of your rafter you want to be the top. Cut a 7 8 opening along the ridge on each side figure a. Using a circular saw with a carbide tip blade one of the roofers plunges the saw into the ridge at the ends and then follows the chalk line. Set the framing square on top of the rafter beam with the tongue facing the top of the rafter.

Roofs with a ridge board. Roofs without a ridge board. To vent the ridge cut back sheathing at least 1 in. Then use a pencil to trace the outside edge of the framing square s tongue.