Attic Design - Confused!


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Old 08-20-19, 07:29 AM
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Attic Design - Confused!

Hello,

I've installed some security cameras in the passed at my house, girlfriends, and family members. Typically the easiest way to go about it is to run the cables into the garage or the attic. I've never had an issue previously except for this new house that I'm working on for a friend. I always thought there was a way to reach the attic from the soffits. So I would lift the soffits up and sneak a cable in along to an interior wall, drill down and fish it into the basement. This attic however has no access to the soffits. I don't understand how the air flow works here, nor do I have any idea how I could fish cables from the soffit into the attic with this setup.

Can anyone provide me with some knowledge? I've been doing research online and asking some friends/colleagues and I can't seem to figure this out! The goofy thing is there are the plastic white attic chutes but my understanding is that those allow air flow... how can there be any air flow when the attic is sealed towards the soffit?

I've attached some photos.

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Last edited by PJmax; 08-21-19 at 09:02 PM. Reason: enlarged inside picture
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Old 08-20-19, 08:33 AM
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It all depends on how the rafter or trusses fit on top of the walls.

Typ there is a gap but every house is different.

It's possible they have a blocker (piece of wood) between the trusses to close off the opening!
 
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Old 08-20-19, 08:57 AM
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But why would the opening be blocked off? There is roughly two feet remaining of space between where that piece of wood is and the exterior wall. How can there be any air flow from the soffit to the attic if there is a piece of wood separating the soffits from the attic.

Thanks for your feedback.
 
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Old 08-20-19, 09:20 AM
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I've been doing cameras and alarm systems for four years now and have seen almost everything.
One of my last residential installs sounds like yours. They ran the exterior wall right up to the roof then added the overhang like an after thought. I ended up drilling a hole though the plywood blocking the soffit from the attic to run my cables and advised the home owner of the mold starting on the bottom of the sheathing.

There is a lot of new and old construction and renovations out there that make you wonder how or why they came to be.
 
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Old 08-20-19, 09:39 AM
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Looks like frieze blocks, which you don't see a lot of, at least not any more, have seen more myself in older balloon framed houses, but I believe they are still used and maybe even required in some areas for the purpose of adding rigidity to the roof structure in high weather risk areas, and I think they are at least sometimes still used as a backer for stucco, which it looks like this house has. If so, just a 2x so should be able to drill your cable hole as long as there no other obstructions.
 
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Old 08-20-19, 10:39 AM
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Thanks everyone! I'll try lifting the soffit up and see if I can see this 2x that's blocking access.
 
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Old 08-20-19, 10:52 AM
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I've been doing cameras and alarm systems for four years now and have seen almost everything.
One of my last residential installs sounds like yours. They ran the exterior wall right up to the roof then added the overhang like an after thought. I ended up drilling a hole though the plywood blocking the soffit from the attic to run my cables and advised the home owner of the mold starting on the bottom of the sheathing.

There is a lot of new and old construction and renovations out there that make you wonder how or why they came to be.
Thanks Mike. The one thing I find odd however is that this wood block isn't actually at the exterior wall. Between the middle crossbeam and this wood block is approx ~11 feet. However from outside the attic it is ~13 ft from the crossbeam to the exterior wall. So it's almost like there is an additional 2ft of "attic" on the other side of this block before it even gets to the exterior soffit.
 
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Old 08-21-19, 09:06 PM
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You should put Canada as your location in your bio.

Those look hurricane straps there.
Is the underside of that soffit completely sealed..... no breathing slots or holes?
 
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Old 08-22-19, 11:20 AM
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If there is, then I couldn't see anything. There's virtually no light up there so I don't think so.
 
 

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