At elevation in NM, attic ventilation is a moisture problem — not a heat problem. Wrong ratio, blocked soffits, missing baffles, and warm household air condense on the cold deck all winter and rot it out. I measure real NFA, check every rafter bay for baffle presence, and diagnose the moisture source.
Actual (not label) net free ventilation area measurement at every intake and exhaust
IRC R806.2 compliance check — 1:150 or 1:300 with correct intake split
Bay-by-bay baffle presence + soffit short-circuit map
Deck-underside inspection for frost, staining, delamination, and fungal growth
Warm-air source diagnosis: ceiling penetrations, dryer venting, plumbing chases, hatches
Written scope: baffle install count, added intake/exhaust vents, and source-air-sealing priorities
Attic walk-inspection with IR camera, moisture meter, and flashlight. Soffit intake NFA measurement at every eave — I derate label NFA against actual paint fill, screen mesh, and insulation obstruction. Ridge / gable / turbine exhaust NFA measurement. IRC R806.2 ratio check: 1:150 baseline OR 1:300 with balanced intake at eaves and exhaust near ridge. Bay-by-bay baffle inspection with photo map — every rafter bay marked baffle-present, baffle-missing, or baffle-blocked. Deck-underside inspection for frost lines (winter), water staining (spring/summer), delamination, and fungal growth. Warm-air source audit: dryer vents terminating in attic (illegal + a moisture bomb), bath fans not vented outside, unsealed can lights, plumbing chases, whole-house fans, poorly sealed hatches. Written scope: baffle count needed, added vent NFA required, source-air-sealing priority list ranked by moisture output.
Mountain-zone NM homeowners — Sandia foothills, East Mountains, Los Alamos, Santa Fe foothills, Taos, Ruidoso, Angel Fire, Chama, Red River, Cloudcroft, Ruidoso Downs. Any homeowner statewide with visible frost on the deck underside in winter or dark staining in spring. Buyers under contract on mountain-zone properties (this is the single most-missed defect in mountain-zone home inspections). Owners with recurring ice damming (see /ice-damming-and-roof-heat-loss-inspection). Owners who added insulation without adding baffles — a very common source of new condensation problems.
Standard Cold-Climate Ventilation Report — $399 Full IR + Bay-by-Bay Baffle Map — $549 With air-sealing scope + insulation top-up estimate — $699 Add to any mountain-zone inspection — $199 Most audits are $399–$549. A $150 bag of baffles installed correctly typically prevents $8,000 of deck replacement over the next decade.
Because the failure mode is moisture, not heat. In Albuquerque proper, attic ventilation mostly manages summer heat. Above ~6,500 ft in the Sandias, Los Alamos, Santa Fe foothills, Taos, and Ruidoso, the winter problem is condensation and frost on the deck underside from warm household air hitting cold sheathing. Wrong ventilation strategy = rotted deck, not just an energy bill.
IRC R806.2 requires 1 sq ft of net free ventilation area per 150 sq ft of attic floor, OR 1:300 with 40-50% intake at eaves and the rest exhaust near the ridge. I measure your actual soffit intake NFA (not label NFA — most soffit vents are 40-60% blocked by paint, screen, or insulation), your ridge/gable exhaust NFA, and compare to code. Half the mountain-zone attics I inspect flunk on intake.
A baffle is a foam or cardboard channel stapled between rafters at the eave that keeps insulation from stuffing the soffit vent and short-circuiting your intake. Miss even 6 bays and your ventilation ratio drops below code, condensation starts, and deck rot follows. I check every accessible bay and give you a bay-by-bay map.
Step, counter, cricket flashing audit.
SMACNA sizing + downspout audit.
Bid + scope compared line-by-line.
Hail/wind + NOAA event correlation.
I've watched too many neighbors sign contracts they didn't understand for roofs they didn't need. That stops with a written report they own.