Steve Baczek, architect and host of the Build Show, walks through a New England home dealing with ice dams, tracing how solar exposure, roof orientation, and poor attic insulation all factor into the problem. On the shaded north-facing side, ice dams are actively pushing water through the wall assembly and down into the soffit — a reminder that the damage isn't always limited to the roof surface itself. Upstairs, the attic reveals under-insulated two-by-six rafter bays with no dedicated soffit or ridge venting. The fix: closed-cell spray foam applied in two lifts, working from the eave to the ridge, targeting roughly R-42 to R-45.

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