IL License Number: 104.017181
IL License Number: 104.017181
CASE STUDY – JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026
Location: Cary, IL – Wexford Court
Project Type: Upper & Lower Soffit Replacement + Bathroom Vent Rerouting
Home Type: ~2,400 sq. ft., Two-Story Home with Attached One-Story Garage
Total Investment: $11,270 (executed exactly as quoted — no change orders)
In October 2025, Brett Engleman began preparing for what seemed like a straightforward project. His roof was 25 years old, it had taken hail hits in August, and he was seeing shingle granules washing into the gutters. Nothing dramatic — just the normal signs that it was time to plan for replacement before small issues became expensive ones.
By the time the fourth contractor visited his home in Cary, however, the conversation changed.
That contractor declined the project.
Not because of the shingles. Not because of the hail damage. But because of what lay underneath.
The OSB roof decking — the structural plywood beneath the shingles — was buckling and warped from severe moisture exposure. Installing a new roof over compromised decking would mean offering a warranty on a system already failing from within. He wouldn’t do it.
The confusing part? There was no visible roof leak.
The moisture wasn’t entering from above. It was rising from inside the house.
Several years earlier, the exterior of the Engleman home had been painted. During that process, the metal soffit panels were coated over — sealing the ventilation openings completely shut. Those openings, typically 1.5 to 2 inches wide, are not decorative. They are intake valves for the attic’s ventilation system.
A properly functioning attic relies on balance: cool, dry air enters through the soffits, travels upward, and exits through ridge or roof vents, carrying heat and moisture with it. When soffits are sealed with thick layers of paint, that intake stops. The attic becomes stagnant.
Compounding the issue, two bathroom exhaust fans had been venting directly into the soffit cavity instead of through dedicated roof caps. Every hot shower pumped warm, humid air into an attic that had no way to expel it.
In winter, that moisture-laden air rose and met cold roof surfaces. Condensation formed — just like a cold glass sweating on a summer day — except this time it was happening above their ceiling. Inside Brett’s attic, nails were coated in frost, water droplets clung to the decking, and the OSB plywood steadily absorbed trapped moisture.
OSB is manufactured from compressed wood strands. When it absorbs water, it swells and does not return fully to its original shape. In this case, the panels had also been installed too tightly during original construction, without proper expansion gaps. As the material expanded, the panels pushed against each other and buckled.
This was the hidden damage the fourth contractor recognized. Installing a new roof over wet, swollen decking inside a suffocating attic would have shortened the lifespan of that roof dramatically. A 30-year shingle might last 15 in those conditions.
Brett and Valentina had already dealt with mold remediation when they purchased the home in 2019. The mold had been treated, but the ventilation imbalance, the true cause, had never been corrected. The moisture cycle continued quietly year after year.
To summarize:
Brett originally found Holda Construction through Angi, but he specifically mentioned that our high Google rating gave him the confidence to make the call. He came to the call prepared, explaining that his soffits had been painted over and that previous contractors had identified airflow issues. He sent clear exterior photos and described the roof’s age and condition.
Because the general scope was identifiable from the exterior configuration and Brett’s documentation, Mariusz was able to prepare an initial project proposal remotely. That proposal outlined the cost for full soffit replacement, bathroom vent rerouting, and a future roof replacement estimate.
This remote quote served a specific purpose: transparency, giving Brett real numbers to consider and allowing him to compare options. It enabled him to manage his budget intentionally rather than reactively. There was no pressure.
When Brett called back in mid-January 2026, he was ready to proceed, and the next step was immediate: schedule a physical inspection.
Remote proposals are useful for planning. But before finalizing any agreement, we verify conditions in person. Radical transparency requires knowing exactly what we are walking into before beginning demolition. To learn more about our inspection process, visit our blog.
On January 19, Mariusz climbed into the attic, and that was when the full extent of the issue became undeniable. He saw active condensation, frost covering roof deck nails, and frozen OSB panels swollen tight against each other: conditions that exterior photos could never reveal. Standing in that attic together, Brett saw the problem firsthand, and the solution sequence became clear:
Brett accepted the proposal on-site that day: not because he was sold, but because he understood.
We did not try to sell him shingles.
Mariusz told him:
If Brett had installed a new roof without fixing ventilation:
Ventilation must come before roof replacement. Always.
Brett chose the second option. His reasoning:
He wasn’t buying speed. He was buying permanence.
You can learn more about Holda Construction’s soffit replacement offerings on our service page.
Mariusz Holda – Project Guide
Mariusz was the primary guide for Brett throughout the project. He handled the initial discovery call in October 2025, built and reviewed the proposal, and conducted the critical January attic inspection where he uncovered the hidden condensation and frost. He also made the final follow-up call after installation to ensure satisfaction.
Barbara (Barb) Holda – Project Coordinator
Barbara took Brett’s first inbound call and managed the behind-the-scenes coordination. She arranged the deposit pickup with Valentina, confirmed the crew’s 8:00 AM arrival, and sent the final invoice through Zoho once the project was completed.
Mariusz Dziekonski & Miroslaw Stosel – Installation Crew
Two-man crew who completed the soffit replacement and bathroom vent rerouting over two days on site, including daily cleanup and final magnet sweep.
Scope Breakdown:
This project had zero change orders.
The final invoice matched the proposal exactly: $11,270.
If unexpected conditions had required additional work, we would have issued a written change order first. On larger projects, unexpected materials are billed at Cost of Goods Sold — minimal margin — not sales markup.
That policy protects homeowners from bait-and-switch pricing.
Permit was not required in Cary, IL for this scope (soffit replacement and bathroom vent rerouting).
We verified this before proceeding.
At the final walkthrough in February 2026, Brett stood back and looked at the home.
“The work for the soffits look as if the house always looked that way. You cannot tell that those are brand new soffits.”
Architecturally, the improvement was seamless. Functionally, the change was immediate.
Valentina noticed it after the first hot shower. The bathroom mirrors no longer remained fogged. The exhaust fans sounded stronger and more purposeful. The house was no longer trapping its own moisture.
The ventilation correction was so effective that the couple later upgraded to higher-end exhaust fans to match the improved ductwork.
That decision wasn’t driven by sales.
It was driven by confidence.
We provided a 10-year warranty on the installation because structural airflow correction is not cosmetic work — it is long-term protection.
Most importantly, their forever home is no longer quietly damaging itself from within.
Ideal For:
Not Ideal For:
If your bathroom mirrors remain fogged long after a shower, that moisture is traveling somewhere. If a contractor quotes you a roof without stepping into your attic, ask why. And if your soffits have ever been painted shut, your attic may be suffocating without you realizing it.
Roofs do not fail from hail alone. They also fail from trapped moisture.
We didn’t sell Brett a roof. We helped his house breathe again. And as we wrapped up, he said, “If there’s any other projects of this type of nature, you’ll probably be my first phone call.”
That is what solving the real problem earns.
Fill out the form below to get started!
📞 FREE Consultations (Call or Text):
847.847.2883
Are You Facing Something Similar?
Visit our 11-Step Attic Inspection Guide to start investigating your attic yourself, or schedule an inspection call for us to take a look.
Remember: Don’t just look at shingles. Look at the system.
Guides project planning and key homeowner decisions. Sets standards and approves final deliverables.
Coordinates scheduling, materials, permits, and day-to-day communications.
Leads the crew on site; directs daily work; manages walkthroughs and quality control.
Siding installations.
Siding installations.
Gutter and downspout installations.
Gutter and downspout installations.
Full roof replacements.
