I'm in the process of siding my 80+ year old home and am not sure what to do regarding soffit ventilation. I have a gable style roof with solid soffit. The attic has rolled insulation installed between the rafters; I would imagine if I pulled up the attic floor, there would be no insulation there.
I do have a problem with ice buildup on the roof edge, which suggests I have inadequate ventilation. Since there is (likely) no insulation in the attic floor joists, does it make sense to cut ventilation holes in the soffit? Seems to me increasing the ventilation in the roof will allow my heating dollars to escape even faster during the winter and more cold air to infiltrate from the attic to the lower floors.

What is the proper course of action here? If I cut holes in the soffit, will this force me to pull up the attic floor and install insulation between the joists?

Thanks for your help.