Indigo
New Member
No idea if anyone here is an attic insulation/ roofing expert... but I figure it's worth a shot
Ok, here's the current situation:
1920s house with a steep slate roof. The attic (3rd floor) is finished with knee walls. There is no roof venting. The knee walls are uninsulated. There is paper-backed batt insulation in the rafter bays directly under the decking. The attic floors are uninsulated. The ceiling is insulated with some sort of fiberglass.
Here's what's changing:
The roof has done its time and is going to be replaced with asphalt shingles. The plan is also to also cut in a ridge vent. What I am thinking is that it makes sense to remove the insulation from the rafter bays if we're attempting to vent the space, and to also add in shingle over intake vents.
I figure I'll then go back and insulate the kneewalls and the attic floors behind those walls.
Does this make sense?
A variety of other options I've seen:
-Remove the insulation, do not vent the roof, spray in foam insulation
-Do not remove the insulation, just cut in the ridge vent
-Do not remove the insulation, do not vent the roof
I should mention that this is in Pittsburgh, PA -- so we do see all temperatures and levels of humidity.
At the moment, I'm not overly concerned with energy efficiency, as I plan on leaving access to behind the kneewalls pretty open and can always make changes, but I am mostly concerned with the longevity of the roof and preserving the roof boards.
I greatly appreciate the assistance and please ask questions about the existing conditions if anything isn't clear!
Ok, here's the current situation:
1920s house with a steep slate roof. The attic (3rd floor) is finished with knee walls. There is no roof venting. The knee walls are uninsulated. There is paper-backed batt insulation in the rafter bays directly under the decking. The attic floors are uninsulated. The ceiling is insulated with some sort of fiberglass.
Here's what's changing:
The roof has done its time and is going to be replaced with asphalt shingles. The plan is also to also cut in a ridge vent. What I am thinking is that it makes sense to remove the insulation from the rafter bays if we're attempting to vent the space, and to also add in shingle over intake vents.
I figure I'll then go back and insulate the kneewalls and the attic floors behind those walls.
Does this make sense?
A variety of other options I've seen:
-Remove the insulation, do not vent the roof, spray in foam insulation
-Do not remove the insulation, just cut in the ridge vent
-Do not remove the insulation, do not vent the roof
I should mention that this is in Pittsburgh, PA -- so we do see all temperatures and levels of humidity.
At the moment, I'm not overly concerned with energy efficiency, as I plan on leaving access to behind the kneewalls pretty open and can always make changes, but I am mostly concerned with the longevity of the roof and preserving the roof boards.
I greatly appreciate the assistance and please ask questions about the existing conditions if anything isn't clear!
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