Insulating An A Frame Roof

Look for water stains on the roof sheathing or damp or moldy spots on attic joists and existing insulation as a clue to where leaks might be.

Insulating an a frame roof.

It creates a breeding ground for mold and mildew and ruins the air trapping pockets that block heat flow. Now for the roof build up. The construction of the cabin is fairly rudamentary. Water is insulation s enemy.

Kingspan with a flat roof this issue does not arise but the u value constraint and the amount of insulation needed is just the same. We don t want to build a false roof or false ceiling but even with 2x12 and sprayfoam 10 5 x r6 you can barely get to the r60 i need in my state and that s outrageously expensive and heavy. Wet insulation doesn t insulate and wet studs will rot quickly. There is currently no insulation or ceiling.

On new build or replacement pitched roofs the ideal build up would be insulation fitted over and then between the rafters giving a big boost for airtightness image credit. We recently purchased a small a frame in zone 4a as a vacation home. I will then put foam in that cavitiy 14. All too often people discover that the a frame home they purchased has inadequate insulation or worse yet none at all.

In typical lumber frame construction roof insulation is placed between rafters and then covered up with drywall. Roof covering does not allow water vapor to exit to the outside air so the roof on an a frame needs special treatment. The outside of the wall lets water vapor exit to the outside air so the insulation can stay dry. Over that i will run two layers of 2x4s 15 to hold the insulation in the cavitiy and create venting in the roof.

When the rafters are exposed such as in timber frame houses this technique is. A frame homes especially older ones can be difficult to insulate because many times there is not much space between the roof and the ceiling. The problem is the rafters are too small to get enough insulation inbetween.