According to Mike Holmes, HGTV show Holmes on Homes, when there is no snow on the roof, and your neighbors have snow, that indicates heat loss. But isn't that a good thing? Do you want snow buildup on the roof which will cause damage in the long run, or do you want no snow?
Once he got into the attic, you could see why. Proper insulation on the ceiling, improperly installed. No insulation on the roof itself.
A hell of a good show. Watch it if you can. You may learn a few things.
Snow is always best from a cost to heat/comfort viewpoint. You can always remove excessive snow, but generally that is not necessary if the building was properly designed and built.
There should be no insulation on the roof, it should all be on the ceiling. Insulation on the roof can and will lead to many other problems, and should be avoided.
If "Holmes on Homes" suggested insulation on the roof sheeting, he's clearly not very good at building or engineering. Sounds like a typical hack to me, but I don't have a TV so I've never seen his show.
Your post convinced me that there is no need to watch him, and that you will only learn how not to do things!
I've watched his show quite a bit. He knows his stuff. I think you might have misunderstood the previous post. Also, the type of roof would make a difference as to whether or not to have insulation on it. I'm not sure but I think a metal roof is supposed to have insulation on the underside.
Perhaps a metal roof should/could be insulated, but a wood/asphalt shingle (the most common residential roof material used) should not be directly insulated as this leads to overheating of the shingles and premature failure.
This all depends on the style of construction of said homes. In standard construction, the insulation is in the ceiling joist bay, and the attic space is allowed to ventilate to the outside. Like a tea pot, moisture builds up in the attic inbetween the roof and the ceiling. Allowing it to ventilate prevents mold, moisture, condensation. Some people decide to turn their home into a "cathedral ceiling" take out the ceiling joist, and leave the roof rafter as the ceiling. They insulate the rafter. What happens is that moisture builds up under the plywood roof sheathing, having no place to go, weeps down. I have replaced many a rafter and roof construction due to this error.
Now a person can "tight" insulate a ceiling, and use a rigid insulation product, but leaving no air space for moisture to condense. This way a person can have a cathedral type ceiling. Some use a larger rafter, say a 2x10 or 2x12 and allow a 1" to 2" air space under the plywood roofing and allow the moist air to leave via a ridge vent or some other means. Look up Cora Ridge for roofing solutions and insulation factors. There are many articles on this. Especially the idea of snow on a roof.
John
According to Mike Holmes, HGTV show Holmes on Homes, when there is no snow on the roof, and your neighbors have snow, that indicates heat loss. But isn't that a good thing? Do you want snow buildup on the roof which will cause damage in the long run, or do you want no snow?
Once he got into the attic, you could see why. Proper insulation on the ceiling, improperly installed. No insulation on the roof itself.
A hell of a good show. Watch it if you can. You may learn a few things.
Holmes did nothing about insulating the roof itself. He left it as it was. That was just a reflection of mine as I have seen it done in other homes. The guy really knows his shit and the code in Canada. He's also not afraid to get his hands dirty and do the work himself. Before his show, I didn't know there was such a thing as "blue wood". It's kind of like pressure treated but maybe better for some things. He says bugs and termites don't like it.
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