I just had my new home completed and noticed if i look into my attic there is no insulation on the ceiling of the roof. is this supposed to be that way? my upstairs in the house is freezing (two storey house) and was curious as to where to look to find out why? i'd have expected the upper level to be warmer then the main?
Yes, if the attic space is unfinished. You'd expect insulation between the floor joists there, with vapor barrier below. And, in most latitudes, vents at ridge & soffitt.
As to upstairs freezing, can't really help you. Many possible reasons. First, I'd ask the builder.
HTH, J
what i am referring to (perhaps i worded it wrong) is the peak andarches of the roof do not have insulation.. the ceiling on the second level of the homes does. Should the peak and the roof itself not be insulated?
If the attic space is vented, the ceiling would be insulated and the roof would not be insulated.
Venting the attic space with vents at eaves and at ridge is common, but not always a good idea. Look at the Building Science Corporation web site for researched information based on climate.
TB
Where do you live?
That is how it supposed to be, the ceilings of the second floor insulated and the roof not. Unless of course your attic is part of the living space, which I doubt it is the case.
The idea is to have a cold roof and warm living space. You want to keep the attic cold so snow on the roof doesn't get melt too quickly to create ice dam on the roof which may cause leaks. You may want to evaluate your second floor ceiling to see if there is sufficient insulation though.
That sounds right to me. Is the insulation on the "floor" of the attic the pink stuff (fiberglass) or the stuff that looks like the lining filler of a cheap coat. If the latter, that's not as good.
My grandmother's house, built about 1930 had that, and that is what they gave the first owner of my house. He was from Louisiana and always cold in Baltimore, and he put fiberglass in the attic, on top of the brown stuff. Did a good job.
(He also put added walls in the main bedroom. Insulation and extra sheet rock for two walls, and cork and sheet rock for the third wall that backs up to the neighboring town house. I guess the room is warmer because of that, but it wasn't warm enough for him, and he went back to Louisiana.
Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.
if this is an unused attic in buffalo ny, you'll be using it to see roof leaks and don't want that cluttered up with the view or expense of insulation that keeps the habitable area comfortable.
other places to think of adding insulation after you've done the attic floor and all exterior walls might be the interior walls to reduce room-to-room noise. this would allow less energy waste if closing down of an extra unused room during your hvac summer or winter season.
If attic is unfinished no insulation goes on the roof deck. You dont say what zone you live in, where or how cold it gets or present Rvalue or thickness of insulation. Measure it and find out code. Being cool is likely a poorly designed Hvac system, your builders fault.
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