Roof Sheathing Insulating Historic House

Zip system r sheathing is the simple all in one structural panel with built in exterior insulation.

Roof sheathing insulating historic house.

Non structural sheathing can be applied to the exterior wall of a building and is called insulating sheathing. Box out light fixtures. The quest for greater energy efficiency in buildings has led to increasing interest and need for insulation improvements in hvac equipment more airtight construction new materials and assemblies. These fibers became the base of fiberglass insulation which became popular in the 1940s.

If the sheathing or lathing appears to have survived changes in the roofing surface they may contain evidence of the roofing systems. Apply a continuous air control membrane to existing roof sheathing or tape all joints between roof sheathing panels with an acrylic or butyl adhesive flashing tape membrane. These may appear either as dirt marks which provide shadows of a roofing material or as nails broken or driven down into the wood rather than pulled out during previous alterations or repairs. 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.

Fiberglass insulation was the next big breakthrough in home insulation. After installing several layers of rigid foam above the roof sheathing these workers installed plywood above the rigid foam. Adding insulation to the floor of an attic helps maintain the heat within the house and also a cold roof prevents ice damming. It is attached to the exterior wall framing and prevents walls from swaying or bending.

Measure the size of the roof rafters. Wall sheathing is primarily a structural material. If you have an unfinished and unconditioned attic like many old houses my first recommendation would be to add batt insulation on the underside of the roof. The plywood was fastened through the rigid foam to the rafters with long screws.

This type of insulated roof assembly limits thermal bridging through rafters. How to retrofit a roof to a high performance roof with insulating sheathing above the roof deck plus cavity insulation in roof framing remove existing roofing and non adhered roof underlayment. Unless you re using mineral wool insulation or your fixtures are rated safe for contact with any type of insulation don t allow the material to touch or cover recessed cans or lights from the floor below it s a fire hazard. You can make your historic house more energy efficient by taking some cost effective measures to seal your attic.

When researcher dale kleist attempted to create a vacuum seal between two glass blocks an accidental stream of high pressured air turned some of the glass into thin fibers. Are they 2 6 2 8 or bigger. The attic is often the easiest place to add insulation.