Roofing question

[GN4WHLN]

Gn.....I tried the whole house fan.....I got as good if not better results with the wind powered turbine on the roof.

I have vents on my gables....and that was where I put the whole house vent fan. Problem is, depending on which way the wind was blowing, it was either helping or pushing against.

About the only other option I might consider is a solar powered vent fan that sits on top and pulls air out that way vs pushing it out one of the gable vents.

Next year I plan to redo the wood on the gable vents and will most likely get rid of those vents. I have enough soffit vent to keep it all cool.

I've attached pics of my roof when I did it myself 15 or so years ago....I had a lot of wood damage. I spent a whole week just fixing the damage....and another 3 weeks nailing on the shingles. Every evening after work...2-3 hours of nailing. Next time I'm just writing a check.

As you can see from the pics.....I've made a few 'modifications'....

Holy ****... that's a hell of an addition! I knew you added on, but that is something else. Did you double your space?

Our roof is similar in that it's low, but we don't have the structure on top with the gables. We do have one gable end with no venting. On the other end of the house we have a hip and it gets really hot there and happens to be over the master. I wish they would have built the house with a gable there. I may need to add a vent at the gable end and a dormer on the hip end because these areas seem like there is no air flow in these areas. I've also thought about the solar powered vent fans on at least the area over the master.

I can see I have a little bit of research to do. I want to make sure this thing is done right. The last thing I want is to think I should have [fill in the blank].

 

[GN4WHLN]

OP-

Read up on CA regs for re-roofs:

http://www.energycode.com/?page_id=315

Got it. I'll read it to make sure it gets done right. I saw there are some things regarding the HVAC ducts. Looks like are going to get the HVAC redone prior to the roof. It works fine but is a little undersize for the house. Ducts, registers, and what not are all going to be replaced. This is another thing where I'm spending the money to make sure it's done right.

If we do sell when we retire, I don't want to have any conversations about issues with the house's mechanicals. I want it all done right so we can get a good price and the buyer gets a good house.

 

[ddawg16]

Holy ****... that's a hell of an addition! I knew you added on, but that is something else. Did you double your space?

Our roof is similar in that it's low, but we don't have the structure on top with the gables. We do have one gable end with no venting. On the other end of the house we have a hip and it gets really hot there and happens to be over the master. I wish they would have built the house with a gable there. I may need to add a vent at the gable end and a dormer on the hip end because these areas seem like there is no air flow in these areas. I've also thought about the solar powered vent fans on at least the area over the master.

I can see I have a little bit of research to do. I want to make sure this thing is done right. The last thing I want is to think I should have [fill in the blank].

We went from about 1027 to about 2100 sq ft....
It 'was' 3 bed, 1 bath. Now it's 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, family room...laundry room and pub

 

[GN4WHLN]

I would say do a tear off. people told me to just cover when I did mine 4 years ago.
guess what I found? , the last person that put a roof on did not use any underlayment,none...if I had just covered it over, I never would have fixed the problem I had , the ice dams would have still happened every year.

We are definitely tearing it all off and making sure all the structural elements are right. I'll be there the whole time to make sure all the work and materials are what I want. My philosophy with things like this is to replace the whole system and make sure all the underlying things are correct. I'd rather spend the money than do patch work or half measures.

 

[GN4WHLN]

So Cal here! We had a hard time finding a roofer who would put valleys in (make sure they are not nailed in tight).

We went with a metal slate roof, installed by western Roofing Systems. the product is Future Roof: https://www.futureroof.com/steel-roof/slate-roof/

We it! We plan to own until we pass it on (we're 40 and 50) so the extra 3k over asphalt was well worth it. Our house cools down much quicker at night.

Western Roofing Systems ate it on our job because they normally install other metal shingles which are use bigger panels. They under bid. But, they out it on as bid, and it is nice. My neighbor went with their steel clay tile and it looks very good, much better than cement-clay and, in my opinion, better than the big sheet clay tiles I see on so cal sub divisions.

That's interesting. You usually don't see metal roofs on homes in so cal. I may check that out to see what the difference in cost might be. I imagine that roof is pretty durable.

 

[BC1]

Opinion/fact from an insulation contractor here. You need adequate venting, no more and no less. This is based on a calculation and not "feeling". Where the vents are as far as upper and lower (height in the attic space) matter greatly. Whirlybirds/turbines ****. Radiant barrier is not very effective but does do a little with the correct installation, not worth it unless you can do it cheap. Whole house fans work pretty good. Upgrading your duct insulation along with blowing in up to current code (probably r30 in your area) will save you the most on cooling.

 

[ard]

Gn.....I tried the whole house fan.....I got as good if not better results with the wind powered turbine on the roof.

I have vents on my gables....and that was where I put the whole house vent fan. Problem is, depending on which way the wind was blowing, it was either helping or pushing against. .

This doesnt sound like what a "whole house fan" actually IS.

A WHF pulls air FROM the living envelope and ejects in it INTO the attic. That air is then in turn exhausted out of the attic vents.

You seem to be referencing a 'wind powered turbine on the roof' and a 'whole house vent fan'. Both of these are ways to ventilate the attic. NEITHER are the way a whole house fan ventilates the living envelope.

 

[GN4WHLN]

Opinion/fact from an insulation contractor here. You need adequate venting, no more and no less. This is based on a calculation and not "feeling". Where the vents are as far as upper and lower (height in the attic space) matter greatly. Whirlybirds/turbines ****. Radiant barrier is not very effective but does do a little with the correct installation, not worth it unless you can do it cheap. Whole house fans work pretty good. Upgrading your duct insulation along with blowing in up to current code (probably r30 in your area) will save you the most on cooling.

I do have some information regarding venting for a ridge vent system. I think I'll go over it this weekend and determine if there is a enough ridge line and eave vents to do this correctly. I'll also talk to the contractor and see what his opinion is. I don't want to waste my money, so I am going to make sure it gets done correctly.

I can't say thanks enough for all the people who have chimed in to help here.

 

[amg-rx7]

I just had a full tear-off roof job about three weeks ago. I'm in NorCal (San Jose).

Radiant OSB sheathing is not required, but a suggested option for hot areas.

Our roofer used "W" metal valleys. It was a ***** to cut the heavy shingles on each side (used architectural 1/4" shingles) but it will last and not accumulate leaves or pine needles as much as a shingled valley would.

Due to the shape of our roof, not having enough linear footage of uninterrupted ride line, ridge venting would not have provided adequate venting. Went with the low profile O'Hagen style vents (eight of them for a 1500sf house).

We did opt for radiant OSB sheathing as we don't have AC. Would like to someday, no money right now.

One thing that is a gold mine in this house is the full house fan. We can turn it on at night and in about 10 minutes the entire house and attic space is full of cool air from outside, with the warm air vented out through the attic space. If we keep the windows and doors shut in they during the summer, the house will stay pretty damned cool.

Jason

p.s. - this was a replacent for a forty year old wood shake roof that was basically turning to dust.

Hi @JasonMcElroy, can you post or PM me with whoever did your roof? Thanks.