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Same issue as the OP. I insulated the eaves and the attic and that fixed about 80% of the problem. In the winter, the bonus room is about 2-3° cooler than the rest of the house, which is more than adequate. In the summer... it is about 4-5° warmer than the rest of the house. That is the 20% of the problem I'd like to fix. The only area that is not insulated is under the floor between the bonus room and the garage.
That I may fix with blown cellulose in the future. I'll make some holes in the garage ceiling and blow the fibers in between the beams. That will probably correct the problem.
I would fix it with blown-in insulation. That's your best bet to keep it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Plus it reduces energy costs by 50%.
I haven't read all the posts in this thread but want to point out that there should be a ridge vent with soffit vents for each bay between the roof rafter joists.
Allow sufficient air space between the roof underlayment and the insulation. Failure to do so could result in premature aging of the roofing shingles and/or rapid degradation of the underlayment should it get wet.
I haven't read all the posts in this thread but want to point out that there should be a ridge vent with soffit vents for each bay between the roof rafter joists.
There are rafters, and there are joists- but not "rafter joists".
Raft-er: One of the sloping beams that supports a pitched roof.
Joist: Is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, or floor.
Allow sufficient air space between the roof underlayment and the insulation.
Roof "underlayment" would be roofing felt/tar paper.
Failure to do so could result in premature aging of the roofing shingles and/or rapid degradation of the underlayment should it get wet.
What you referring to is the "decking".
As I stated in my previous post, having a correctly installed insulation "envelope" is the key. Venting the roof is only ONE small segment of the total "system".
Attic and or whole house fans! Put the whole house fan or attic fans near a set of double roof or gable vents and the inside louvre on a wall and move that hot air out!
Attic and or whole house fans! Put the whole house fan or attic fans near a set of double roof or gable vents and the inside louvre on a wall and move that hot air out!
It's already been concluded that fans of any type are NOT the corrective action for the problem. If you had spent the time to read all of the posts you would have known that.
I forgot to mention. A whole house fan and attic vent fans when drawing air from a room can decompress a room in hurry so make sure you have a couple windows open! The interior fan louver can be covered with an insulated panel in the winter. Also make sure you use a fan rated speed switch,NOT a light switch dimmer.
The insulation route will probably be the most expensive option, up front. However, you will probably be the most effective, and the cost will be paid back to you via. lower electric bills. If you have the money to insulate, then go for it.
My parents had a similar problem. They ended up with roof damage from a storm and roofer suggested putting in ridge vents and that made a world of difference. It's still warmer than the rest of the house but with a fan at the bottom of the stairs and one at the top, it's comfortable there now. They live in the south so heat is an issue all summer.
Bonus room or FROG (Free Room Over Garage) was something I never heard of until I moved south. Basically it is an option in many newer homes here to have the top of your garage (like under the garage roof peak) either unfinished with a set of pull down stairs (in the garage) and used for storage or a finished room with an entrance set of stairs up to it from inside the house. I have seen the inside stairs go off the laundry room or in my case, from the study.
It was a $10,000.00 option in my last home. We really had no use for the rrom, but we did order it. As it was built like a room there was heating and AC built in. Yes it had to be well insulated but as it was planned on, not an addition, there were no issues. We only used the room once in 8 years for overflow sleeping when we had a large group spend the night. We rarely went up there.
When we sold I was told to have a closet built in the room, so we could then call it a bedroom. I was not comfortable with the idea of calling it a bedroom, but I did it.
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