by yellowcanoe » Fri 31 Jan 2014, 18:21:43
Improving roof insulation is difficult if you have a roof with no attic. Our home has a roof with a slight slope and had a tar and gravel type roof when we purchased it 11 years ago. It was pretty obvious we had a problem as icicles would form around the roof when we had a good amount of snow and very cold temperatures. Last summer we discovered we needed a new roof and took the opportunity to replace the ridiculous 3.5" fibreglass batt insulation with 7-8" of closed cell foam insulation. We now have a roof that is much better insulated and air tight. We really notice the difference -- the upstairs doesn't get as hot on a hot day and the furnace seems to run less often even though this winter has been substantially colder than last winter.
The challenge in doing this job was in finding a roofing contractor that would also take care of the insulation job. We had roofers tell us they would work with our insulator but as the insulation contractor needs to work closely with the roofing contractor it made no sense for us to try to contract separately with an insulation contractor.
It wasn't cheap but it will be worth it in the long run. I suspect though that most people getting their flat roof redone are not thinking about reinsulating their roof. The roofing contractors are not suggesting it either -- from their perspective trying to coordinate with an insulation contractor is a pain in the ass.
"new housing construction" is spelled h-a-b-i-t-a-t d-e-s-t-r-u-c-t-i-o-n.