Home Ventilation Articles

How do I insulate an old house built in 1750 with an old metal roof?

August 11, 2023

QUESTION: I live in a house built in 1750, which originally had a slate roof. It’s had a metal roof for at least the last 100 years. Currently, it’s a standing seam gable roof with no soffit, gable, or ridge venting, and the only material between metal and attic is the wide rough-cut roof batten… ( read more )

How to Deal with Your Roof: Ice & Snow

September 10, 2021

Severe winter weather brings dangerous ice dams that accumulate on rooftops. These ice dams can damage roof systems and also allow melted snow to enter the home. They can also form dangerous icicles and ice packs on the home’s perimeter, posing a hazard to pets, people, and shrubbery. How Ice Dams Form Ice dams most… ( read more )

Metal Roofing:Mobile Home Owners Have Questions

September 30, 2020

Most contractors do not understand the installation and benefits of metal roofing for a mobile home. These good folks shared their challenges, and perhaps you’ve encountered the same. The ASK: We live in a mobile home. Today, we had two contractors tell us two different things regarding the installation of a metal roof on my… ( read more )

2 Homes: Different roofing problems with similar solutions

February 27, 2020

I want to share with you stories of two interesting homes I visited in late February to assess their roofing problems. Both are in Indiana, and both are situations where the homeowner and contractor are very concerned about mold and mildew inside the homes. They asked me to come and take a look, help triage… ( read more )

Condensation: It’s Raining in My Attic!

December 10, 2018

As someone who helps thousands of homeowners each year with their roofing questions and concerns, I can depend on one thing like clockwork. Every spring and fall, I will field many calls and emails from desperate, scared, and frustrated homeowners who are exclaiming “I had a metal roof installed, and now it’s raining in my… ( read more )

To Vent or Not to Vent a Metal Roof

October 2, 2017

Proper ventilation meets a trend toward total attic conditioning. A homeowner asks whether or not to vent a new metal roof as it is installed…