Tore off upstairs ceiling. Perfect chance to...do what?

Gandhi

Hi Lads,

I am in the middle of renovating a spare bedroom, and have torn the plasterboard (and plaster underneath) off one wall, and also off the ceiling. This is an upstairs bedroom, so I have access to the underside of the (flat) roof.

The house was built in 1930, so the wiring is old (1950s, a sparky friend guessed at) and there is no insulation that I have seen. Insulation and replacing the wiring are the first things I am thinking of jumping on. Is there anything else that would be a good idea to do now that I have access?

The roof is flat, so I don't have a loft / attic door that would normally give access to its underside. The roof type is what they call "hot asphalt" out here (in the States), though I think they have a different term for it back home. I do not have any known problems with the roof, so it would be general maintenance I would be doing if anything.

The newly bare wall is a dividing wall, so I am wondering if there would be any advantage to insulating it. It divides two bedrooms, one of which we normally use as an office / computer room.

Any advice, tips, would be appreciated and considered.

mad m

Maybe a skylight,and get a telescope to look at the stars?

rooferPete

Hi,

Mad_M the system they call asphalt in the US has no real relationship with the product we call asphalt

Gandhi,

You might want to check if there was insulation fitted the last time the roof was covered, unlike us the majority of insulation is fitted above the roof deck (timber) in the US.

It might be a good idea to call a local Licensed, Bonded contractor for advice on this one.

If you want to bring a little of the Irish standard to the US you might consider fitting 2" Iso between the joists, just make sure you are leaving at least 2" clear from the underside of the roof.

Should you install the insulation make sure and tell the roofer (should you ever need one) the way you have insulated the roof, he may be a bit surprised but at least he will be able to vent the roof US style

.

mad m

Pete,

Yup as you guessed it I hadnt a clue...:D

rooferPete

Hi mad-m,

Whatcha mean you hadn't a clue ? I love the stars at night idea

Y'all want te be an Irish roofer giving a US roofer advice on lathing out a roof I had to post pictures of work in progress to prove we don't have plywood on all our truss roofs

They have systems that look very strange to us, that said I have learned a lot from the US roofers and I'm still waiting for our regulations to catch up with some of theirs

Gandhi,

A web site that might be worth looking up is Energy Star, you should get good advice regarding insulation for both heat and air conditioning as both can use a lot of energy depending on your location.

.

Gandhi

Thanks for the advice, Pete. I will call a local roofer for more tips before I go any further.

I actually already have a skylight in the bathroom, but now mad m has me thinking about another one. My house is mid-terrace, so any extra light I can get, the better.

- Thanks guys
- Gandhi