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Attached Garage – Vented or Unvented Attic?

Yanniktk | Posted in General Questions on

I am working on designing my house and the garage will share one wall with the main house. The main house will have all unvented attics. 

The obvious answer is that the garage attic should be vented but I am worried about matching the look of the main house roofs (which will not have soffit/ridge vents). Would it be possible to build an unvented attic and just install one  or two active fans? Any issues/special considerations if I do this?

Would there be any benefit to insulating the garage as well? We live in zone 3 so most of our worry would be heat and humidity in the summer. Usually only have a week or two per year below freezing.

Garage will only be used for cars and storage. Attic will most likely have storage as well.

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #1

    Yanniktk,

    How would the soffits differ if they were vented? Rather than a ridge-vent you could either use a gable-vent or box-vents near the peak.

  2. Yanniktk | | #2

    I was going to do monopoly framing where the overhangs are left off and sheathing run all the way up. Then overhangs rafters are added on top with exterior insulation. The overhangs weren't going to get soffits but I guess I could just add them for a uniform look.

    1. Expert Member
      MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #3

      Yanniktk,

      Rather than add soffits on the rest of the house, why not mimic the look of the applied rafters on the garage, and vent through the blocking in between them?

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