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How does a ventilated area need to be sealed?

abed aldick | Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on

I recently bought a 1000 sq ft rowhouse in baltimore md (zone 4a). The top floor is an open loft area of approximately 500 sq ft.
I have neighbors on both sides of me and don’t require insulation on either side.
I tore down the cieling to expose my beams and joists. This gave me about 2.5 ft of height on the front of the house and maybe 5 in towards the back of the house, where the bathroom is.
The top front of the house is ventilated on the north wall. I need to seal the ventilation near the top of the north wall, and Replace the joists and the plank boards and add rigid foam exterior insulation.

1. Can the roofing company seal the old ventilation?
2. Do I need to wait to replace the roof before I seal the ventilation since it would involve extending the north wall studs all the way to the roof and using the joists as anchors?
3. Is this something that a contractor could do before I get a new roof and rafters?

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Replies

  1. GBA Editor
    Martin Holladay | | #1

    Abed,
    I don't know what your "ventilation" looks like. Presumably you are talking about some type of grille or grilles. Is it one grille or many? Rectangular or round? A long slot or a square? What size?

    Q. "Can the roofing company seal the old ventilation?"

    A. I don't know. Why don't you ask the roofer?

    Q. "Do I need to wait to replace the roof before I seal the ventilation since it would involve extending the north wall studs all the way to the roof and using the joists as anchors?"

    A. I'm lost. First, describe these grilles. Then tell my why you need to extend your studs.

    Q. "Is this something that a contractor could do before I get a new roof and rafters?"

    A. I don't know. Ask your contractor.

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