I own a 1½ storey house in Southern Ontario, Canada which needs new shingles and siding. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of doing some investigation online and now I am wondering if ignorance is bliss or whether I really should be trying to do things properly (and what is properly)? In this area, most roofing companies just rip off the old shingles, sometimes add tar paper, and then install the new shingles. When I’ve mentioned concerns about venting, I have been told that either standard roof vents or a ridge vent will be fine, even thought there is no soffit venting. From what I understand, if there is no venting at the soffits, the air will be pulled through any holes in the attic, sucking warm, moist air in from the house. Since my house is 1½ storeys, the roof is also the wall for the upstairs in some areas. I am considering having spray foam installed into these areas to provide insulation but leaving a small gap for ventilation of the roof. Is any extra material required on top of the foam to protect it from the airflow in this channel? I plan to add soffit vents and then have a ridge vent, so hopefully air would run from the soffits, up over the foam, into the attic and then out the ridge vent. Does this make sense? Are there other things I should consider? I would also like to replace my rotting cedar shakes with wood lap siding. Most places that do siding in this area only offer vinyl and few people are aware of things like rain walls. So far, the plan is to strip off the old siding and wood underneath, spray foam between the studs, sheath in plywood, add a couple of inches of foam board (XPS?), create a rain wall and then install the wood lap siding. Does this make sense? Is anything required over the foam board or can I create a gap right there for my rain wall? Any information/feedback would be appreciated and I would appreciate if any contractors in Southern Ontario who this sort of work would provide their contact info. Thanks.
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There be dragons
Unfortunately, a 1.5 story house is a [FEMALE DOG] to insulate/ventilate properly. It takes some careful planning to achieve ventilation through the "pinch points" where the (usually sloped) inside walls come close to the roof. Not something you can explain how to do right in a 20 word description.
Rain walls are another difficult area -- simple concept, but the devil's in the details, and it would be hard to get a contractor unfamiliar with the concept to do it right.