to vent or not to vent

[Douglas Hansen]

A friend is remodeling his pool house to turn it into an art studio for his wife. It is in the smoky mountains, near the North Carolina / South Carolina border. It's a simple gable roof structure with no attic space. The rafters are 2X10s and there will be 6 inches of insulation in the rafter bays.

The climate includes some freezing and snowfall, and in the summer months is hot and humid. Heating and cooling of the space will be from a ductless mini-split, and realistically there will be long periods of time in both winter and summer when it won't be turned on at all.

Should he install a ridge vent? Should he supplement that with vent strips near the eave to provide cross-circulation through each rafter bay? Or should he skip the idea of ventilation altogether?

Thanks

[kurt]

Ventilate. Ridge vent and continuous strip soffit inlets.

[ghentjr]

Ventilate. Ridge vent and continuous strip soffit inlets.

Yes.

[kurt]

Joe talked about this at the PA seminar.....fundamentally, insulation with ventilation works in this sort of elementary assembly.

The NC climate isn't extreme enough to warrant the expense of doing anything else.

[Jim Baird]

...don't know the local codes there, but accessory to residential is usually supposed to be to residential standard, where R-30 is required for ceilings. 6 inches is R-19.

[Tom Raymond]

Skip the proper vents and make your own out of foil faced foam. Tuff R is R10. 3 times the vent space, 30% more R value, a radiant barrier that will be much appreciated when the AC is off for extended periods, and far less wash in the glass.

[kurt]

I agree. There's lots better ways to do this stuff than conventional approaches.

As far as hitting R values, I've done stuff like put foam board on the interior under the drywall and 6 inches in the rafters. I like foam board. I don't like fiberglass particularly.

And, R values are just one thing. How tight is the building? Tightness rules, AFAIC.

[David Meiland]

The rafters are 2X10s and there will be 6 inches of insulation in the rafter bays.

If he's going to the trouble of insulating, he should use R30 instead of R21.

[mlparham]

A friend is remodeling his pool house to turn it into an art studio for his wife. It is in the smoky mountains, near the North Carolina / South Carolina border. It's a simple gable roof structure with no attic space. The rafters are 2X10s and there will be 6 inches of insulation in the rafter bays.

The climate includes some freezing and snowfall, and in the summer months is hot and humid. Heating and cooling of the space will be from a ductless mini-split, and realistically there will be long periods of time in both winter and summer when it won't be turned on at all.

Should he install a ridge vent? Should he supplement that with vent strips near the eave to provide cross-circulation through each rafter bay? Or should he skip the idea of ventilation altogether?

Thanks

An art studio. Very interesting. I suspect that the local code will not allow a detached room that one might rent.

However, if you were to build an "artist studio" of course you will need a bathroom, a kitchenette so that the artist can fix a snack and maybe a place to nap. Next thing you know you have a "studio" to rent.