After doing lots of research and reading lots of different opinions I would like to know what is the best way to insulate and vent a 1 1/2 story house that has a bedroom upstairs in the roof/attic area. I live in Minnesota and want to know the proper way to do this so the upstairs bedroom stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer without having to worry about ice dams or lost heating/cooling air.
Here is an image i found that diagrams two different methods
(source: dspinspections.com)
Best Answer
The picture isn't really two different methods, but two different plans. It's one method (soffit at the bottom and ridge at the top). The only difference is what you actually insulate - and it's the same thing. Insulate anything that you want kept at "livable" temperature, since it will be part of the conditioned envelope of the house, keeping in mind that the larger you make that area, the more heating and cooling you're doing. We did a blog post on this subject as well, check out http://diy.blogoverflow.com/2011/12/resuscitating-the-roof-providing-adequate-roof-ventilation/