Faced equally with full sun exposure on three sides of the building for all four seasons this created unique challenges in selecting materials and construction approaches. For this home we completed a complete exterior retrofit removing the old dllapidated cedar shake siding, then insulated from the outside with a continous layer of 2” of polyiso insulation at R-13 (this was in addition to the existing wall insulation at R-13 giving us an R-26 wall) and then strapped over the insulation for the fibre cement siding.
Due to the pitch of the roof, installing soffit venting was nearly impossible , instead we opted for shingle venting 1/3 of the way up the roof slope. This was then open to the continuous ridge venting, allowing our roof to achieve venting, the attic was topped up with 16“ of blown-in cellulose, achieving an R-50 insulation value. Overall the look of the home was brought up to date with modern durable materials that will last long into the future!
The changes to the comfort level in the home have been remarkable: their heating and cooling costs have dropped by 75 percent and the war over what the thermostat should be set at has ended. The home now feels equally warm or cool on all floors, regardless of the time of year.
