This Old House Add Ac To Dormer Attic Space

It was left open to the stairwell and library wall for a feeling of spaciousness.

This old house add ac to dormer attic space.

Don t avoid ventilating your attic for fear you re letting cold air into the house. When extra space is needed upstairs the easiest solution is often to add a wide shed dormer. Needs no added insulation. But when you need new ducts you have three types to choose from.

Here are 12 different types of dormer roofs and their history. These 10 foot long foil wrapped fiberglass panels are cut folded and taped to form four sided ducts. Most premium air conditioning units 15 seer or above have two stage compressors or dual compressors and adjustable speed blowers. After floorplan illustration by ian worpole.

Adding a dormer provided 100 square feet for the home office located near the top of the stairs. In my mind circulating air in the attic would accelerate the existing convection currents and help distribute the heat load. Account for codes and safety photo by casey dunn. For a house that needs ducts the costs and work time double.

Adding to the illusion of small size the top window has smaller panes so it looks farther away. The hotspots in my house correspond to where the ceiling is closest to the roofline mere feet in some cases and the cold spots to where there is 10 15 of attic truss space. Adding ac to a house that already has ducts is relatively straightforward. This gives you the best humidity control.

You can go to a much higher seer air conditioner and have all the bells and whistles. Arched top photo by nancy andrews. Lightweight and doesn t sag. A staircase from the ground floor led to an unfinished t shaped attic space.

If there are asphalt shingles on your roof the attic must be ventilated to comply with the terms of the manufacturer s warranty. As architectural styles have shifted architects and builders have invented more ways to build dormers. Wide shed photo by nancy andrews. From the exterior however these dormers can sometimes look overwhelming.

The state of your attic has a major impact on your home s comfort and energy efficiency. But a contractor experienced in retrofitting can cleverly hide ductwork behind walls in the back of closets and up in the attic with minimal cuts into walls and the ceiling and very little mess. Dormer roofs are the little rooms that project from a roof and allow more space and light in the top floor or attic. For this reason premium air conditioning systems may be the best choice for old houses.

Here s what you need to know about attics.