Rigid Insulation Above Roof Deck

Generally 40 of the total assembly r value should be above the roof deck.

Rigid insulation above roof deck.

I m considering a roof design that would place all the insulation above the roof deck with no insulation below. Second you can take the opportunity to make the roof deck airtight. If the sheathing is boards it s a good place for a self adhered membrane. The project is in climate zone 4 seattle area and i want to have an open beam look in the ceiling.

The main issue people encounter with insulation above sheathing is when it expands. Placing a layer of fluffy insulation below the roof deck would needlessly complicate the. However for the best performance and for when space comes at a premium it s tough to beat rigid foam insulation. Available in both foam and rigid form choose the board type.

More insulation is needed above the roof deck in colder climates and where indoor relative humidity is above 35 in winter. After the roof deck is prepared the rigid foam boards need to be cut to size to fit snugly together on. I would use polyiso with a top layer of eps as recommended in your blog post on the topic. High moisture areas may benefit from leaving a small air space between roof sheathing and the rigid foam insulation panels.

Rigid foam insulation installation prepare roof deck. Attach to deck board. There are at least two good reasons why this approach makes more sense than installing the insulation under the roof sheathing. High r value unvented roof assemblies will require a proportionally larger amount of insulation above the roof deck for condensation control.

If plywood or osb sealing the panel edges with acrylic tape over primer or a fluid applied membrane would be good options. There are lots of different ways to insulate this type of roof but one of the best methods calls for the installation of rigid foam insulation above the roof sheathing. The right thickness would need to be calculated to move the dew point above the plywood deck where air infiltration is minimized. Add insulation above the roof deck this approach fits current building science thinking in terms of putting the thermal control layer on the outside of the building structure.