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Monday, March 4, 2013

Back Hall: We Need to Make a Ceiling Decision

Work on this space has pretty much halted. Last month we finally put up some insulation - the el cheapo stuff. We tried to make a reasonable argument to use denim, but cost-wise we couldn't justify the extra bucks. Plus we hate the Earth, anyway.

Nate also whipped together a temporary railing. But I rather like the aesthetic. So we may go with something that looks similar when we build the permanent structure.


Clearly, we have a little more insulation to finish. Before we put up gypsum, we are looking at different ways to treat the ceiling. This is the existing roof/ceiling structure and looks exactly as it did before we started this repair. There was no insulation originally and the joists aren't deep enough to insulate it the "right way." So we are trying to decide if insufficient insulation is better than none.

And to bore you a little further, the kitchen door swings into this space and causes more trouble. The door will hit the ceiling if we were to install a ceiling along the bottom of the joists (like a normal ceiling). So that won't work. We can't reverse the swing into the kitchen without loosing at least two inches on a 28" opening. Not happening. Pocket door? We are actually considering it, only because we hate ourselves more than we hate the Earth.


18 comments:

  1. I agree that the temporary railing looks awesome.

    And pocket doors are great. Wish I had one in this house!

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    1. We were pleasantly surprised with what the discount bin had at the lumber store. Nate isn't sold on the pocket door idea - hmfp.

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  2. I don't quite understand the insulation problem at the ceiling. Can't you just install batts or spray foam or whatever you want, and then just drywall it in its current sloped design? If you don't want the double slope you could easily extend the line with additional 2x4s and just do one full flat surface.

    You said: There was no insulation originally and the joists aren't deep enough to insulate it the "right way."

    The spaces in the photo certainly look deep enough to me. You can always add furring strips over the edges of the studs to make them deeper, too.

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    1. Definitely all good ideas and probably I've misunderstood some of the information I've found about how to insulate a sloped roof. What I meant by "right way" was the correct R value for Oregon, which is R-38.

      Adding furring strips to make the studs deeper would work if we didn't have the issue of the kitchen door swinging into the space. Also there isn't much room (maybe 1-1/2") to work with over the corner of the exterior door. Our first thought was actually spray foam, but after reading how-to's and such online I don't know that we are capable of doing it ourselves. We could definitely get a quote, but I am serious about having no budget left on this cash suck of a project.

      As far as installing batts, I understood that there is supposed to be a space between the batt and roof (so that they don't touch each other), which doesn't leave room for the thickness of the correct R value batt (which is maybe 9" or so). Again, it's entirely probable that I've misunderstood something or haven't thought of all my options.

      Overall, we are just trying our best to make a decision (hopefully DIY) knowing full well that it will have ripple effects on other areas of this space (door swings and head clearance, mainly). We are kicking ourselves for not just tearing the whole thing down and rebuilding it all. What started as a clean-and-paint project has turned into a major repair. If you know of any tutorials that I should check out, please forward them along!

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    2. It sounds like what you'll end up having to do is just insulate with "less than optimal but better than nothing" insulation to accommodate the shape of your ceiling and your clearance issues.

      I don't really recall exactly how this back staircase ties into your home, but will the sub-par insulation really drastically affect the room? I mean, there are still houses that have NO insulation whatsoever except a light dusting in the attic (which was originally the case in my house, but a previous owner had insulation blown into the exterior walls, and extra insulation blown into the attic).

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    3. Our house isn't insulated except for some loose, blown in above the ceilings. The back hall is not heated, so as long as the kitchen door has a good seal, it really isn't much of an efficiency issue.

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  3. Oh, this is a really cute space! I like the temporary railing...it looks great! And pocket doors are AWESOME!!

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    1. We use this space several times a day, so I'm glad it's taking shape!

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  4. we have pocket doors to our closets and i love them....why didnt i put them in more rooms??

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    1. Pocket doors on closets is a great idea (I bet it was your idea). The doors are always in the way.

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  5. Depending on how large the space is, I'd be inclined to keep the absolutely charming ceiling over the nominal energy savings if the area isn't huge ... As far as pocket doors, the modern kits aren't bad to install, but using your existing door and hanging it barn door style may be even easier (and look awesome). Good Luck!

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    1. So, you might be a mind reader. But if you are a mind reader, you already knew I was going to say that. Anyway, I really like the ceiling, too. Maybe that's contributing to my indecision. The door would actually have to be a cross between a pocket door and a barn door (for reasons I won't get into right now). Very perceptive of you. And thank you for your comment - it is causing me to re-evaluate the purpose of the insulation and whether it's worth all the hassle. If we just decided not to insulate, then both problems (ceiling and doorswing) would be solved.

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  6. You hate the Earth but you live in Oregon. Does that cause any internal conflict? (You're right about not having the insulation touch the underside of the roof. Mike Holmes would have a FIT!) Other than that, my husband does that stuff here. He knows everything. Because he is old.

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    1. It must be AWESOME to live with someone who knows everything.

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  7. How about adding insulation in between the joists, and then kind of recreate the current look you have by nailing up boards on top of the insulation that could attach to the joists? Then you could paint them white, and while it might not be completely tight and insulated it would be probably be a lot better than what you currently have. If you did that, the boards should be thin enough not to interact with the door. I don't know, it might not be a good idea, perhaps a little unorthodox? But, it might also enable you to put up insulation, kind of keep the look going, and not have the issue with the door to deal with...

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    1. Too funny. About three weeks ago I sketched up a few section details of options, and this is one of the options we came up with. I was thinking of rigid foam insulation because some products offer a bit of moisture resistance. It would only be R-5, but maybe better than nothing?

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  8. Ha! You hate yourselves more than you hate the earth. Just discovered your blog for the first time. We run into these kinds of situations all the time in our 1890 house too. So much...fun, aren't they? ;)

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    1. If fun is a four letter word, then yes...fun is exactly what it is. Your house is sooo charming! Thanks for looking and commenting, because now I have a new blog to follow :)

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