Monopoly Roof Assembly on Existing Home: Is it actually done?
Knowing that our vaulted ceilings were at risk of rotting from the inside out, I’ve tried several times over the years to find a contractor who will retrofit our roof deck with rigid foam insulation. Time has run out, and we need this done now.
Thanks to GBA and other sources such as ASIRI designs, I know this can be done and is currently being done in new home construction. But I’ve also seen it recommended for retrofits, especially on the ASIRI design website. Christi Weber even wrote about it this spring.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/monopoly-roof-assembly-with-nail-base-panels
But I’m still running into dead-ends here in Tacoma, Washington/PNW. What is the magic word to find that unicorn contractor? Is this actually done in the real world?
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Replies
holleecee,
This may be a long-shot, but sometimes when people have trouble finding a contractor they are asking the wrong ones. Insulators don't typically do roof top foam or nailbase, and neither do roofers. You probably need a GC who has a framing crew, and can find and coordinate the other subs necessary to do the work.
Thanks for responding, Malcom. I did determine I was asking the wrong people two years ago when I attempted this retrofit -- i.e., not roofers and not insulators -- which helped a little in the sense that I finally found contractors that knew what I was talking about but they 1) only do new builds; and, 2), either didn't want to take the time to share the info or didn't want to share subcontractors they have worked with.
I also reached out via email to reps for HP Cool-Vent panels and similar products at other companies to see if they would give me any leads. I would have called but didn't have numbers. This has also been a dead end.
I'm just completely baffled how ASIRI, for instance, has so much information on this being best practice for vaulted/cathedral ceilings and the best way to fix the problems that are literally destroying our house right now, but no one actually does this work or it's a very closely guarded secret. I've built a garage and restored all of my OG wood windows but I'm a much, much, much better court reporter than carpenter and would LOVE to hire someone else.
Holleecee,
Again I'm afraid this response won't be of much practical use, and I hope it doesn't seem patronizing to someone who has pursued a project for several years and gained a lot of knowledge doing so.
The building industry pursues the low hanging fruit. That is typically high margin work it can use low skilled labour for. Also in periods of high demand, contractors who made careers doing handyman type work take on small renos, reno builders take on new construction, and so on. That leaves low margin work undone, or done by people you don't want doing it. So for instance I can't think of anyone locally I would recommend, or would be willing to take on, the replacement of an old deck, or do a small addition - and I'd stretch to find anyone to do exterior roof insulation.
Also, many of the high performance techniques and materials you see in GBA are either limited to small geographic areas where groups of designers and contractors have managed to establish a niche for them, or are done by enthusiastic owners themselves. Unfortunately I think that's just the present reality.
What is the existing roof structure and insulation system? Do you have photos?
You might have luck finding a contractor by using the PHI and PHIUS directories:
https://passivehouse.com/en/training/find-professional/
https://www.phius.org/find-professional