Hello,

We live in a 4 story A-frame with a huge roof surface area. The rafters of the roof are only 8". Seems to me that there is a lot of heat escaping thru the roof. The rooms can get cold.

I'm toying with the idea of adding false walls and ceiling to the rooms. I would leave the existing drywall and insulation in place, and scab 2x4s on to the existing walls and ceiling. I'd then add insulation to the cavities between the new studs, and then add drywall over the new studs, creating a new wall. I'd have a total of 12" of insulation.

Yes, the room would shrink by about 8" side to side, and the ceiling would be a bit lower, but I'd add a lot of R-value to the room. I'd use rigid board insulation, as it's R-value is twice that of fiberglass.

Any thoughts? Has this been done before? Is it worth the time and effort? Is the weight of the additional drywall a consideration?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Glenn

The room is probably cold because of the heat rising to to the high ceiling. Paddle fans may help push the heat down.

Check the local building office for the sugested R insulation value for your geographical location.

What you are suggesting will affect the structure of the roof members due to the weight of the added load. Here again you need to have a structural professional tell you if the roof can handle the load.

If anything needs to be done to increase the R value, then installing hard board insulation, with drywall over it may work out better than adding more structural members.