My roofer just suggested against a ridge vent. I have catherdral ceiling in the bedroom and it is about 6-8 degrees colder in there in the winter. He said a ridge vent will allow even more heat to be lost. Does that sound right?

What type of ventilation is he suggesting. None?

101 on on ridge vents
Its not there to improve any heat gain for a room just the opposite it improves the cooling gain for A.C. in summer.
The only physically way it could improve any heat gain is to keep the insulation Dryer so"R" valves are kept up by moisture out of insulation. That could change a tiny bit but if there is already some % of moisture in insul it would have to loose its moisture content to gain any 'R" value. This is unlikely but can happen. Once damp its shot or reduced in 'R" valve. The biggest mis conceptions in roofs it helps insulate and hold some heat in. A roof is there only to keep the rain and leaves off the house ceiling. A perfect attic is the same temp. as the outside. The Insul was and is design to hold The HEAT in not let ANY of it get into the attic. A cathedral ceiling done properly should NOT lose heat up to roof line. What you are experiencing is a vaulted ceiling and the room heat is higher in the ceiling than a reg ceiling and that's the 6 to 8 degrees dif. To many times that room isn't addressed for added heat to balance it to the reg 8 foot ceilings in the rest of the house. This is Exactly why the old saying Ooohh cathedral ceilings rooms are expensive to heat.

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So does that mean that a ridge vent is not really needed? My contractor is suggesting just adding an addition 12x12 vent on the roof itself.

The ridge vent would improve for A.C. and in general. You really can't over vent at all. I prefer the ridge vent over all.
While were in that subject do you have soffit vents to begin with. If not you need a gable vent in conjunction with a ridge vent for the ridge vent to do something it has to pull air from somewhere?

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The ridge vent helps vent the attic. Depending on the venting method, you will roast if the venting is not done right or the roof deck can rot. As long as your roof is already vented properly, you should not need to add any other vents at all. But this doesn't sound like your problem.

The room is colder because all your heat is rising to the highest point of the ceiling. I bet if you get on a ladder it will be pretty damn hot up there. This is why much older homes in the colonial era, homes owned by peasants had amazingly low ceilings... sometimes as low as 6 feet. It was easier to heat. Only the rich had higher ceiling because they could afford to heat them. But enough with the history lesson.

You might consider installing a ceiling fan towards the highest part of your ceiling. If you run the fan in reverse it could help bring some of that hot air back down.

A quick real life on roof vents. 18 homes on our court all built in 1989/90. 2 of those had ridge vents and the rest had the square vents you mention. Those with square vents had to have roofs replaced beginning in as little as 10 or 11 years. The two with ridge vents - one just replaced this summer due to a leak around a skylight - so they just did it - the other has yet to be replaced.

However, as 21Boat said, you need proper soffit vents also.

Fan actually wouldn't need to be in reverse.

Frequently asked ceiling fan questions - Ceiling Fans N More

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Originally Posted by ceilingfanrepair

Fan actually wouldnt need to be in reverse.

Frequently asked ceiling fan questions - Ceiling Fans N More

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I'm going to have to take your word on this... well... I think your name says it all. :)

My understanding was that if the fan was turning regularly that you would feel the air movement more directly and that may cause the air to feel cooler. If the fan was in reverse, you would still feel the air movement, but the cooling effect would not be as much.

Oh a high ceiling, you won't feel as much on low, and in reverse some of the circulation will be lost. If you're interested, read the link I included :)