When it comes to the comfort of your home, regardless of the season, you probably pay the most attention to rooms you spend time in.  As a result, many homeowners don't even think about the temperature in their attic or other space underneath the roof.  Regardless of whether you have a full attic or not, that area should be kept cool throughout the year.  Hot attics can cause a number of issues.

Problems Caused by Hot Attic Space

  • When the area underneath a roof is hot, asphalt or wood shake roofing will suffer premature deterioration. What that means is your roof won't last as long as you expect, and you'll be replacing it sooner than anticipated.  It also means more frequent roof repairs. 
  • If you're using that attic space for storage, you're likely to dread going up there in the summer because of the heat. But those items you're storing can suffer from continued high temperatures. 
  • Here in the Twin Cities, a hot attic space usually is accompanied by high humidity. That can be a combination that's dangerous. Mold can develop, which not only will cause damage to your home but can create a health issue, as some people are highly sensitive to mold contamination.
  • That attic heat will transfer to the areas below, and even with the best insulation in your ceiling, you'll be running your A/C more than needed to compensate.  So you're wasting money on more cooling than should be needed. 
  • In winter, a hot attic space results in snow melt on the roof above, and that's one of the biggest causes of ice dam formation. When an ice dam develops, it's important to remove it as soon as possible.  But a permanent ice dam prevention system is better. 
A hot attic is one of the issues we usually address whenever we're doing a roof replacement, regardless of whether it is with asphalt roofing or metal roofing.  Having the proper attic ventilation is crucial to a healthy home as well as a properly functioning roof.  When ventilation in an attic space is insufficient, problems develop.  And sometimes the problem is insufficient insulation.  Every attic is different, so we take a look at the existing situation. Then we'll make recommendations to correct things and cool that attic down all year round. This is a good time to investigate the temperature in your attic. If it's hot up there, time to talk to us about getting it cooled down.  Why not contact us today for a free evaluation of your attic space and a quote on getting rid of that heat before winter comes?  Quarve Contracting, Inc. is a licensed Minnesota home remodeling company, and we serve the greater Twin Cities area with services like ice dam prevention and metal roofing.