I live in St. Louis, MO, which is known for random/odd weather patterns, but historically has a very cold February and a very, VERY warm August.
My home is a 1-story dutch bungaloo (sp?) built in 1903. The exterior walls are brick and my roof is flat.
The front of my home has 2-2.5' of space between the plaster and lathe ceiling, and the boards for the roof, and we had a roof put on the home as part of our purchase of the home, 4 years ago.
Problem: taming our heating and cooling costs.
We are replacing the windows with more efficient replacement windows, and only have 3 of 9 windows left.
Our (8') basement is finished, and we will eventually insulate the drop ceiling, mostly for sound deadening.
We will also be tuckpointing over the next 5 years.
But the roof!
A recent lighting project, dropped much of the old cotton insulation, which, unfortunately we did not completely replace.
Now, through the cans, the smell of the roofing material, and the hot air of the space filters into the living area.
Questions:
1. Can I blow in insulation to replace what was removed during the lighting upgrade?
2. Can I add blown in insulation for the entire home? If so, how much?
I heard that this style of roof needs that pocket of air between the ceiling joists and the roof, or the roof will age and deteriorate faster than normal.
3. Or, should I just wait the 7 - 10 years for the roof to need to be replaced, and concentrate on the floors, windows, and basement?
