Roof Space Ventilation Building Regulations

Ventilation is not required to a warm roof system which is where the insulation is placed above the joists or rafters.

Roof space ventilation building regulations.

Condensation encourages rot and mould growth. And current best practice. Attics must have a minimum of 1 square foot of ventilation openings for every 150 square feet of floor space. In many pitched roofs a ventilation slot is built in along two opposite eaves so that air can flow across the roof space.

The roof space isn t intended to be a storage area so if you do put items up there you. Around 25 per cent of heat loss occurs through a building s roof but high levels of insulation in historic roofs can be counter productive sometimes even accelerating heat loss in the long term. Roof voids must be ventilated in order to stop warm air condensing on cold surfaces. Jonathan taylor s article unpacks the key issues including the role of moisture ventilation and buffering.

Cold roofs versus warm roofs. When ventilating a roof the air should be able to enter at one end and travel through to the other end where it can exit. The recommended ventilation ratio to provide for vented attic assemblies when an air barrier is present is the 1 300 ratio as specified by most building codes. A roof void above an insulated ceiling.

Roofs with a pitch of 15 or more. Duo pitch roofs greater than 200 pitch or greater than 10m span should have additional ventilation at the ridge to assist airflow through the roof void equivalent to at least a 3 mm wide continuous gap. The air gap dimensions shown on the drawings are the minimum widths required for clear continuous ventilation air paths at the eaves. The requirements will be met by the ventilation of those roofs where the moisture from the building can pass through the insulation.

Roof insulation thermal resistance at roof perimeter should be equal or greater to thermal resistance of exterior wall. Roof space air quality 9 1 roof spaces with dampness problems such as from leaking roofs lid less water tanks moisture being vented into the roof space and moisture rising from the ground through building cavities require special attention. Otherwise ventilation is required and this is known as a cold roof system. For example in the average house with a cold loft there should be a minimum of a 7mm continuous ventilation gap at eaves when using a vapour permeable underlay with a normal unsealed ceiling.

If the attic is equipped with high and low ventilation openings the requirement is 1. 1 300 ventilation ratio recommended. Therefore it s important that the ventilation slots aren t blocked. Both building regulations and nhbc require ventilation to be provided in roof spaces.

Ventilation 2010 edition incorporating 2010 and 2013 amendments ref. Pitched roof spaces should have ventilation openings at eaves level to promote cross ventilation.