ᐅ Cold Roof – Are Roof Windows Necessary for Cross Ventilation?

Hello everyone,

We are in the final planning phase of our house and are now wondering if, for our planned cold roof, two small roof windows for cross-ventilation are necessary.
Our client advisor says yes, but the general contractor considers them unnecessary.
How did you handle this in your projects?

Good luck, Julia

Good evening,

if the cold roof is constructed correctly _and_ the floor is used solely as a storage space, your general contractor is right.

Regards, Bauexperte
Bauexperte

Julchen_76 schrieb:
How did you solve this for yourself?

We installed a window as an access panel for the satellite dish. This allows for some cross-ventilation, at least that was the question you asked, which I also wondered about, so that solved it for me.

Thank you for your responses.
Yes, the attic is intended to be used only as storage. The building consultant was mainly concerned that the windows could help release hot air during the summer...

Ventilation in a cold roof occurs beneath the roof covering. This ensures that the temperature directly under the roof remains constant and stays at a low level.

Kind regards, Bauexperte
Bauexperte

Julchen_76 schrieb:
The building consultant’s main point seemed to be that in summer, hot air can be vented through the windows

Interesting. My concern is with winter: the attic is cold, you open the hatch and go up to get the Christmas ornaments. Warm, moist air from the heated part of the house enters the attic, and you also breathe out while upstairs (you only find the ornaments after 20 minutes of searching). Then, *possibly* some of the moisture will condense on cold surfaces, which could then *possibly* cause problems.

Bauexperte schrieb:
Ventilation in a cold roof occurs beneath the roof covering. This keeps the temperature directly under the roof stable, at a low level.

I’m curious! My experience with uninsulated roofs is that it gets very warm in summer and very cold in winter, so the temperature is anything but stable. However, I have only encountered this in older houses so far; next year I will be more informed about new construction .