"Haha, that's a great visual. You're spot on about surface prep making a difference."
Totally agree on the surface prep thing—it's easy to overlook but makes such a difference. Curious though, have you noticed reflective tape holding up better on certain roofing materials compared to others? I've mostly dealt with metal roofs, and tape sticks like crazy there, but shingles seem trickier. And speaking of overspray mishaps, I once got a little too confident spraying sealant on a breezy day... ended up sealing half my ladder to the driveway. Took me longer to clean that mess than it did to finish the roof itself. Live and learn, right?
Anyway, getting back to rafters vs trusses—do you think one option makes it easier to work around later if you need to add ventilation or insulation upgrades? Seems like trusses might limit access a bit more, but maybe that's just my experience.
- Agree shingles are tricky—had reflective tape peel off within weeks.
- Trusses definitely limit access, especially for insulation upgrades... learned that the hard way after storm damage repairs.
- Rafters make retrofitting easier, IMO.
Yeah, rafters definitely give you more wiggle room for retrofits. I helped a buddy install some solar panels last summer, and navigating around trusses was a nightmare—felt like playing a giant game of Tetris. Rafters would've made life way easier. But I'm curious, has anyone found a workaround or clever trick for insulating better around trusses without tearing your hair out? Seems like there should be some kind of hack by now...
I've been down that road more times than I'd like to admit—trusses can definitely test your patience. A few years back, I was working on a client's attic insulation job, and we faced the same headache. One thing we tried was using blown-in cellulose insulation instead of traditional batts. It wasn't exactly a miracle fix, but it did make life a bit easier. You can snake the hose around the truss webs and fill all those awkward gaps without having to cut and fit insulation pieces constantly.
That said, I'm still skeptical about any "hack" truly solving the issue completely. Trusses are just inherently trickier to work around, especially if you're retrofitting or upgrading insulation after the fact. But blown-in insulation at least reduces the frustration level a notch or two. Might be worth giving it a shot if you haven't already...
"Trusses are just inherently trickier to work around, especially if you're retrofitting or upgrading insulation after the fact."
Totally agree with this—trusses can be a real pain. Blown-in cellulose helps, but I've also found spray foam useful for tight spots. Bit pricier, though...depends on budget and patience level.
