I hear you on the spray foam. I got a quote for it last fall and nearly spit out my coffee—seriously, it was like half the price of my car. Ended up just stuffing more batts in the truss heels, but now I’m paranoid every time it snows that I’ll see those weird melt lines. Has anyone actually seen a difference between trusses and rafters when it comes to ice dams? Or is it just wishful thinking that one’s easier to insulate than the other?
Trusses vs rafters for ice damming is one of those debates that never seems to die. From what I’ve seen, trusses can be a pain to insulate well at the heels—there’s just not much room, and you end up with those cold spots. Rafters give you a bit more flexibility, but unless you’re doing a full-depth insulation job, you can still get melt lines if there’s air leakage. Honestly, I’ve seen ice dams on both. Air sealing is the real MVP, but yeah, the cost of spray foam is enough to make anyone rethink their life choices...
Air sealing is the real MVP, but yeah, the cost of spray foam is enough to make anyone rethink their life choices...
I hear you on the spray foam sticker shock. When we redid our roof (old 1950s place, rafters, low slope), I thought about going all-in with spray foam, but the quotes were wild. Ended up patching up with batt insulation and a ton of caulk, but I still get those weird melt lines some winters. Makes me wonder if it’s even possible to get it “right” without gutting the whole attic.
Has anyone actually solved the heel truss cold spot thing without foam? I’ve seen those “energy heel” trusses advertised, but never met anyone who actually used them. Also, does anyone else get nervous about packing too much insulation at the eaves and messing up ventilation? I’m always second-guessing if I’m blocking airflow or not.
Honestly, I’m starting to think it’s just a trade-off—either pay up front for perfect air sealing, or deal with a little ice dam drama every few years.
Honestly, I’m starting to think it’s just a trade-off—either pay up front for perfect air sealing, or deal with a little ice dam drama every few years.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not convinced it’s always a binary choice. We did a green roof retrofit on our bungalow (lots of insulation, but no spray foam), and the key was making sure the air barrier was continuous—even if it meant some weird detailing at the eaves. Used dense-pack cellulose and rigid board at the tricky spots. Not perfect, but our ice dams basically disappeared. I’d say don’t underestimate what you can do with careful air sealing and the right materials, even if you’re not gutting the whole attic. Ventilation’s a pain, though—those baffles at the eaves are a must, or you’re asking for trouble.
Man, ice dams are the bane of my winter existence. I used to think it was just a fact of life up here—like, you get snow, you get a little waterfall coming through your soffit every February. But then my uncle (he’s one of those “I’ll fix it myself” types) went all-in on air sealing and insulation when he redid his roof. He didn’t even mess with spray foam, just a ton of dense-pack cellulose and some foam board in the weird corners. He spent more time cursing at the eaves than actually installing stuff, but it worked. I swear, his house is like an igloo now—no more ice dams, and his heating bill dropped too.
I tried to copy him when I helped my buddy with his garage roof. We didn’t have the budget for fancy materials, so we just did our best with caulk, tape, and a bunch of leftover rigid foam. It wasn’t pretty, but it made a difference. The trickiest part was getting those baffles in without wrecking the insulation. If you skip those, it’s like inviting the ice dams to a party.
On the rafters vs. trusses thing, I’ve only worked with trusses so far, but I get why people like rafters for retrofits. Trusses are fast and strong, but man, they don’t leave you much room to crawl around or do extra work up there. Rafters are a pain to build, but at least you can get in there and fix stuff if you need to. If I ever get my own place, I’m definitely thinking about how much attic access I want before picking one or the other.
Anyway, I’m starting to think there’s no perfect roof—just a bunch of trade-offs and a lot of cursing when you’re up there in the cold.
