Has anybody added a ridge vent to an existing barn roof? How expensive was it? We are having really high temperatures these days. My barn has a 20 + foot ceiling but the builder did not add a ridge vent in the shingled roof like he was supposed to ( long story). I had thought about getting spray foam insulation on the top of the inside roof to block the heat of the sun’s rays. I got somebody out to measure the area but they have not gotten back to me with an estimate. But now I think I need a ridge vent more.
However part of the heat problem is that even though the roof is high there is no way for the heat to vent out. The barn is very open and I have multiple fans running but it is still hot in there. I am probably going to need to reshingle the roof in a couple of years and I could add a ridge vent but I sure would like to cool things off until then.
The other idea was to put spray foam insulation to block the heat from the sun. I have trees up against one side of the barn and they provide shade on that side until late afternoon so the overhang out there stays cooler than the main barn. The next idea was to staple up a radiant heat barrier at the top of the ceiling to deflect the heat. I figured up some costs of single bubble radiant barrier but I don’t know how well that will work. The cost didn’t seem to be that bad but the company is pushing a double bubble heat barrier that I am not sure I need. I am not trying to encapsulate the area - just block the sun’s rays heating up the roof and ceiling. Due to the open structure of the barn I do not have dampness or condensation issues. Just the hot sun radiating heat that can’t escape. I need to find a budget friendly solution to this problem. I HATE summer!