Insulation roof of cabin

[Scoutmaster]

I didn't read the whole discussion, so forgive me if this has already been suggested, but THROW ANOTHER LOG ON THE FIRE! Problem solved! If that doesn't do it, get a bigger wood stove! For as little as you are there, the extra wood use wouldn't amount to much.

Thanks for the advice… it is actually not a bad option and sometimes the simplest option gets ignored.

Since firewood is free and my wood stove is about as big as I need it’s probably one of the cheapest options. Reminds me …of me struggling with lithium and other batteries and solar… when honestly sometimes just using the generator is the cheapest most efficient option during the winter.

I spent the entire summer and fall plugging holes and chinking. I do believe I have tightened the envelope to at least trap the heat I create. I ran out of time and energy to tackle any serious insulation. I just moved up the snowmobiles and we got 2-3 inches of snow today. The road closes in a few weeks and I have 2-3 cords of wood stacked.

 

[Scoutmaster]

Winter has arrived. I’ve seen temps drop below 10 degrees and about a foot of snow.

The cabin is way warmer! I had to crack a window open for the first time in 3 years.
I kept the cabin from 60-75 degrees easily by just using the same stove as last year. It dropped to 50 overnight without any fire but easily warmed back up with a quick fire in the morning.
Thanks for everyone’s input.
Insulation of the roof and gable walls might not be needed for weekend use. Eventually I might tackle them but I am totally impressed with the impact of the exterior chinking and meticulous stuffing and filling of cracks.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Eventually I might tackle them

Ha ha ha!
I’m laughing because my new/little 12x24 woodworking shop has open/incomplete spots high on the gables, no insulation, and the soffits are not closed yet.

I’m in Vermont (14*F last night) and the air volume traveling through the dang soffits is incredible! I haven’t even bothered trying to heat it yet LOL

 

[Scoutmaster]

Ha ha ha!
I’m laughing because my new/little 12x24 woodworking shop has open/incomplete spots high on the gables, no insulation, and the soffits are not closed yet.

I’m in Vermont (14*F last night) and the air volume traveling through the dang soffits is incredible! I haven’t even bothered trying to heat it yet LOL

30-40 cans of spray foam, thousands of feet of backer rod, and 100 xl large tubes of chink/kauk. The square footage I’ve filled is hard to imagine. I imagine it’s the size of a open garage door.

What’s laughable is I’ve only completed 85% of the exterior chinking. During the cold night I can still put my hand on the 1 inch boards used as siding on the gables…and’s soffits and can feel the cold air coming straight though the old boards.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

can feel the cold air coming straight though the old boards.

Probably conduction creating the feeling of air movement as the cooler air ‘falls’ along the walls. That is ‘convection’ and is also why windows frost up at the bottom of the glass…

 

[ericfx1984]

If I was in this situation I would put a couple layers of foam board

I would intentionally create an air gap Then I would create an opening at the bottom so that it would vent through the soffit area

Obviously you'd want to put some type of screen or something over that area so that it doesn't allow bugs in

The cool thing is If you do the foam board in one strip it would catch any drips that you have and send them right out the soffits... Although honestly with two to three inches of foam insulation I do not expect to see any condensation issues...

 

[Scoutmaster]

Now that the cabin is mostly sealed up I’m shocked that the poster who said “just throw another log on the fire ? “ is actually correct. Before the sealing was done I was constantly feeding the stove. Now once the cabin is warmed up I toss an occasional log in and it staying 60-70 degrees with very little effort. I’ve seen temperatures down to 10 degrees this winter and about 20 inches of snow so far. I arrived on Friday and the cabin was 28 degrees inside. It took about 3-5 hours to warm up but by morning I was easily in the 60s.

With this being the 3rd winter it has been a good experiment. Rodents and insects were a serious concern 3 years ago. I had dozens of mice thousands of moths/flys carpenter ants, hornets and a couple squirrels when I started. I think mice and insects will be a never ending challenge. Carpenter ants are everywhere in the summer.
I had and unfortunately still have a few structural issues to solve before I feel I can start really start sealing up walls for fear I’ll have to rip it all out again. My neighbor has insulated his entire cabin prematurely and has had to remove it a few times for rodents/insects and I’m guessing eventually a few structural problems or leak in the roof will happen.
I think some foam boards or heck even just some house wrap or ice and water shield? would do wonders on the exterior gable walls or roof…. if I put siding over them or even a thin layer of foam boards under the roof someday would be amazing. I might have to wait until I have a reason to replace the roof to tackle it. Currently the metal is in decent condition and there is a layer of old shingles and tar paper under it. I think it'll be a mess to remove and replace. The roof has a sag also which might involve some additional work which might overwhelm me to the point of never ending work and no play.