03-06-2011, 02:06 PM
Funny how you can think you are saying one thing but it comes out different.
I CAN see how a steep roof is harder to put roofing on than a flatter roof. What I meant to say was I don't see why metal roofing would be more difficult than other types even though an A-frame is steep.
If you had complete floors instead of half floors with open great rooms there would be no reason why an A-frame would be any worse than any other multi-story house in terms of heat rising. What makes the A-frame susceptible is that if you want more area you usually have to go wider and if you go wider you are locked into going higher. Even then if you had full 2nd and 3rd floors you wouldn't be any worse off than any other 3 story house, that is until you knock out parts of the upper floors for the great room. The A-frame shouldn't generate any more heat overall than any other house, it is just tall and often open from bottom to top like a chimney. As far as breezes go, if you DO leave a big open vertical space the primary direction of the air flow will be in at the bottom and out at the top. The stairs may kill you but having paid your dues climbing the stairs you can at least reap the benefit of living inside a natural wind machine.
I CAN see how a steep roof is harder to put roofing on than a flatter roof. What I meant to say was I don't see why metal roofing would be more difficult than other types even though an A-frame is steep.
If you had complete floors instead of half floors with open great rooms there would be no reason why an A-frame would be any worse than any other multi-story house in terms of heat rising. What makes the A-frame susceptible is that if you want more area you usually have to go wider and if you go wider you are locked into going higher. Even then if you had full 2nd and 3rd floors you wouldn't be any worse off than any other 3 story house, that is until you knock out parts of the upper floors for the great room. The A-frame shouldn't generate any more heat overall than any other house, it is just tall and often open from bottom to top like a chimney. As far as breezes go, if you DO leave a big open vertical space the primary direction of the air flow will be in at the bottom and out at the top. The stairs may kill you but having paid your dues climbing the stairs you can at least reap the benefit of living inside a natural wind machine.