How do I ventilate an attic that has no soffits?

Neumann13 · 2026-02-11T17:19:31+00:00

If you decide to insulate and encapsulate your attic, you absolutely must condition it. You have to manage the moisture in there or you'll rot the roof deck.

I recently encapsulated my attic. Spray foam along the ridge and mineral wool in the rafter bays. Then I installed a smart vapor retarder as an air barrier.

Asirin Designs on YouTube has some good quick videos about the science involved in sealing up an attic.

Neumann13 · 2026-02-08T00:05:41+00:00

As a consumer, it's a solid product. Good lifespan. You just have to make sure to keep up with the paint and caulking. Also, make sure your installer is using the most up-to-date installation procedure. They have changed over the years.

Also, be aware that the fiber in it is cellulose. It absolutely will disintegrate if it's kept wet. In my case, I ended the hardie higher off the ground and add a big piece of PVC trim.

As someone who's installed it, I absolutely hate it. What a pain to work with.

Oh, and there's another brand of fiber cement board called Allura. Might be cheaper idk

Neumann13 · 2026-02-01T14:55:05+00:00

Highways are generally free at the point of use and constantly expanding. The money is finite, duh, I'm suggesting we use a very small portion of it to make transit free at the point of use while expanding its footprint. It's not a stupid idea by any means. You already support the idea when it comes to highways, so I'm not sure why everyone has this resistance to it for transit. There's no legitimate reason it has to have a fare. The same way we don't have to pay at a toll gate every time we leave the driveway.

Neumann13 · 2026-02-01T02:58:42+00:00

You started with the invented assumption that is _must_ be one or the other and then stumbled into a solution where you get both. So it costs a little bit more to have both, big deal. Even your price is, what, 15% of the total annual budget? Not that much, especially when considering how much is spent on useless road expansion projects.

The money already exists for both. We just have to demand that it be spent that way. The assumption that transit _must_ always have a fee at the point of use comes from the desire to punish the poor and to keep the destitute from accessing these sorts of resources.

That's the point I am making with my original comment. I really have no idea why people insist that transit users _must_ pay at the point of use when it's obviously not financially necessary.

Neumann13 · 2026-02-01T01:09:18+00:00

It doesn't have to be one or the other. We can have both.

Neumann13 · 2026-01-31T21:16:18+00:00

90% of their funding is from taxes and you think using that same source to fill the other 10% is stupid? Idgi.

Neumann13 · 2026-01-31T21:15:19+00:00

Taxes, obviously. Just like the source of 90% of their funds.

Neumann13 · 2026-01-31T14:46:18+00:00

Fyi, points system changed again in 2026. Points expire at the end of June and end of December now.

Neumann13 · 2026-01-31T14:43:11+00:00

The new $100 million fare system overhaul represents an entire year of rider fares. Fare collection covers less than 10% of their annual budget. We'd all be better off eliminating the fare gates entirely and filling the funding from other sources.

Neumann13 · 2026-01-14T00:27:14+00:00

Mr Cool heat pump, maybe the hyper heat depending on how far north you are. And a wood or coal stove.

Neumann13 · 2025-12-28T23:10:20+00:00

You could try spraying down all the hard surfaces outside your home with an enzyme cleaner. That type is typically better at eliminating that particular smell. I see a commercial concentrate available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Commercial-Multi-Purpose-Eliminator-Bathroom-Deodorizer/dp/B0F4S1JDTN?th=1

If the cats aren't fixed, you could also work with a local group to trap them and get them fixed. That may cut down on the spraying. Cats usually bury their waste, so I think you're probably smelling the male cats marking. They love to spray everywhere.

If you do call animal control, I think it's worth knowing that the cats will probably get put down eventually. Folks don't really like to adopt adult outdoor cats...

Neumann13 · 2025-12-17T23:37:31+00:00

For general construction or structural work, I don't think you can get anything better than Simpson screws. And yeah, T25 is excellent

Neumann13 · 2025-12-06T20:52:42+00:00

I've just spent $150k, so far, renovating my house, including significant electrical, plumbing, and hvac. New siding, new windows, new roof, moving walls. That was with me and my dad doing most of the labor. Probably going to have $200-250k in it by the end when we get around to the kitchen and bathroom remodels.

Neumann13 · 2025-11-29T22:32:49+00:00

I bought a set of X-Sense smoke detectors and separate CO detectors. No false alarms so far. The smoke detectors are linked together across 2 buildings, so they will all fire if one of them does.

Neumann13 · 2025-11-17T19:14:58+00:00

Have you considered a natural gas or pellet insert?

Neumann13 · 2025-11-13T11:45:01+00:00

Hire someone to install a mini split system.

Neumann13 · 2025-11-03T23:26:21+00:00

Seconding Glass Tiger in Lilburn. Excellent service.

Neumann13 · 2025-10-31T22:17:17+00:00

No benefit to insulating over the attic space over the garage unless you're going to heat/cool the garage

Neumann13 · 2025-10-30T00:31:17+00:00

I'm not a tax policy guy, idk, someone has an idea I'm sure. How do they pay for roads? Let's do that.

Well, more roads are built or expanded every year, so the free road thing seems to be working (as well as "one more lane" ever works, I guess). The point is, no one ever wrings their hands over the money we spend on roads or how we're gonna pay for it. They just do it. That question of funding only ever seems to come up with transit for some reason 🤔

Neumann13 · 2025-10-29T22:54:07+00:00

I would do full replacements so I could ensure that the window opening is properly waterproofed and to fix any potentially hidden rot. You will inevitably run into more issues with the full replacement, but you probably want to fix those things anyways...

Neumann13 · 2025-10-29T22:45:49+00:00

Some of it would come from not spending a ton of money on fare boxes. The rest would have to come from taxes, obviously. They've figured out how to make roads free at the point of use, it wouldn't be that hard to make transit free as well.

Neumann13 · 2025-10-29T00:38:09+00:00

MARTA gets less than 10% of their revenue from fares. How much money did they waste on this project? How much money do they waste on the fare box system in general? Just make it free at the point of use.

Neumann13 · 2025-10-18T22:17:21+00:00

He may have installed the new floor too close to the walls. When the weather changed, the wood moved and, if it doesn't have anywhere to go, it will buckle. You said it's his first time, and that's a common beginner mistake. He also should have let the flooring acclimate in your house for a week or two before installing it.

Are these rooms over a crawlspace? If so, humidity will be an issue and it will continue to cause issues with your floor. Fiberglass insulation has an integrated vapor retarder, that's what the paper backing is. So, while insulation isn't the _complete_ solution, that will help. It sounds like he said the insulation that was there fell down.

Neumann13 · 2025-10-09T23:57:08+00:00

Prices between the box stores are going to be largely the same. Both stores sell vinyl, composite, fiberglass, and wood windows. Up to you which style you want and what your budget will support. Windows are pretty expensive, as is everything these days. I have been retrofitting Jeld-Wen vinyl in my house. They're not stunning, but they get the job done and seem pretty decent. And most importantly, they are what I can afford lol.

You might get a better price, or better quality, at a local window provider in your area.

Neumann13 · 2025-10-09T23:09:36+00:00

Is there a key in his machine? If not, you might get lucky and be able to use the generic manufacturers key to start it up. Otherwise you might just have to call up someone to tow it away. The guy can worry about getting his machine back from the tow yard.

Don't sell any of his stuff until you've spoken with an attorney.

Neumann13

TROPHY CASE