A-Frame venting w/ vertical seam

I'm looking at a 30 year old a-frame that is only vented on the top 10'. 35' rafter length.

I'm considering throwing down a 1/2" radiant barrier and doing a double 2x4 grid system to create airflow w/ a 24 gauge panel over it.

Minds that be: Any reason this isn't a good idea or do you have a better idea? Would a 1x4 for the vertical board be good enough airflow?

Clover. A lot of the reasons that the siding is all checked up and curling has to do with the moisture coming from the inside. if you put down the vertical battens and then put the horizontal battens on to fasten the metros too, it will give you a grid to stand on as you come down. It would be a major pain in the ass to put the long panels on that pitch. the valleys would be a pain too. IMHO, much easier and faster to do it will the metros and the batten boards. It would vent like crazy too, and you would not have to take off the old shingles. Now siding on the whole thing and especially the dormers.

Not easy is correct, I didn't mean to give that impression haha. Luckily, the dormers are so close to the ground, and the back side only has one. I foresee a lot of ladder work. It just seems easier to throw down 18"x35' at a time, in comparison to steel shingles. Manufacturer specs says that it only has to be fastened every 4'!

We will probably be re-doing the siding too, definitely on the dormers.

If you haven't seen a video of guys putting steel shingles on battens from the top down, check it out. The biggest problem is that most of them use nail guns instead of screws.

My Decra rep told me about a whole side of Tile shingles that didn't get nailed on one time. They had some blow-off's about a year later. The guy laying them assumed the nailer on the other side came over and nailed them.

I am sure that the 1 x 4's will work for a nailer. It is stronger than OSB board as far as holding a screw. As far as the roof height, you are going to have to take off the siding on the dormers anyway. Just make a small "window well" at the bottom. I also have news for you. No matter what type of roof you put on that puppy it is not going to be easy. With those dormers standing seam is going to be a bitch. metro could go over the battens, and you could work off from ladders along the bottom and then switch to a lift or a forklift box for the higher sections. You could almost work from the top down with the metros, maybe doing 5 or 6 rows at a time and then going under them. the battens would work well for that. You are definitely going to want to be tied off through.

Dang it. I just noticed that the windows and the bottom of the door are not going to accommodate much of a raise in roof height at all.

Do you think I could use 1x's for 24 gauge vertical seam hidden clips? I might check with the manufacturer on that one. I'm hoping he will go for this, but I have a feeling he is going to freak out when he see's the price and ask for a pole barn roof price.

OS: Have you install a Metro on battens OS? I'm going to bid it for that as well, that's what they really wanted. Standing seam is going to be much easier and cheaper in this case.

Anything is better than nothing, but 2 inches is the best! If you put down ISO, install it and then put down about 5 inch wide strips of OSB vertically. Make sure and gap them on the ends about an inch or so. Install 2 x 4's on the flat over them, again spacing the joints. Install a 1 x 4 or 1 x 6 over them for the nailers for the metal panels. You will have to make a vent at the bottom beneath the panel and then vent the ridge. It will work like a charm, the moisture will be carried away and you will make the house cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter and have no ice problems at all. Use 1 x lumber for the trims.

Thank you. Air flow is my main goal, but I would like to keep the assembly as low profile as possible. I've also considered using 1.5" ISO for even better insulation which would raise it another inch.

I'm trying to price this somewhat conservatively, because I think the labor will be easier than installing shingles. It's about a 18/12.

If airflow is your main goal, go with 2x2 verticals, especially if you are nailing them directly over existing 2x rafters. If you are concerned with detailing the additional roof height at eaves and gables, you might consider 1x6 for horizontal to keep the whole assembly lower.

On a side note: This house is way cool. The original homeowner had a personal sized sawmill. The entire inside is finished wood. Each room is a different type of wood: one room is cherry, one is walnut, and so forth.