I have a walk-in closet that previously was a back porch.Every winter when we get temps below zero frost and moisture form on my drywall, a wall the that is located where the house ends on west side of my houseI removed a piece of the drywall and there is batt insulation, but behind the insulation is beadboard type material which I assume was where the back porch wall previously was seenIf I put my hand on the drywall it is very cold relative to all the other walls in my houseBeneath the walk-in closet is a concrete crawl space which does have insulation in the joistsIt has been suggested to me to put insulation on the exterior wall, however this would result in me having to remove my siding and taking apart part of my deck which could cost $$$$.I'm not looking for any shortcuts, but perhaps a reasonable compromise between the costly exterior solution and perhaps an interior solution if one exist.ig
It is usually best to avoid the lowest bid, since this is often a contractor who is willing to cut corners is able to give a lower bidHe is banking on the fact that you will choose his price because it is the lowest and then he may do questionable things once he has the job signed Since you have done your research, it may be that this guy really can do the roof cheaper than anyone else in the marketYou may want to ask him for some references you can call just to be safe, but it sounds like you are aware of the pitfalls of selecting a contractor.
Well, I'm not in the roofing business, but I've paid for a couple of roofing jobs First of all, take all that information you got from Angie's list and pitch it in the trashI found that the high price roof doesn't hold up any better than the lower priced roof when there is a hail storm or hurricaneThe few years more longevity isn't worth $5000.00 extra in my opinionAs far as the contractor goes, it's best to use someone who has a place of business in your areaIt's likely some of your neighbors have used him and he might live in your communityRadiant barrier, space age materials, etcis all just icing on the cake.that's up to you.
Radiant barriers will improve the energy efficiency for heating/cooling the houseIt's a long-term ROI (Return On Investment) but it's a dividend that pays immediatelyAlso it will add improvement value to the houseSynthetic underlayments are preferred over 30 felt as it's an improved material to protect the sheathingRidge vents work in conjunction with the soffit vents to ventilate the attic space during summer months, and are more efficient than the low-profile ventsYou really want this, the expense for a ridge vent isn't much more than the conventional low-profile ventsIt's up to you, I would recommend the synthetic underlayments and radiant barrierNot sure if tax deductions for energy improvements still apply or not, even if they don't it's still a good decisionEDIT (to add): Any energy-efficient upgrade you can do is always a good ideawith R-30 upstairs and a radiant barrier you should see a significant reduction in your utility bills.
There really is no real way of insuring a good job or the best priceWebsites like find-services.blogspot.ca/2012/09may or may not show websites in your areaI have been doing roofing and home repair for a long time and the prices you have quoted would be for a very large roofAngie's list and references are almost uselessNo contractor will supply a clients name that he screwed up a job forYou will always get customers that are happy with his workAngie's list is too easy to manipulateA few hours on the computer and you can create an A+ rating for yourself One big mistake many roofers make is installing ridge vents when when they are not neededA roof that was not designed for a ridge vent can actually be harmed by installing a ridge vent so make sure your roofer knows about venting and circulationI wish I could be of more help or you had pictures
Part of your problem sounds like you don't have a proper vapour barrier in the wallI am guessing, but I'll bet that the wall that is frosting up used to be the entrance door to the old back porchInsulating the outside wall probably won't change muchThe styrofoam insulation may help, but it depends on the R factor of ANY insulation that you useBut just as important will be the vapour barrier you put in placeYou want to provide a seal between the warm space of your house, and the cold space from outsideIn new construction we use a thick mylar plastic, and seal ALL of the seams with Tuck tapeYou can get both at just about any home improvement store aroundEven a pinhole sized opening can spell trouble in your walls because the warm moist air will condense build up into a large mass of frost inside your wall, if the vapour barrier isn't sealed properlyIn addition, if there is no heat from the house getting into the closet with the closet door closed, you are creating a cold space in the closet as well, and you may be getting frost in there due to inadequate heat circulationA good fix to this would be to change your closet door from a solid one, to one that is ventilated in some way, such as a through-the-door ventI resolved a similar issue in my home by replacing my solid closet door with a louvered bi-fold doorThe louvres allowed warm air into the closet so it didn't get cold, and it helped to circulate the air more, so the clothes stayed fresher smelling for longer when they got left hanging for long periodsHope this helps:-)
