Insulation for kitchen remodel Original house was built in 1939. It is a cape cod style. As best as we can figure the kitchen addition of 12x14 was done somewhere in the 1960's off the back of the house and hasn't been touched since. We are currently completely remodeling the kitchen, taking it down to the studs and redoing all the insulation, electric, plumbing, etc. as it's all been very poorly done. Long story short - we also decided to remove the ceiling and expose the rafters/trusses. Most all of the lumber is old rough cut lumber so the end result would be pretty cool looking. There is only about 3-4 feet of height difference from where the ceiling is to the peak so we aren't talking a huge difference in height but it will open up the whole feel of the room tremendously. So here's where my questions come in. I've already removed all the cellulose insulation and the cheap old nasty batten insulation they had above the ceiling. I had to do all this to expose all the wiring that was in there - open live wires, poor connections - it was horrible. I have no idea how this house hasn't burned down. Anyway - this 12x14 addition has 3 types of vents - there is a gable vent that faces east, a ridge vent, and also a round vent in the roof. There are no eave soffits on this house - so there is no ventilation from there. So am I correct in thinking that I need to seal all of these vents up? If yes - how would you do it? It seems to me that the 3 different vents are all working against each other. What I vision for my end result is putting rigid insulation up Between the trusses and then covering with old barn wood in between to stay with the old wood look. Would this work? Do I need a vapor barrier? I guess what I'm after is - is it ok to completely seal everything up? I want to do this right the first time so please ask any questions you need to. I'll be happy to take pics of anything you need. This is our first time ever opening up a ceiling like this so we are in new territory but we are very advanced DIYers.

If you can paint the kitchen walls and trim the same color, then the trim will look like an extension of the walls. If that is the case, I don't think you need to worry about the stained trim elsewhere.

hmmm, I dont want to sound rude, but, as a lighting person, it seems nutzo that you didnt change the lighting plan. I see you do use the fan which I understand. But that blaring can shining at the person siting at the head of the table........not good. and the one that is blaring down on the person that sits on the end of the sofa also not good. On top of that, who needs two can lights shining into the tv over the fire place?? Man who ever installed this should have brought these things to light (no pun intended.) I would add two more can lights and one light for over the dining table. Then I would replace the fan with one that has no lights and is all white or cream to blend away and be a touch on the modern side. The table, (yes to a rug) will fit just fine in line with the sliding doors.

Our house plan shows the layout of that side of the house. The wall between the stairs and living room is currently engineered to be a shear wall, and that is what we are unsure about. The alternative would be a beam and post, opening the stairs to the living room. The reason we opted for 14’ ceiling there was more for balancing the exterior appearance of the front of the house, as there is no upper floor room above the living room. There will be an expansive window on the front (North) wall of the room, a fireplace with some sort of decorative wall on the western wall, and it’s really a question about what to do with the southern wall (leave it closed or re-engineer it to be open but then have a post coming down roughly in line with the step second from the top of the stairs).