Handling construction issues

Q. When I purchased my house, they attached an addition with a flat roof. Fourteen feet of the original roof eaves were eliminated, which meant no eaves vents could be installed. I noticed inside the attic that 14 feet of the roof was damp/frosted. The area in question is where air would come into the attic if vented. So, maybe 2 to 3 feet going up toward the roof top. The attic is loose insulation only. The ceiling insulation of the addition has a paper barrier. I am trying to stop any warm moist air leaking into this section. I am also worried about black mold. I did purchase some remove mold spray, but I cannot reach this area easily because my furnace ducts are close by and I will have a hard time reaching this low section, but I need to somehow. Any ideas what to use to remove/reaching this mold?

Two things: removing the section of the loose fill right below the wet inside roof and laying down vapor barrier insulation. And, installing roof vents, probably three to remove moisture/pressure from the 14-foot section. Any thoughts where to install these vents (close to the flat roof or up a little higher maybe 3 in a straight row or 1 in the middle below my attic fan and two centered near the flat roof).

What do you think about these two ideas and do you have any other ideas about this?

A. I assume from your description that you had a contractor build the addition for you, which is why you know that there is a paper vapor retarder. Paper vapor retarders are not too effective and are seldom installed correctly.

If the addition's ceiling is drywall, you can improve its vapor transmission resistance by making sure that there are no gaps around the perimeter and no cracks in the taping and painting it with B-I-N followed by your choice of finish paint. But if it is finished with tongue-&-groove boards, you have the choice of:

• Stapling a plastic vapor retarder to them and covering them with new drywall;

• Removing the boards, staple a plastic vapor retarder over the existing paper-covered insulation and applying new drywall, or

• Do what a good friend and colleague told an audience when asked a question about a particular roof problem: "Get on your knees and pray!"

As to improving the ventilation of the shingle roof, the photo shows what looks like four roof vents near the ridge; that's not very effective.

You mention an attic fan; it appears to be not too far below the ridge. Unless there are other venting options, when the fan is on, it would draw make up air from the four roof vents near the peak, and if that is not enough to satisfy its CFM (cubic feet per minute rating), it would draw air from the conditioned space, adding to the moisture problem.

There is a way to provide soffit-type ventilation in the 14-feet of the main roof blocked by the addition. Several firms manufacture vents that are installed at or near the eaves under the shingles: Air Vent, Lomanco, DCI, CertainTeed, Cobra are some of them. But such venting's effectiveness will be limited by the inadequate roof top ventilation.

For best results, you need to install a full-length externally baffled ridge vent and get rid of the other vents. If your roof is near replacement, it will be an easy task to install both eaves and ridge vents, and get rid of the attic fan and any other vents.

Once the ventilation issue is resolved, and the moisture is controlled, the mold will dry up and no longer be a problem.

Q. We have an unfinished area in the house which is being converted to living space. The plan is to insulate with foam (New England, so we need all we can get for insulation) and finish the walls. Usually this is easy to do with drywall but due to a turn in the stairs it is impossible to get 4x8 sheets into the room. Tongue and groove boards would be acceptable for the decor but don't know if they would be an adequate alternative for the ½" drywall. If not, is there other material (not in sheet form) that we could use? Many thanks in advance.

A. You haven't said if the space to be finished is in the basement or the attic. It makes a difference in what I can recommend for insulation and moisture control.

If the room is in the basement, you need to make sure that the basement is not prone to leaking or suffers from other moisture problems.

Since you live in New England, a cold region, it is also essential to know the composition of the backfill: Is it native, heavy soil or coarse material that drains well? Is there a working foundation drain system?

Insulating foundation walls from top to bottom may encourage deep frost penetration and risk foundation cracks unless precautions are taken. And since dry soil is a fairly good insulator, the R-factor does not need to be the same as for an attic.

If the room is in the attic, I need to know a lot more before being able to offer any advice. Are there short knee walls between the rafters and the floor? Are there cross ties at ceiling height tying both sets of opposite rafters? What is the headroom clearance? What is the attic's ventilation system, if any? Anything else you can provide?

Gyp board can be cut in half to get around the stair problem, but you can also use any type of board paneling.

Q. I have so appreciated your column and I have a situation of my own I could use your advice on. We have a constant slow drip from our shower head, and I thought changing the cartridge inside the Delta faucet would be the solution to stop the drip. The only issue is that now, after we've purchased the replacement cartridge, my husband is unable to get the old faucet off to replace the cartridge. I'm not sure if the screws are totally stripped or if it's rusted on, but despite our best efforts in trying to remove it through sheer force and also trying to loosen the screws with WD40, we are unable to get the faucet off. I didn't want to pay a plumber to do something we might be able to fix on our own, but we are at a loss. Would you have any other suggestions as to how to remove the faucet and do you think we're on the right track?

A. There comes a time when a licensed plumber is the best investment.

• Henri de Marne, a former remodeling contractor turned columnist and consultant, is the author of "About the House with Henri de Marne" (Upper Access Publishing). He continues to take questions from readers for this column and his website, www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to aboutthehouse@gmavt.net.