Finished attic insulation and ventilation issues

diyfreak

I have a 50 year old house in Wisconsin. The attic had been renovated to include 2 bedrooms, one bath, and 2 large storage areas with one long hallway. The design is so that when you go up the stairs you are at the beginning of the hall with a door on each side leading to the separate storage areas. At the end of the hall are my bedrooms and baths which extend out into an "L" shaped fashion. This living area is difficult to regulate temperature in. All rooms have knee walls extending the length of the rooms. NOW my question. What is the best way to insulate this? I have ridge vent over the entire L shaped roof, no soffit what-so-ever, a gable vent over the far bedroom, and in the smaller storage area has a large house vent, with a thermostat only. If I insulate the rafters and seal with sheathing, do I compromise my ventilation? If I insulate the knee walls only, that would be too much cold air in half my house. Then, is that large vent even necessary, as I would like to open that area up and make a sitting room. Oh and I almost forgot there is one heat vent in each room and the bathroom, no cold air returns. PLEASE SOMEONE help me solve my dilemma before I go bankrupt with heating bills

911 handyman

Hey there what ive done in the past is consult with a heating and air company so they could give me suggestions on what to do, same with the insulation company. Ive found out that if u need to insulate a lot of area let the pros do it they are faster and less expensive. On the homes that i do i always install rigde vent and vent blocks on the outside. wich is plenty of ventilation. rember that insulation keeps the cold in in the summer and heat in, in the winter. what it sounds like to me is u should call a heating and air company. u may not have proper air flow. also another thing to keep in mind let the pros do what they do. u can also ask them if u can do any of the labor let them know. hope this helps. thanks.