I’m planning a garage, which I would like to keep as cool as possible without using AC. To that end, I’d like to add in a feature that I’ve seen on some barns and older dance halls. It could be described as an overgrown ridge vent, but it looks like a dormer that runs atop the ridge of the roof, with windows or vents on the side. They’re usually one to four feet higher than the roof, and are obviously meant as a place to where the building’s heat can rise and then be blown out by any breezes.
First off, what are these things called? They’re too big to be considered ridge vents (or are they?), but they seem to do the same function. Secondly, how well do they work? Admittedly, I like the looks of the feature, but I’m guessing that adding it will almost double the work and cost of the project, and I may not bother with one if a prefab ridge vent will be as effective. To keep noise levels down, I’d like to keep the venting passive, if possible. It’s going to be a tin-roofed, stick building, FWIW.
Finally, can anyone recommend a good home improvement discussion group? I doubt that there’s a smarter group of people around than the ones we’ve got here, but I wouldn’t want to swamp the board with building questions.