Posted the following elsewhere and got no response...

Just bought a home built in 1950. The roof I suspect has minimal
insulation. To make the ceilings high, the builder has put in no
crawl
space and the rafters are visible from inside the house.

The house is only around 1000 sq.ft. It is in San Jose California.

I looked at the archives of this usenet group, and found discussions
on using foam blocks under the composite shingles. This seems fine
but it seems like it is like building a new roof, which could be
expensive.

I am thinking of the following alternatives:

- Add foam from within in between the rafters and blend them with the
architecture.
- Erect an awning (maybe I should call this a tent) that will cover
all of the roof for the hot summer months.
- Put solar panels. They would not only make shade put also generate
electricity for me. However, I hear that solar panels and convertors
etc. can be very expensive.
- Or, put a solar water heating system.

How would one insulate such a roof?

Thanks!

Deguza