|
|
| |
Insulation - Insulating an Unfinished Attic
|
|
Introduction
Your attic is the most critical area of
your house to be adequately insulated. Since heat rises, a poorly insulated attic allows
valuable heat from the living space of your house to escape during the winter. During the
summer, heat trapped in your attic can reduce your ability to keep your house cool. In colder,
Northern climates, an R-value of 49 is recommended for adequate attic insulation. In warmer
climates, an R-value of 30 is recommended. Fiberglass insulation has an R-value of roughly 3.0
per inch of thickness. Cellulose is has an R-value of almost 4.0 per inch.
When insulating an attic, you should also consider how your attic is ventilated. Particularly
in northern climates, your goal should be to insulate the living space of the house, while
allowing the roof to remain the same temperature as the outside. This means you should allow a
free flow of outside air from the eaves of your roof (in through soffit vents) all the way to
the gable (out through gable vents, louver vents or other types of roof vents). In areas where
insulation butts up against rafters or roof sheathing, use baffles to prevent the obstruction
of free airflow.
If you currently have a floor in your attic, you need to pull up pieces of the floor to install
the insulation. It will be easier to use a blower and loose-fill insulation to effectively fill
the spaces between the joists. If you choose to go with blown-in insulation, you can usually
get free use of a blower when you purchase a certain amount of insulation.
|
|
|
To view a multimedia
demonstration of this tutorial, click here.
The demonstration requires Macromedia Flash 4 player. If you don't already have it, click
here to get it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shopping List
| Materials Needed |
|
• |
Fiberglass insulation or |
• |
Cellulose insulation |
• |
Baffles |
• |
Plastic sheets |
| Tools Needed |
• |
Tape measure |
• |
Utility knife |
• |
Dust mask |
• |
Straight edge |
• |
Insulation blower |
• |
Pry bar |
Copyright© 2000
Easy2.com, Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
|
Make sure you wear a dust mask to prevent breathing in fiberglass
and dust. You should also wear eye protection, a long sleeve shirt
and gloves.
Do not push insulation up against roof sheathing. This will trap warm
air in the winter and can lead to icicle problems.
If you install fiberglass insulation without a vapor barrier, use
sheets of plastic stapled in place. Lay the plastic on top of the
drywall and staple it to the ceiling joists.
