Putting Insulation In My Attic

The answer depends on where you live the heating and cooling costs in your area your existing insulation levels local codes and more.

Putting insulation in my attic.

The first step is to make sure you ve sealed your attic bypasses. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material. Block all vents in the attic floor with baffles making sure to extend the baffles at least four inches above the planned thickness of your insulation. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices.

In particularly cold climates you might go up to r 60. Let s say the insulation you ve selected has an r value of three per inch and. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Loose fill insulation is usually less expensive to install than batt insulation and provides better coverage when installed properly.

Your attic should have a certain amount of insulation in it and the recommended level of insulation for your attic is dependent on where you live. To find out if you have enough attic insulation measure the thickness of the insulation. It needs to be unfaced. A lot of builders and homeowners are going with spray foam insulation because of the airtightness benefits but then the questioner mentioned that the spray foam contractor had intentionally left big holes to the outside by not sealing the gable vents.

Earlier this year i got a question about a home that had spray foam insulation in the attic. In general an attic s r value should be between r 30 and r 49. Find your zone on the map and then use the chart to determine the level of insulation you need to properly insulate your attic walls floors and crawlspaces. 3 have a friend add material to the hopper.

When adding additional insulation you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic. Does your attic insulation measure up. First things first you need to go up into your attic inspect the condition of the insulation and calculate the current level of insulation. You can add loose fill on top of fiberglass batts or blankets and vice versa.

In addition to making the unit hard to get to for service high attic heat can trigger the. Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product. See more on different types of insulation. Then visit www eere energy gov and do a search for zip code insulation program use the insulation calculator to plug in your zip code lifestyle factors building design energy costs and budget to get a detailed recommendation.

If you use fiberglass over loose fill make sure the fiberglass batt has no paper or foil backing. If your insulation doesn t measure up and you need more installation can be done as a weekend diy project or you can call a professional installer to handle the job. Nothing unusual about that.