How To Insulate A Home With No Attic

How to beef up attic insulation.

How to insulate a home with no attic.

A passive ventilation system should have air inlets at the base of the roof usually in the soffits and outlets in the peak or gables. How to maximize the impact of insulation. Cellulose blown in ceiling insulation is a good choice for diyers. Improve the value of your home by discovering our insulation step by step tips ideas.

Lay a two by four on top temporarily compressing the insulation to a manageable. Depending on your climate you ll need r 30 to r 49 to meet code which is 5 to 8 1 2 inches of polyiso rigid foam which is r 6 per inch. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Pick up the blower and insulation.

Caulk window trim and use weatherstripping to reduce air leaks. Blown in cellulose has a higher r rating and is less expensive than either blown insulation like fiberglass attic insulation or fiberglass batts. To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes. Ask this old house general contractor tom silva shares some diy smarts tips for insulating an attic.

By tom silva and kevin o connor host. Replace old windows with energy efficient units. Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product. Most codes require a specified minimum amount of headroom and it s tough to meet this requirement when insulating a finished attic especially since most.

To cut blanket style insulation place the product over a piece of plywood with its paper or foil side down. Nail 1 furring along every rafter side against the roof deck. Apply a house wrap vapor barrier to exterior walls. I would lean toward adding rigid foam either on top of the roof or on the inside under the joists if reducing headroom isn t a problem.

The total venting space should equal 1 150 of the floor space. Cut and insert 1 or thicker high r foam insulation sheets r 8 per inch against the furring giving a 1 or greater air path between the insulation and the roof deck under the cathedral ceiling. How to insulate walls in an old house. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices.