Proper Way To Insulate An Attic

Insulating the attic is a surefire way to warm your home this winter.

Proper way to insulate an attic.

So it s time to pay close attention to what s happening up there. A finished attic should be insulated much like the rest of the house with insulation in the walls and ceiling. Insulate and air seal any knee walls vertical walls with attic space directly behind them in your home as well. Lay the batts across the ceiling joists covering the existing insulation.

But if you ve got an unfinished attic giving it proper insulation is one of the simplest ways to keep a lid on your heating bill this season. If it is located in a conditioned part of the house also remember to insulate and air seal your attic access. The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. R value is a measure of insulation s ability to resist heat traveling through it.

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. That means insulating the attic floor only not the walls and having vents in the roof. Since home insulation changes the way attics and crawlspaces breathe it s critical that you maintain or install proper ventilation fig. At first it seems odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely create ventilation holes for cold air to enter.

How to insulate a finished attic. But other home maintenance tasks can also defend your house and all of its inhabitants from chilly weather and blustering winds. With a finished attic insulation must help keep the attic areas comfortable. While wearing dust mask and gloves carry r 38 batts of unfaced fiberglass insulation into the attic.

Before insulating seal any air leaks and make roof and other necessary repairs. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva and host kevin o connor explain how to insulate an attic. If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts. Insulation level are specified by r value.

It s a diy project you can tackle in a weekend and the savings you ll get add up every year says toh general contractor tom silva.