Putting Insulation In My Attic

For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices.

Putting insulation in my attic.

Does your attic insulation measure up. 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. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Let s say the insulation you ve selected has an r value of three per inch and.

You can add loose fill on top of fiberglass batts or blankets and vice versa. Achieving greater r values in attics the higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. The first step is to make sure you ve sealed your attic bypasses. 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.

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. In general an attic s r value should be between r 30 and r 49. 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. In particularly cold climates you might go up to r 60. Put it in an attic full of blown insulation and you re forcing it to work harder to vent its heat. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material.

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. When adding additional insulation you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic. Loose fill insulation is usually less expensive to install than batt insulation and provides better coverage when installed properly. The answer depends on where you live the heating and cooling costs in your area your existing insulation levels local codes and more.

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. See more on different types of insulation. Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product. Loose fill or batt insulation is typically installed in an attic.

If you use fiberglass over loose fill make sure the fiberglass batt has no paper or foil backing. First things first you need to go up into your attic inspect the condition of the insulation and calculate the current level of insulation. To find out if you have enough attic insulation measure the thickness of the insulation.