How To Insulate A Livable Attic

The right way to insulate attics and cathedral ceilings with batts using certain t.

How to insulate a livable attic.

You ll want to buy enough batting to lay at least 10 to 14 inches over the entire space. To insulate an attic get some batting made out of mineral wool fiberglass or recycled foam. 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. Additionally purchase some loose fill insulation to insulate corners and angles where the batting won t fit.

Now that you ve done the preliminary research here are a few ideas for converting your attic into usable living space. There are two ways to insulate triangular attics behind kneewalls. The traditional approach is to insulate the kneewall and the attic floor behind the kneewall. Install the rolled insulation in the floor by cutting to size pressing into the space between joists and attaching with wire fasteners.

Insulating a finished attic there are two basic ways to insulate a finished attic. Always cover the tops of the ceiling joists to make sure the insulation is deep enough to reach your target r value and. Install new rolled insulation between the wall studs. A better approach is to insulate the roof slope above the attic.

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 codes require insulation equal to r 38 or more. For this reason it s important to properly insulate the space. Excessive moisture buildup in these areas can lead to rot or mold problems. Cut each strip or batt to the exact length of the cavity.

In this case the area behind the knee wall will be uncomfortably hot or cold. If only the living space will be insulated wrap the insulation around the room s walls and ceiling and then continue along the floor of the non living space. Yes there are options to insulate the roof from above but it is often more complicated for a variety of other reasons and not the easy fix you think it might be the 2x10s and 2x12s drastically eat up the space you think you have up there. Press them in place and staple through the paper to the studs.

Pretty much every attic space i ve looked at when considering converting it to living space has been. Moisture is a concern with roofing materials including plywood sheathing roof shingles and framing members.