Should I Insulate My Attic Myself

In unfinished attic spaces insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below.

Should i insulate my attic myself.

At first it seems odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely create ventilation holes for cold air to enter. The table below shows what levels of insulation are cost effective for different climates and locations in the home. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. Current thinking is that you should have a combination of soffit vents and ridge vents.

The required amount of ventilation is a net free ventilation area nfva of 1 150 of the square footage of the attic. The pros charge 1 500 to 2 000 to do a 1 200 sq ft. One for attic prep and the second to actually blow the insulation. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates.

Inspecting and evaluating your insulation check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement. The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. If your attic is often used or perhaps you plan to convert it in the future you will need to insulate the inner surfaces of the roof. Blowing attic insulation isn t hard but it s dusty sweaty work.

The recommended level for most attics is to insulate to r 38 or about 10 to 14 inches depending on insulation type. Whether or not there is an inner roof lining and the total thickness of the roof structure. Often people throw insulation into the attic which blocks the vents to the outside air turning the attic into a greenhouse. Add the right kind of insulation when adding additional insulation you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic.

1a attic access door 2. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. For a correct approach an inner roof lining is required. You can do it yourself for about 500.

When you insulate attics and crawlspaces you ve got to vent them too since home insulation changes the way attics and crawlspaces breathe it s critical that you maintain or install proper ventilation fig. Insulation level are specified by r value. Yes lay the insulation batts perpendicular to the joists if you are installing it yourself and be careful not to block off the eaves and remember to install air chutes in each rafter space. As far as the price difference i would recommend you get 3 estimates in the town where you live and do not take the lowest one.

If the air distribution is in the attic space then consider insulating the rafters to move the distribution into the conditioned space. R value is a measure of insulation s ability to resist heat traveling through it.