The range of batts and blankets that may be suitable for ceiling insulation include; polyester, natural wool , glass wool and rockwool. If you do have a dry attic with easy access and evenly-spaced joists , the cheapest and simplest way to insulate it is between the joists , with rolls of blanket roof insulation. This can be made of mineral wool, glass fibre or recycled materials.
However, doing so will prevent cold air from seeping into the porch and may allow you to use the porch for a few weeks longer before winter arrives. But if it becomes too tightly sealed with too many layers of insulation , moisture can get trapped inside those layers.
Your email address will not be published. Skip to content. You might be interested: What is a built up roof. You might be interested: How to roof a patio cover. Previous Post How long does a shingle roof last. There's no getting around it: If your house is in a cold climate, keeping it warm in winter is expensive.
The Department of Energy predicts that prices for natural gas and heating oil will rise again this winter compared with last—and that's after a year in which heating-oil prices rose sharply in most parts of the country. Sure, you can dial down the thermostat and get used to wearing bulky sweaters indoors to cut costs. 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.
The Department of Energy estimates that a properly insulated attic can shave 10 to 50 percent off your heating bill. And it works the opposite way for warm climates; in summer, it helps stabilize your house's indoor temps to keep cooling needs in check. In a perfect world, you'd hire an energy auditor to tell you exactly how much protection you're getting from the few inches of attic insulation you may already have and to pinpoint things like air leaks that you can seal to make sure your insulation will do its job well.
But if you can't afford to shell out a few hundred bucks for this service, never fear: We've rounded up all the most important know-how about attic insulation costs, products, prep work, and installation right here. Keep reading for the details. The main factors that impact the cost are:. Note: If you have to insulate around electrical boxes or cables, then support from an electrician might be needed as part of the process too.
Stop using your attic for storage. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. 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.
Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. With the floor gone, you'll have to find a spot elsewhere for stashing those off-season clothes and that holiday decor. For DIY attic insulation, you've got two choices: loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material.
Once you've decided which type is best for you, examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product.
Always check labels for specifics on whatever you buy. Insulation fibers are packaged in bags and blown in place to the desired depth and density using special machinery you can rent from a home center. You can pour the fill in place and spread it manually, but the process is much more labor-intensive and the results won't be nearly as good. This flexible insulation material is most often packaged in rolls that come in various thicknesses and standard widths, usually 16 inches and 24 inches, to fit between joists or studs in a house's framing.
They come with or without a paper or foil facing that acts as a vapor barrier. You add one or more layers to achieve the desired level of insulation. Grab a tape measure and a flashlight to see what kind of insulation you already have in the attic and how deep it is.
Then use the numbers in the chart at right to estimate its R-value. Pull up and dispose of any material that's compressed, water stained, or moldy—it's useless. Owners of houses built before take note: If what you see is lightweight, grainy, loose-looking insulation with shiny flecks, it could be vermiculite from a mine with asbestos deposits.
Get it tested, and if necessary, call in a pro to remove and haul it away safely. This keeps the external weather and moisture outside of the attic space so you don't have to worry about any moisture problems or air infiltration. You also do not need roof vents when you insulate the attic rafters. Is that a pro or con? If you ask three contractors, you'll probably get four answers. Generally, our rule of thumb is to seal everything up as tight as possible and rely on your mechanical ventilation to give your house the air exchanges that it needs.
So when you insulate the attic rafters no soffits, baffles, or ridge vents are needed. Another major difference is that if you insulate the attic rafters your floor is free. You may not have actual flooring on your attic floor, maybe it's just open trusses. This method creates the opportunity for you to lay a floor down and use that space for storage or potentially a living space if it's large enough.
Finally, if there are appliances in the attic such as an HVAC system or even just central air, which is common in southern climates, you almost always want to insulate the attic rafters in this situation.
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