Inspecting and evaluating your insulation.
Adding insulation to attic worth it.
Add the right kind of insulation.
If your attic has enough insulation and proper air sealing and your home still feels drafty and cold in the winter or too warm in the summer chances are you need to add insulation to the exterior walls.
To determine whether you should add insulation.
Use a zippered insulated tent to keep the enclosure draft free attic tent at 7 attic cover insulator 120.
The blue line in all the graphs below shows the heat flow through the wall and the red columns show either the stepwise or cumulative reduction in heat flow compared to what it was with an r 2 r 11 or r 16 wall.
As you keep adding more and more insulation you keep reducing the heat flow through the wall more and more.
Thickness must not be used as the sole factor in determining the r value of loose fill insulation particularly for attic insulation.
Affix rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the hatch or door.
Just keep in mind the savings from adding insulation to your attic will vary greatly depending on how well sealed the home is how large the house is how much insulation is there to begin.
Pull down stair or ladder.
To install fiberglass batts over existing insulation lay the batts perpendicular to the joists so they do not compress the insulation below.
This is more expensive and usually requires a contractor but it may be worth the cost especially if you live in a very cold climate.
Add weatherstripping around the perimeter and a sweep to the door of a walk up attic.
How much does attic insulation cost.
The recommended level for most attics is to insulate to r 38 or about 10 to 14 inches depending on insulation type.
The pros charge 1 500 to 2 000 to do a 1 200 sq ft.
When adding additional insulation you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your.
The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.
A home energy company has proposed a solution that involves sealing air leaks in the bedroom ceilings attic floor sealing around the chimney weatherizing the attic hatch insulating a few roof areas that the builders missed and adding cellulose to the rest of the attic to bring it up to r 60.
We offer our review of the three most popular types of attic insulation with a look at each one s pros and cons.
Check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement.
Blown in spray foam batts and blankets.
If you need to add insulation in your attic save big by blowing in cellulose insulation yourself.
You can do it yourself for about 500.
Your options for attic insulation range from radiant barriers to sheets of mineral wool but most homeowners stick with products made from cellulose or fiberglass.