Attic Floor Insulation

R value is a measure of insulation s ability to resist heat traveling through it.

Attic floor insulation.

First if you never build a room in the attic the insulation in the floor area will save energy costs. How to insulate a finished attic. With a finished attic insulation must help keep the attic areas comfortable. These r values are a sum meaning this should be the total r value once you add up the entire depth of insulation.

Stop using your attic for storage. Most houses attics are built without flooring and are not designed to carry the heavy load of finished space. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new. The ceiling load may include items like drywall ducts recessed lights bathroom fans and attic insulation.

While you can get by cheaper by adding no insulation there are two reasons to add insulation between floor joists. That means insulating the attic floor only not the walls and having vents in the roof. Insulation level are specified by r value. The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.

How to lay attic flooring on top of fiberglass insulation. Don t skip the insulation in the floor. The headroom in the attic will determine how much usable floor space you have. The most effective places to add insulation to older homes are exterior walls attics basements and crawl spaces.

Most homes are insulated in the attic and any floors located above unfinished basements or crawl spaces. Find your zone on the map and then use the above insulation r value chart to determine the level of insulation you need to properly insulate your attic walls floors and crawlspaces. 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. Air from rooms below will not escape rapidly into the attic.

Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. However in some cases the joists are intentionally built strong enough for the homeowner to later build out the attic. Start with the attic floor. The solid base.

No matter how old your home is it s a good idea to see if there are ways to improve its insulation. The table below shows what levels of insulation are cost effective for different climates and locations in the home. Even easier you can also use a prefabricated attic floor kit designed specifically to raise the attic floor above the insulation. A finished attic should be insulated much like the rest of the house with insulation in the walls and ceiling.

While local codes vary many communities will not permit the ceiling in a finished. However if you keep the storage weight to a minimum you may be able to build a storage platform above the insulation by attaching supporting beams to the sides of the trusses.