My Attic Insulation Experience (in process)

[vinny11950]

I was going to post this when done, but now that I am stuck at home with the flu, might as well post some now.

I had been dreading this project for some time because it entails cleanup, structural work to joists and rafters, electrical wire work, and some plumbing to the vent stack. And then the insulation.

It started when I tried to fix a leaky toilet flange, which led to rotted floor which led to bathroom redo which meant fixing attic joists and rafters above bathroom, along with electric wires chewed by squirrels.

Some before shots:

Here the squirrels had made a nice nest. Chewed up insulation, wires and wood.





This here is just a mess. Bathroom is below, the vertical sheet rock is the bathroom skylight. I figure it was added at some point but the contractor didn't bother to frame it correctly or insulate it properly. Then add electrical work along the way which accounts for insulation being tossed aside and not replaced properly.




Longer view of attic.

 

[vinny11950]

I started by getting some ripped sheets of OSB up there to make it easier to move about. It is still difficult to crawl about because of the low pitch of the roof. Only 38 inches tall at the tallest part. Bought a P100 respirator, well worth it, 2 layers of old sweats, a fleece and a hat.

Started by cleaning out 7 trash bags of torn up fiberglass insulation.

Found the squirrels too.

 

[tomc585]

If the old insulation isn't fouled re-use it. I have about an R-30 in my attic which was all acquired from demolitions and left-overs from job sites. Since I don't store anything up there it works for me.

 

[vinny11950]

Cleaned out some of the mess and put in some Roxul R23 insulation. So far I really like it. Fits tight between the lumber, easy to cut and tougher than I expected. When compressed, it bounces right back and has a lot of push back.



Also sprayed insulation foam at the top of the wall plates, and any ceiling fixture I could find - electrical wire holes too.

 

[vinny11950]

If the old insulation isn't fouled re-use it. I have about an R-30 in my attic which was all acquired from demolitions and left-overs from job sites. Since I don't store anything up there it works for me.

Yeah, I am just taking out the insulation that is torn up/abused and compressed. I figure through the years people have done work up there and not been too careful with the insulation. Whatever fiberglass is good I am leaving. Don't need the extra work.

 

[DBoon]

put in some Roxul R23 insulation

What did you pay for that, per square foot, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[GENECOP]

Nice job.....

 

[vinny11950]

What did you pay for that, per square foot, if you don't mind me asking?

HD near me sells the bag for $39.97 and one bag gives you 39.8 sq ft of coverage. So about $1 per sq ft.

Safe to say double the price of fiberglass.

 

[vinny11950]

Nice job.....

Thanks, still a lot to go.

Funny things is, I have spent about 25 hours up there so far spread across 4 Saturdays, and every time I come down, visually it looks like I have done nothing to the house.

But I did manage to get those joists bays filled right before the cold snap 3 weeks ago and it has made a big difference.

 

[sloeffle]

Have you looked into the cost of having it spray foamed ? Or are you just wanting to do it DIY.

 

[vinny11950]

Have you looked into the cost of having it spray foamed ? Or are you just wanting to do it DIY.

Exactly, wanted to DIY it. Plus it is not a big space so it will not cost much. Thought of cellulose too but I have to keep accessing the space to do other fixes and I did not want to wade through a sea of insulation every time I get up there.

 

[GENECOP]

Thanks, still a lot to go.

Funny things is, I have spent about 25 hours up there so far spread across 4 Saturdays, and every time I come down, visually it looks like I have done nothing to the house.

But I did manage to get those joists bays filled right before the cold snap 3 weeks ago and it has made a big difference.

Yea it will make a big difference, I'm on LI also, I think next week will be the turning point for us....you will be all setup for next winter....

 

[WES999]

Your attic looks similar to mine. A few years ago I had bad ice dams. After doing some reading I did the following:
Added soffit vents (there was a ridge vent but no soffit vents)
Added insulation baffles at the eaves to keep insulation clear of the vents.
Air sealed.
Added an additional R30 FG to the R16 that was there.
House stays much warmer now, and my house is one of the few houses in the naborhood that don't have ice dams.

When I was working in the attic, this is what I used for PPE.
Hard hat with led flashlights zip tyed to the side.
goggles
Respirator
Tyvek suit
knee pads
gloves with old socks to cover forearm.

Good luck with your project.

 

[DBoon]

I've been putting off an attic insulation upgrade for some time, likely for the same reasons you put off yours - it's just such a nasty job and not a nice place to spend a lot of time.

When I bought the house, it had maybe R-19 (6" fiberglass) in the attic in the ceiling joists underneath some floor decking. About 10 years ago, I put another 8" of fiberglass on top of that. There are two problems with this - 1) I have read that fiberglass loses a lot of insulative value in very cold temperatures and 2) I go into the attic 2x a year to close or open the gable vents, and I have compacted the fiberglass in places, reducing the insulative value.

I like the idea of the Roxul batts since they are springy and won't compact, and won't lose insulative value in colder weather. I saw them on the HD and Lowes sites, and I think I'll put some 24" wide R-30 batts up there on top of the areas that have wood decking (I was going to build a higher decking surface, but I think I'll just skip that as I don't store anything up there) and move the existing fiberglass to add depth to areas that don't have decking.

Thanks for prompting me to go forward with this.

 

[woodgeek]

I have read that fiberglass loses a lot of insulative value in very cold temperatures and 2) I go into the attic 2x a year to close or open the gable vents, and I have compacted the fiberglass in places, reducing the insulative value.

When I looked into this a few years ago, the studies showed the effect most strongly in loose fill 'chopped' fiberglass, that was popular as a blow/rake in product for attics in the 50/60s (?). I had that stuff, compacted down to maybe 2-3" deep. Looks like irregular small cotton balls with **big holes** in between. It makes sense that with the coarse texture of the stuff, convection can set up in the big holes.

The numbers for R-value loss in modern FG batts are much more modest, i.e. hard to measure, and in my opinion not worth replacing FG over, unless (maybe) you lived in Yellowknife.

I think this rather limited laboratory result many years ago, that one kind of (obsolete) FG loses significant R-value in very cold weather has been repeated by competing insulation makers to the point of convincing us that FG is almost useless.

 

[semipro]

I like the idea of the Roxul batts since they are springy and won't compact, and won't lose insulative value in colder weather. I saw them on the HD and Lowes sites, and I think I'll put some 24" wide R-30 batts up there on top of the areas that have wood decking

Working with Roxul is actually kind of fun when compared to fiberglass. I absolutely hate working with fiberglass. I used Roxul in my basement. The only personal protective equipment I found really necessary was a good respirator. I wore light gloves also but found myself working in short sleeves -- inconceivable to me with FG.
I used a serrated bread knife and tape measure for making cuts. The texture reminds me of a loaf of bread.

 

[DBoon]

not worth replacing FG over

Well, I'm not going to throw it out, just move it from one place to some other place...