Insulating Finished Attic Space

To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.

Insulating finished attic space.

Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product. In finished attic rooms with or without dormer insulate 2a between the studs of knee walls 2b between the studs and rafters of exterior walls and roof 2c and ceilings with cold spaces above. Without properly insulating your finished attic room will also be cold in the winter. If it is and you plan to provide heating and cooling to the finished attic space you need to remove.

A second ply of batt insulation should be unfaced and laid perpendicular to the first ply. If the attic will ever be heated or used as living space insulate with batts blanket or wet blown between roof rafters and on end walls. Most codes require a specified minimum amount of headroom and it s tough to meet this requirement when insulating a finished attic especially since most. Attic spaces are typically very hot in the summer and very cold through the winter.

If only the living space will be insulated wrap the insulation around the room s walls and ceiling and then continue along the floor of the non living space. Air seal and insulate the kneewall if you plan to insulate a kneewall and the attic floor behind the kneewall protect the insulation with an adjacent air barrier. In this case the area behind the knee wall will be uncomfortably hot or cold. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation.

If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or. Without properly ventilating the roof your finished space can be just as unpleasant as an unfinished attic. Converting your attic into usable finished space can increase the value of your home by maximizing the available square footage. Loose fill can be blown under the floor between ceiling joists.

The attic floor which is the ceiling of the living space below often already is insulated. This brings the triangular attic into the home s conditioned space and is therefore the only method to use if the attic includes ducts or plumbing pipes. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material. Since parts of a finished attic are usually very close to the roof.

There are two basic ways to insulate a finished attic. If your home is smaller than other homes in your area or simply lacks the necessary amount of storage or living space for your family finishing your attic is a relatively inexpensive way to increase your usable space.