Attic knee wall insulation


  #41  
Old 08-01-12, 08:21 PM
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I answered my own question on the turtle (static vents). I am going to plug them. If the ridge vent does what it is supposed to do (it does have baffles) it will draw air in from the closest air intake which is the static vents. I don't want that. I want them from the air intakes that I just added under the overhangs.

I called the manufacturer of the ridge vent and they agreed with me that the static vents must be plugged (or removed). They also added that the ridge vent could cause weather (ie blowing snow and rain) to be pulled into the static vents.
You got it.

GBR in WA linked to a site that says that R13 and R21 fiberglass were the only two types in that link that were at a density that didn't cause issues. This is what I found wrt R21. It is expensive and I will need a lot of it. Perhaps I will compare it to Roxul Stonewool.

Here is the link: Shop Johns Manville 7-Pack 93"L x 23"W x 5-1/2"D 21-R Fiberglass Insulation Batts at Lowes.com
I missed that link, so I don't know what information Gary was pointing to. I don't see any problem with using R-19 twice, once faced and once unfaced across that, to get R-38 with a vapor retarder.

The product you linked to covers ~104 ft.[SUP]2[/SUP] and costs $42.59. That's ~$0.4096/ft.[SUP]2[/SUP]. Here's a faced R-19 that covers ~134 ft.[SUP]2[/SUP] for $40.14, or $0.3003/ft.[SUP]2[/SUP]. Johns Manville 9-Pack 93"L x 23"W x 6.5"D R-19 Fiberglass Insulation Batts The unfaced R-19 for the second layer is $37.49 for the same area, or $0.2804/ft.[SUP]2[/SUP]. Johns Manville 9-Pack 93"L x 23"W x 6-1/2"D R-19 Fiberglass Insulation Batts So that's a little less than 60 cents/ft.[SUP]2[/SUP] for R-38 with a vapor retarder. And that's buying everything in batts at Lowe's, just as an example.
 
  #42  
Old 08-03-12, 04:46 PM
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I missed that link, so I don't know what information Gary was pointing to. I don't see any problem with using R-19 twice, once faced and once unfaced across that, to get R-38 with a vapor retarder.
Here is the link: The "biggest Loser" In Fiberglass Insulation.... - How To Guides - DIY Chatroom - DIY Home Improvement Forum

Thanks
 
  #43  
Old 08-03-12, 05:44 PM
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Thanks. That's an interesting opinion posted in a chatroom. More importantly, they're talking about the reasons you don't win by installing low-density R-19 fiberglass in a 2x6 wall. That's true, but it's yesterday's news and it's not the use we're talking about here.

Do you see a problem with double R-19 on the floor of the attic behind the knee walls? Because I don't, and I'm curious.

I think you're doing a great job with this, and I'm curious about one other thing: How's the new venting doing in terms of making the space more comfortable to work in?
 
  #44  
Old 08-05-12, 12:49 PM
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I don't have a comment about the insulation. It is what GBR in WA posted. I take all posts seriously as I don't have the all the answers myself. R19/R19 is what I have put everywhere else in the attic space I have redone.

As far as the difference in temp with the venting in... It is hard to tell as the temps outside have dropped significantly since I put them in. Maybe the vents caused the temp drop outside? lol just kidding. It still gets to above 100 upstairs when it is 90+ degrees outside. That is in the center of the room, however, it is noticeably cooler towards the outsides where the vents are.

When the air conditioner kicks in, the outside unit blows air right up through the new air intakes. I can feel it when I am on that side of the attic. Obviously the vents are working to allow air to move like that.

I haven't made a lot of progress as I got sidetracked with other parts of my life. I have an electrical issue to take care of then I can work rebuilding the knee walls. I am moving them back about 8" on one side and 12" on the other.

I think you're doing a great job with this...
Thank you!!! I am certainly feeling a lot more confident about what I am doing thanks to you and everyone else who has posted.


Thanks
 
  #45  
Old 10-04-12, 05:46 PM
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I have been traveling for business and got diverted on another big home project but I am back on finishing up the bedroom/attic. How concerned should I be about thermal bridging in the knee wall since they are only going to have R13 in between the 2x4s?

Thanks
 
  #46  
Old 10-04-12, 08:05 PM
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I have been traveling for business and got diverted on another big home project but I am back on finishing up the bedroom/attic.
Welcome back. We were starting to wonder.

How concerned should I be about thermal bridging in the knee wall since they are only going to have R13 in between the 2x4s?
Are you asking about thermal bridging, which is the transfer of energy through the framing, or thermal transfer through the complete wall system?

If you're asking whether you should do something to reduce the bridging, given that the bays only have R-13 insulation installed, my first reaction is no, I wouldn't bother. I would think that the difference in transfer rates between the framing and the insulated spaces between would be negligible.

Others may differ.
 
  #47  
Old 10-05-12, 02:20 PM
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Are you asking about thermal bridging, which is the transfer of energy through the framing, or thermal transfer through the complete wall system
Yes. I am glad you can read minds. My communications skills are a little off

Since the knee wall is going to be exposed to the outside "weather", now that I have open air coming into the attic due to the addition of intake vents, I thought that the there would be an issue with the studs only being 2x4. I understand that a 2x4 is about R1 per inch. Given that the 2x4s will be a certain percentage of the total area of the wall, that R1 per inch will not be enough to block the transmission of heat through the studs. Maybe I am misunderstanding.

In looking on the internet (outside of doityourself.com), I saw thermal images of walls and you can see a big temperature difference between where the bats are and the studs.

But you think I am worrying too much about this?

Thanks
 
  #48  
Old 10-05-12, 02:50 PM
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But you think I am worrying too much about this?
Yes... You can only do what you can do.....


 
  #49  
Old 10-05-12, 04:27 PM
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Sorry to go 'round in circles on this but I can put rigid foam on the attic side of the knee wall. R13 (w/o vapor barrier) on this inside. This would help, would it not? Or are you thinking this just isn't worth the cost/trouble?

The articles I have read imply new construction is done this way (I.E. with rigid foam on the outside). Or is this just the "next" thing people are doing just because?

Thanks
 
  #50  
Old 10-08-12, 04:37 PM
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I can put rigid foam on the attic side of the knee wall. R13 (w/o vapor barrier) on this inside.
OK, I hear what you're saying about the very low R-value of the framing. Obviously, I understood less about that that I would like to!

But here's the thing. IIRC, rigid foam acts as a moisture barrier. If that's so - and a quick search seems to confirm it - then you would be trapping moisture where you don't want it, that is, behind and against the insulation. You do want the vapor barrier barrier - the only vapor barrier - immediately behind and against the drywall. The need is to keep the moisture from moving from the heated space into the insulation and condensing there during heating season.

The idea that got kicked around elsewhere about this was adding 1 or 2 inches of XPS to the inside of the framing members - cutting the XPS into 1-1/2" wide strips and using them as furring, essentially. I don't know whether you can make room for that or not - just a thought.
 
  #51  
Old 10-09-12, 05:06 PM
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The idea that got kicked around elsewhere about this was adding 1 or 2 inches of XPS to the inside of the framing members - cutting the XPS into 1-1/2" wide strips and using them as furring, essentially. I don't know whether you can make room for that or not - just a thought.
Then the drywall would be screwed through the XPS and into the studs? I would only lose 1" or 2" on the inside of the walls that way. I actually moved my knee walls back so I made the room wider by about 1 1/2 feet. Losing a couple of inches from that is no big deal. Is it worth doing?

On the sloped part of the ceiling I already am adding 2x4s to the 2x6s. So essentially they are 2x10s. Perhaps I would not need XPS for the sloped part of the walls?

Another question, since you said to put the insulation/vapor barrier up against the drywall... I have to move some plumbing (pressure lines going to the bathroom) because they are on the cold side of the attic. My plan is to notch the warm side of the studs and run the plumbing through those notches (I will add nail plates or whatever they are called). Then when I place the insulation in the wall, the pipes will be on the warm side. There will be R13 between the pipes and the cold air.

However, the plumbing that is running into the bathroom was not built this way. There is a gap or double wall that the pipes run through. The insulation would still be on the outer stud wall but then there would be an air gap that the plumbing runs through. Essentially the insulation/vapor barrier will be about 5 inches from the drywall in the bathroom area. Short of re-doing my bathroom, I don't know a away around that. Is that going to cause problems?

It worked before because it was a warm attic.

Thanks
 
  #52  
Old 10-10-12, 04:10 AM
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The vapor barrier is only that. Pipes between the drywall/vapor barrier and the insulation - that is, on the warm side of the insulation - should be fine.

Your 2x4 on the 2x6 will only give you about R-9, with the roof on the other side. If you haven't already done that work, you could add a 2x2, screwed in, 2" of XPS, glued on, and then the drywall, hung with 3-1/2" or 4" screws. That should give you + R-21 on/through the framing there.

Just a thought on the kneewalls. You could add 1" of XPS to the back of the 2x4s and make them R-10.5, without losing any space in the room. For that, you could make the XPS maybe 3" wide and lap over the insulation/framing face by 3/4" on each side, to cover that gap while still letting the insulation breathe. Just a thought - others may have more to say on this.
 
  #53  
Old 10-10-12, 09:58 AM
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Sounds good and pretty easy to do.
 
  #54  
Old 10-22-12, 05:10 PM
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Your 2x4 on the 2x6 will only give you about R-9, with the roof on the other side. If you haven't already done that work, you could add a 2x2, screwed in, 2" of XPS, glued on, and then the drywall, hung with 3-1/2" or 4" screws. That should give you + R-21 on/through the framing there.
Do you think it is worth all that? I would lose another 4" of height in the room on the sloped parts. I would most definitely need to re-work doors (I.E. cut them down) to make that work. I would do it if it was going to make a difference. Is this common practice for this type of renovation?

Thanks
 
  #55  
Old 10-24-12, 04:06 PM
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On the sloped part of the ceiling I already am adding 2x4s to the 2x6s.
I think I wasn't as clear as I would like to be.

I was suggesting adding the 2x2 and the 2" of XPS instead of the 2x4, not in addition to the 2x4. So you still wind up with a 9" deep bay (5-1/2" + 1-1/2" + 2" = 9"). Or did I misunderstand what you were describing.
 
  #56  
Old 10-25-12, 09:50 AM
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I think I wasn't as clear as I would like to be.

I was suggesting adding the 2x2 and the 2" of XPS instead of the 2x4, not in addition to the 2x4. So you still wind up with a 9" deep bay (5-1/2" + 1-1/2" + 2" = 9"). Or did I misunderstand what you were describing.
I did misunderstand. It seems clear when I re-read what you said. Plus, not sure why I didn't think of that.

I need to shop around because the large home building stores near me only sell the R5 per inch stuff. Going by your math, it looks like I need the R6.5 per inch stuff. I will need to look around for that.

I have about half of the 2x4s up and the other half purchased. However, I want this to turn out good for all the work I have put into it.

Plus I have another small issue to deal with. My HVAC person put a return in my room to get the flow I need to cool it down in the summer. One of the rafter bays is going to be the return "Duct". I have a couple of ideas but it just is going to take more thought (and time) to get it all to work out. I want to maintain R30 in the slants.

BTW all the stonewool has been purchased and I am picking it up in a few days. So I am getting close to drywalling. Just in time for the cold weather :-)

Thanks!!!
 
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Old 10-25-12, 03:49 PM
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I need to shop around because the large home building stores near me only sell the R5 per inch stuff. Going by your math, it looks like I need the R6.5 per inch stuff.
Interesting. I didn't know about the R-5/in. XPS. Can you get it 1" thick? Because I'm thinking that a 1x2 plus 3" of that would give you R-21.5 when you add it onto the 2x6s.

My HVAC person put a return in my room to get the flow I need to cool it down in the summer. One of the rafter bays is going to be the return "Duct". I have a couple of ideas but it just is going to take more thought (and time) to get it all to work out. I want to maintain R30 in the slants.
HVAC performance is all about the return air flow. You're gonna love having that, I'll bet. Just hope you can make it work with the insulation.

Just a thought: If you've got a table saw you can rip the wood furring for your rafters out of the 2x4s you already have. Shouldn't take long once you get the fence set.
 
  #58  
Old 10-25-12, 04:43 PM
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You have been such a great help. Thanks!!!

Interesting. I didn't know about the R-5/in. XPS. Can you get it 1" thick? Because I'm thinking that a 1x2 plus 3" of that would give you R-21.5 when you add it onto the 2x6s.
I was on the HD website today and they show sheathing that is 2" and is R13. For some reason I did not see this before. That would be easiest if I can get it. Otherwise, what you said will work. Just need loooong screws.

Just a thought: If you've got a table saw you can rip the wood furring for your rafters out of the 2x4s you already have. Shouldn't take long once you get the fence set.
Yes, I am going to borrow my father-n-law's table saw and rip the 2x4s down. That was a good idea!!!

HVAC performance is all about the return air flow. You're gonna love having that, I'll bet. Just hope you can make it work with the insulation.
I can make it all work with the return vent. If I put R23 (5.5") Stonewool in with 1" R6.5 rigid foam. I will have 1" between the roof deck and insulation and a 1.5" x 23" channel for the return vent. This gives me my R30 (or very close) and the return area side is the same area as the duct running into the room. Plus the foam will act as my vapor barrier in that bay as well as keep the insulation fibers from being pulled into my HVAC system. This is a win all around! :-)

I am going to get the rigid foam this weekend and my stonewool for the ceiling, sloped walls and knee walls are coming Monday!!! Getting close!!!

Sorry to come full circle but I can't remember what was best for the attic floor outside the knee walls. The floor area is plaster and lathe with 16"on center 2" x 6" joists.

From what I read, blown in cellulose gives the best performance. It also does not require a vapor barrier. In fact, from what I read, you don't want one. But sealing of air leaks is important. I assume that means around light fixtures and pipes?

However, as far as I can tell, Ohio (the state I live in) requires a vapor barrier in the attic. I did see one document that said if the attic was ventilated properly, no vapor barrier was needed but that document also says it expires 1/1/2013. Everything else I read says a vapor barrier is needed for Ohio. Maybe some phone calls are in order.

I could just put a vapor barrier in but it seems like everything I have read about cellulose says don't do it.

I am confused.

Thanks!
 
  #59  
Old 10-26-12, 09:53 AM
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Update
Called the city inspector and he confirmed that I was not required to add a vapor barrier on the attic floor for cellulose.
 
  #60  
Old 10-26-12, 09:30 PM
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Called the city inspector and he confirmed that I was not required to add a vapor barrier on the attic floor for cellulose.


the return area side is the same area as the duct running into the room.
How close together - how far apart - are the supply registers and the return vent?

I am going to get the rigid foam this weekend and my stonewool for the ceiling, sloped walls and knee walls are coming Monday!!! Getting close!!!
Again, I say
 
  #61  
Old 10-27-12, 04:02 AM
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How close together - how far apart - are the supply registers and the return vent?
The main part of the room, not including the bathroom, stairwell and closets, is 15' by 15' roughly. The vents are 9' apart and down low, near the floor. The return is up in the ceiling on the opposite side of the room, 9' from the supply. In the other direction, it is about in between the two supply vents.

I can start posting photos of the progress but much of my work to date is hidden under the sub floor lol.
 
  #62  
Old 10-28-12, 12:08 PM
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That sounds like effective spacing and placement for A/C. For heat, not so much.

Hey, I wanna see pictures again! But I hear you about the hidden work.
 
  #63  
Old 10-28-12, 12:25 PM
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I can always close it off in the winter. I have never had an issue heating the room (being that its the second floor) but in the summer, it is hard to cool.

In the winter, I can keep my bedroom door open (which is on the first floor and not too far from the downstairs return) which will pull the cold air out.

I think it will be OK.
 
  #64  
Old 10-28-12, 02:34 PM
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I was thinking, since you were really suffering up there before you got some vents installed and the weather turned, that heating it might not be a major problem. Especially with its nice new blanket!
 
  #65  
Old 11-11-12, 12:48 PM
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First, I want to say I hope all of you on the east coast made it through the storms OK. FWIW My wife and I donated some money through the Red Cross.

The stone wool insulation has not come in yet. It was delayed nearly an extra 3 weeks. It has given me some time to finish some framing and sealing cracks and such.

I do have a funny story (although not so funny at the time). I have been buying a lot of foam adhesive to affix the foam to the back of studs and joists, etc... I just purchased four new tubes last night and had them in a bag, along with another can of spray foam (for sealing cracks). I was up on the ladder putting the foil up and I dropped the hammer and it landed on the can of foam, puncturing it. All four tubes of adhesive very quickly got encased in foam. Now I have to go out and get more adhesive (and foam).

...and now for some pictures.

This is of the foil I added to the peak of the roof. This is above the ceiling. I put 1"x1"foam in between the rafters and the foil. So there is significant air gap on the roof side of the foam (6 1/2") and there will be some air gap between the insulation and the foil on the other side.


Next two are the sloped walls where I put 2x2 (actually a ripped 2x4) and the 2x2 rigid foam. This stuff is R13 at 2".




This is the back side of a knee wall where I put foam on the back of the stud (cold side) to help add to the R factor of the studs. There is 2" of the XPS. This comes out to about R10. It is not as good as the other stuff I used for the rafters. Live and learn.


The next two are showing how much fun I am going to have making custom door frames. Another first for me on this project.


This one I will have to re-build since I dropped the slope wall height.


This is where I built in some shelving into one of the closets. Gives us a little more storage space.



Even though the bulk of the stone wool has not come in, I was able to find R15, 16" on center stuff at one of the local stores. I am replacing the fiberglass around the bathroom.


That is it for now. I am working on getting the rest of the foil in place and as soon as the stone wool shows up, I will start insulating!!! :-)

Thanks again for all the help you have given me
 
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Old 12-16-12, 09:43 PM
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This is looking so good! I love the thermal break on the rafters and the backs of the knee wall studs. The backs of the knee wall studs aren't as critical as the rafter faces, if for no other reason than that they're vertical and isolated from the outside, so having R-10 on them and R-13 on the rafters seems to make sense.

I'm not sure why you're putting the foil up against the roof, but you say there's a fat air passage above it, so that should work.

Keep up the good work, have fun with those door frames, and keep the pictures coming!
 
  #67  
Old 12-19-12, 12:23 AM
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If you haven't addressed it yet, you need to do something about the chimney leak (dark stains on exposed brick) before you close things up.
 
  #68  
Old 12-19-12, 06:50 PM
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This is looking so good! I love the thermal break on the rafters and the backs of the knee wall studs.
Thank you!

We are pushing to get this project finished up so I haven't been able to post pics but I will soon.

The stains on the chimney are there from quite awhile ago. We have had issues with ice dams. That is one of the reasons for the re-model.

While the room was torn apart, we had a good rain and I found two places where a little water was coming through. We had our roofer out to fix those spots. Hopefully with the better insulation I will have no more ice dams and no more leaks.
 
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Old 02-23-13, 07:31 AM
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I know it has been a long time since I posted. And this is intended to be my last post on this subject. I really and sincerely appreciate all the help I have received on this project. It gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to pull it off!

I got very busy this winter with business travel and kids sports so I apologize for not doing this sooner.

This was a huge project for us and we had to sleep in our family room for many months while we gutted and rebuilt our upstairs.

While it is all finished now and we have been enjoying the room since just before Christmas, I wanted to post the final pictures of the project to show what I had done (right or wrong). Although if I did it wrong, please don't post because it is all sealed up now! lol

We added a return vent in the ceiling, and the trick there was to make a channel for the air return using a rafter bay but maintaining R30 in the sloped ceiling. I did this by using a thinner piece of Roxul and rigid foam. The room side of the return is sealed off with plastic (over the unfaced roxul) and then drywall.



The rigid foam is about 1 1/2" inch from the roof deck on the other side.

This is the flat ceiling part. You will see the pink stuff but that was stuff I already had from other projects and It is on top of the Roxul for added R value. The Roxul just wasn't installed yet. It had to be done in layers since I only had access to the bedroom side of the ceiling.



This is just a normal rafter bay where I installed a spacer (cut down strapping that was removed from the previous walls). The spacer was use to allow an attachment point for the water permeable foil. It allowed me to maintain about an 1 1/2" air space between the foil and the roof deck. This air gap goes all the way down to behind the knee walls. Each rafter is vented to the outside on each end. Ridge vent at the top and 2" opening at the bottom (under the roof overhang). In between the foil and the drywall is Roxul (not installed yet in this photo).



There was a concern earlier about having a return on the ceiling. In this project it worked out great. While we were working, with all the extra lighting, it would get too hot in the room (even with the vents closed). Running the furnace fan, cooled the room off to match the rest of the house temperature. Now that the project is complete, we have not yet opened the vents and even with the return, the room has stayed warm! If it every got cold because of the return, we can close it up. But I don't think I will have to. Now in the summer, that return is going to be great!

...and now the gas savings.

I compared the volume of gas used as an average of January and February (my peak months) from 2013 to 2012 and 2011. 2012 was an unseasonably warm winter here. 2011 and 2013 were normal.

Compare to 2012, 2013 used 35% less volume of gas and compared to 2011 it was 48% less gas.

I am very pleased with how everything turned out and very pleased with my gas savings.

Thanks again for all the help and I will be sure to come back to doityourself when I start the next big project!

Take care!

Mike
 
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Old 02-27-13, 04:51 PM
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Thanks for coming back to post this update and the new photos, Mike. You put a lot of work into rehabbing this space, and it sounds like it turned out to be comfortable, energy efficient and dey.

Great job, and it's nice to be able to see the final steps. No negative comments here at all!
 
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Old 02-27-13, 06:54 PM
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Nashkat1
Thanks for coming back to post this update and the new photos, Mike. You put a lot of work into rehabbing this space, and it sounds like it turned out to be comfortable, energy efficient and dey.

Great job, and it's nice to be able to see the final steps. No negative comments here at all!
Thank you!

I know I said I wasn't going to post more about the project but after re-reading my last post, I realized I described the vent area incorrectly with respect to the insulation layers.

To be clear, from the inside of the room out to the roof, the layers are: drywall, plastic film, 1 1/2" of air (for the return space), 1" rigid foam (R6.5), 5 1/2" Roxul (R23), reflective foil, about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4" air gap and then the roof deck.

I had it wrong in the post above. I even re-read it before posting lol

OK... One last photo. When we did the demolition, we uncovered the furnace chimney. We weren't sure what to do with it at first but my wife and her brother covered it in dry stack.



The photo is dark but it looks beautiful in the room.

Mike
 
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Old 02-27-13, 08:36 PM
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Thanks, Mike. I was wondering about the layering where the return is but didn't want to rain on your parade.

And wow! That chimney looks great, especially compared to what it looked like before. What a cool solution. I'm going to file that one for future reference. BTW, I like the way the door to the bathroom turned out too (I think that's the door that's visible beyond the chimney).

One small suggestion for your new room: If you haven't already done so, could you install a ceiling fan some distance away from the return?
 
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Old 02-28-13, 04:58 PM
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That door is for one of the closets.

There is a ceiling fan. The room is only 15' x 15' (not including closets and the bathroom). The return is as far as away from the vents as possible (but still on the ceiling). The fan is centered more over the bed and probably 5 or so feet away from the center of the fan to the return.

Last night it wasn't as cold out but the furnace was running and even with the vents closed (they have been closed all winter) it was a bit too hot. I think tonight I will turn on the fan :-)
 
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Old 02-28-13, 08:39 PM
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Careful! If you have the fan lifting the air at its slowest speed you may actually feel warmer!
 
 

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