Insulating attic: how to proceed?


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Old 09-18-20, 06:53 AM
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Insulating attic: how to proceed?

Like some others that have posted, I don’t have a clue of the best way to insulate this attic.

Just bought this beach vacation home and have noticed the upstairs stays much hotter than down. First thing I want to do is get the attic insulation up to R38. The attic is directly over the garage which is also basically uninsulated.

this is a pic of it prior to us buying it. It is now empty and really hot. The attic door goes right into the third bedroom which gets very uncomfortable on hot days.

How should I attack this project. As one would expect money is tight during these times especially right after closing. Thanks

 
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Old 09-18-20, 07:50 AM
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To increase the insulation it would be best to remove the OSB down as flooring so more insulation can be blown in.

I don't see a attic door that you referred to. Is it a door in a wall you can walk through or is it a scutty or access hole in a ceiling.
 
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Old 09-18-20, 08:49 AM
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You'd also want to make sure it's well ventilated ... make sure the path from the soffit vents doesn't get blocked.
 
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Old 09-18-20, 09:06 AM
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Are you insulating as it exists in the picture or finishing?
 
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Old 09-18-20, 03:25 PM
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1. The door is a full bedroom type door that I am standing in when this pic was taken. We have weather stripped it but I’m sure that’s about useless.

2. Not going to finish this room off anymore than what is shown.

I have never tried anything like this DIY and I’m old and my health is not good but I also don’t want to spend thousands to hire a contractor.
 
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Old 09-18-20, 06:28 PM
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Just bought this beach vacation home and have noticed the upstairs stays much hotter than down. First thing I want to do is get the attic insulation up to R38. The attic is directly over the garage which is also basically uninsulated.
IMO you are wasting your time on that space. Its an attic. Attics are hot. Insulating the floor is not going to keep that room cool at all. Insulating walls or even the rafters is not going to keep it cool. If it has no ductwork to pull hot air out, and no ductwork to bring air conditioned air in, insulation alone is not going to climate control that storage room. The heat from the roof is the other issue... and insulation will only slow the heat gain, it won't stop it. Plus hot air rises. You could spray foam the rafters in hopes of blocking the roof heat, but in addition to slowing heat gain, it will also hold heat in once it does heat up (which it will), meaning it will just be hotter later in the day and hotter for longer at night. Also, if you spray foam the rafters you can't ventilate that space, because it would then need to be treated as CONDITIONED space... as in heated and air conditioned with ductwork.

The thing you need to insulate is the shared wall with that attic space. Sheeting the attic side of the wall with 2" of Thermax, for example. And building some sort of insulated 2nd door as well.
 
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Old 09-19-20, 04:12 AM
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this is a pic of the door going to the attic next to the dresser. I’m beginning to think I should just put some film on the windows and suck it up!

 
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Old 09-19-20, 04:29 AM
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I certainly would insulate any walls that face/adjoin the attic. I would also consider replacing the interior, possibly hollow core door with a insulated exterior door. It will give you some R value and with it's weather stripping it will seal pretty well.
 
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Old 09-20-20, 04:15 AM
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This is identical to the bonus room above our garage that has an entrance door at the end of the hall.

Common wall is 6" fully insulated with an insulated steel exterior door. In the summer it can be quite the temp difference going from conditioned interior to that unconditioned, yet ventilated, bonus room!
 
 

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