difficult to DIY putting insulation in attic?

[Maximus96]

i always thought i just buy rolls of this stuff from homedepot and then unroll it in the attic...is there anything else that i'd need to do?

thanks

 

[mrchan]

Make sure you put the vapor barrier facing the right direction, leave eaves on the sides for air to flow in and that's pretty much it.

 

[Maximus96]

what does it mean to leave eaves on the sides?

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: Maximus96
what does it mean to leave eaves on the sides?

The underside of your roof should have vents and you need to make sure those vents don't get covered with insulation.

 

[Brazen]

blown in insulation has better insulative value, is easy IMO, and I think is also cheaper.

 

[Maximus96]

i thought blown-in are for inside walls but i don't know much if any about home insulation. i need this for the attic...

 

[mrchan]

Originally posted by: Brazen
blown in insulation has better insulative value, is easy IMO, and I think is also cheaper.

Yeah, but he'd have to hire a company to do it or rent a machine. Not sure which would end up being cheaper.

 

[mrchan]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: Maximus96
what does it mean to leave eaves on the sides?

The underside of your roof should have vents and you need to make sure those vents don't get covered with insulation.

Yup.

 

[aircooled]

laying insulation is easy, but it can be messy and rip your arms up.

There are other variables, like do you have existing older insulation that needs removed? Or is it just completely uninsulated right now?
Is the house old with asbestos stuff in there now?

If it's a clean slate, then just roll the insulation up to the soffit vents and make sure the attic can 'breathe'.

 

[Maximus96]

our old house is completely uninsulated. i plan to add it before we sell it. now the house we're buying is 8 years old and it IS insulated in the attic. for the new house, should i put in more, like another layer? will that help keep it cooler in summer or is that a waste?

 

[huberm]

Originally posted by: mrchan

Originally posted by: Brazen
blown in insulation has better insulative value, is easy IMO, and I think is also cheaper.

Yeah, but he'd have to hire a company to do it or rent a machine. Not sure which would end up being cheaper.

if you buy the stuff, lowes or home depot will let you use the machine for free. You just pay a refundable deposit.

IMO the blown in stuff is the best

 

[Armitage]

Its technically easy, but it's a PITA
Where long sleeves, gloves, and a respirator. Pick a cool overcast day.

Regarding the ventilation issue - they make these styrafoam things abbout 4 feet long that you can staple to the underside of your roof to provide an air channel from the eaves into the attic. Lets you stuff the insulation closer to the eaves without worrying about blocking the circulation.

If you can find it, get the encapsulated fiberglass. It comes in a plastic sleeve and is alot nicer to work with. Much less dust and contact with the fiberglass.

Why are you planning on insulating a house that you're selling? I doubt that you make up the investment. Spend it on some eye candy that might recoup on the sale - landscaping, paint, etc.

 

[bctbct]

Use the cellulose blow in insulation. Cheaper, higher R value, better coverage. As said before make sure not to block any vents. Made of paper so no itch...gets dusty when you do it but you'll live.

 

[Sepen]

If it is uninsulated now, use rolls with the vapor barrier down. Also, use cardboard or styrofoam baffles at the eaves to make sure you have proper airflow. (hope you have soffit vents) Also, depending on where you are located make sure you use the right r factor. Here in the NEast it is now recommended to be r48. So you might have to use 2 layers, the first going in the direction of the rafters and the 2nd going in the opposite direction. Or you can do as suggested above and use blow in. Just make sure if it says 12" to go a little bit more than that as it will settle a bit. I have done hundreds of insulation jobs, just don't skimp as it really does do what it is supposed to. As far as the walls, don't bother. The savings versus cost isn't worth it. And it really isn't that difficult, use gloves and a good mask.

 

[mrchan]

Originally posted by: Armitage
Its technically easy, but it's a PITA
Where long sleeves, gloves, and a respirator. Pick a cool overcast day.

Regarding the ventilation issue - they make these styrafoam things abbout 4 feet long that you can staple to the underside of your roof to provide an air channel from the eaves into the attic. Lets you stuff the insulation closer to the eaves without worrying about blocking the circulation.

If you can find it, get the encapsulated fiberglass. It comes in a plastic sleeve and is alot nicer to work with. Much less dust and contact with the fiberglass.

Why are you planning on insulating a house that you're selling? I doubt that you make up the investment. Spend it on some eye candy that might recoup on the sale - landscaping, paint, etc.

Also easier if you have at least one person helping you. That way when you have to crawl into spaces where you can't stand or crouch, they can simply hand you the insulation.

Don't forget to check if your energy company gives any rebates for installing insulation. When I did mine, there was a PG and E rebate as well as a home depot rebate, ended up spending less than $300 total to insulate the attic of a 1400 sq. ft house.

 

[QED]

OK, here's another question?

Is it possible to blow in insulation into an attic that already has a single layer of rolled insulation?

I live in NE Ohio, and I think the insulation up there is R18 so I'd like to put some more up there... can I just spray some stuff in, or should I just buy rolls and roll them on top?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: MathMan
OK, here's another question?

Is it possible to blow in insulation into an attic that already has a single layer of rolled insulation?

I live in NE Ohio, and I think the insulation up there is R18 so I'd like to put some more up there... can I just spray some stuff in, or should I just buy rolls and roll them on top?

Yep just blow the new stuff over the old rolls.


Also I think there is a tax credit/rebate if you spend XXX amount on insulation.

 

[Dirigible]

Originally posted by: Maximus96
our old house is completely uninsulated. i plan to add it before we sell it. now the house we're buying is 8 years old and it IS insulated in the attic. for the new house, should i put in more, like another layer? will that help keep it cooler in summer or is that a waste?

I second Armitage's comment: In most cases, if the buyer can't see it, there's no point in spending money on it. So unless people reeeeeeeeaaaaaallllllly like insulation in your area, you're probably better off not insulating the house you're about to sell.

 

[acemcmac]

Just finished laying R38 in my whole attic... took me the better part of 3 days in the heat of this summer. One day for demolishing turn of the century crap that was in my way and two days for install. What a goddamn ordeal. I'm a little concerned about the references here to "needing to make sure the attic can breathe." I have no attic fan and it's an attached house, so there's nothing on the sides. The cracks and holes at the eaves of the attic (soffit vents?) are pretty much blocked up with insulation. In fact... lol most of the attic is now insulation

I hope that's not *too* bad....

 

[bctbct]

Originally posted by: acemcmac
Just finished laying R38 in my whole attic... took me the better part of 3 days in the heat of this summer. One day for demolishing turn of the century crap that was in my way and two days for install. What a goddamn ordeal. I'm a little concerned about the references here to "needing to make sure the attic can breathe." I have no attic fan and it's an attached house, so there's nothing on the sides. The cracks and holes at the eaves of the attic (soffit vents?) are pretty much blocked up with insulation. In fact... lol most of the attic is now insulation

I hope that's not *too* bad....

Yep, pretty bad. Will void the warranty on your shingles, and rot the sheathing on your roof.

 

[Kirby]

if you use fiberglass insulation, make sure you take a cold shower afterwards....if its hot then your pores will open up and it'll itch like a mofo.

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

When we were redoing our attic I paired the cost of rolled insulation vs. DIY cellulose vs. Hiring out the job..

The cellulose was definately cheaper, but by the time I figured in the cost of renting the blower, I was only a couple hundered $$ cheaper than hiring out the job and rolled in would have cost about the same...

My advice is to pay the $500.00 and hire out the job.

IMO, the extra $100-200.00 it will cost to have it done is well worth not having to climb through the hot attic in July getting drenched in sweat and covered head to toe in insulation particles. That 's not including the sore back/knees and all the crap you'll have breathed in by the time it's all said and done with.

My .02
JR..