Attic Insulation In Old Houses

Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product.

Attic insulation in old houses.

Measure the size of the roof rafters. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices. Sometimes wood products such as sawdust or balsa wood were used at insulation in old homes but these are very ineffective. Even if you bought the house with insulation already installed into it it s best to double check.

Are they 2 6 2 8 or bigger. Shredded newspaper or loose fill cellulose was another common insulation in the past. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Insulating the attic and roof roughly a quarter of the average home s heat is lost through the roof.

Rather than insulating the whole home and potentially causing problems like excess humidity you can properly seal the attic of an old house. This old house general contractor tom silva shows affordable ways to create an energy efficient attic how to know what insulation is behind your walls if you live in an older home understanding what pads your walls is essential to keeping your family safe. Find your zone on the map and then use the chart to determine the level of insulation you need to properly insulate your attic walls floors and crawlspaces. Install attic insulation the answer to making an old house inhabitable is insulation.

One of the most common materials containing asbestos fibers is attic and wall insulation. Thickness must not be used as the sole factor in determining the r value of loose fill insulation particularly for attic insulation. But just because your insulation is old doesn t mean it is dangerous. If you have an unfinished and unconditioned attic like many old houses my first recommendation would be to add batt insulation on the underside of the roof.

It doesn t matter the climate just start with the safest place that provides the biggest bang for your buck and that is alwaysthe attic. This is a safe first step to retaining heat and saving energy. Start in the attic the attic should always be the first place you add insulation whether you live in florida or fargo. If you live in an older house you ll have to inspect the insulation.

The bigger they are the thicker the insulation you can fit. In older homes specifically asbestos may be found in many different materials from pipe insulation to flooring adhesive to roof shingles. Vermiculite and perlite are older granulated insulations with relatively low r values which describes the product s thermal resistance. The insulation materials used in older houses are not as effective in keeping heat in as the new ones.

Achieving greater r values in attics the higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.