Insulate Walls Or Attic First

Wires vents and non ic recessed lights complicate the task.

Insulate walls or attic first.

Walls or ceiling first. Measure the area needing insulation. R 38 is the industry standard and. Always cover the tops of the ceiling joists to make sure the insulation is deep enough to reach your target r value and.

How to install insulation. Tear the sheet across the width instead of tearing it lengthwise. An attic that has mechanical equipment in it that will be finished or will be used for storage needs to have spray foam at the roofline or rigid foam under the roofing. Walls typically have lower r value requirements but check local codes to be sure.

Measure the depth of your current insulation. Once the batts are up there it is a tedious task of laying the batts between ceiling joists. The higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. In addition to walls and attics insulation should be installed in ceilings with unheated spaces basement walls floors above vented crawl spaces cathedral ceilings floors over unheated garages or porches knee walls and in between interior walls especially bathrooms as well as ceilings and floors.

You would stop heat loss from natural convection and block solar gain an increase in heat in the. There are two ways to insulate around wires. Determine if and where you already have insulation. You can achieve better thermal performance in your attic by adding an additional layer of insulation.

Probably in more place than you think. And if there s any knob and tube wiring where insulation should go that needs to be replaced first. Measure the length. If you do have insulation find out the type and compare it to.

While not an easy or fun project you can insulate your attic by yourself. Wall insulation always go for the attic. As for attic vs. Insulate and air seal any knee walls vertical walls with attic space directly behind them in your home as well.

First you can tear or cut the insulation sheets in half and lay half behind the wire and half in front. In addition if you re building a new home or remodeling make sure any attic decking that provides additional storage space or a platform for a heating and or cooling unit or hot water tank is raised above the ceiling joists to leave room for adequate insulation. The largest pay back will be seen here. The batts install the same way.

The worst part is getting the fiberglass batts up into the attic. If the wire is too tight to the wall to make that easy you have a second option. Achieving greater r values in exterior walls in exterior walls add insulating sheathing to achieve a greater r value in your wall system.