Attic Insulation !!

[bigredhead]

Hey everyone !!

After receiving last months power bill :eek:

I took advantage of Home Depot's one year no payment no interest deal and got me 15 bags of R-20 pink itch panther.

They are 6 inches thick per strip, i plan to run 2 layers thick, one in each direction. The house is 50 + years old and back then heat had to be cheap cuz the attic has about 1 inch of paper back yellow insulation in it right now !!! lol....... :crazy:

Question is this:

I have walk thru crawl spaces along both sides of the roof, so i only have access to half the roof thru the attic.. as the crawl spaces have plywood nailed to the rafters and removing this is not an option.

Anything i should know ? tricks .. ? tips ? .. is 12 inches thick enough ?

Ohhhhh.. i'm already scratching.. i hate that stinkin stuff..

[Tap]

Well im no carpenter but i just finished helping my uncle insulate his new garage which has a room upstairs

I imagine that only 6inches would be plenty but i guess 12 is better
then again doesnt home depot allow you to return any unused portions?

Also if i understood what you said right then you have no access to part of the attic
if this is the case you could use the Spray insulation right?

[Trikeaholic]

buy a coal stove. I went from $5000 a year for fuel oil to $1000 in oil and $1000 in coal.
stove cost $2000
made money in one winter!

[bigredhead]

I"m heating forced air electric right now.

The house was once heated with wood, as the old wood stove/oven/cook top is still in the basement.. and then went to oil. removed 2 full sized and one half size tank from the basement with 15 year old oil in them.. that was fun !!!!.

I hate dirty heat.. wood heat is comfortable and i love the smell. but it's messy and alot of work, plus since i'm in the city, getting a truck load ( 1 cord sp ? ) is about 200 $ if you know the right people.. 150 sometimes.. but no cheaper.

[Bigred200]

rent the machine and blow in celulose its easy and cheaper then fiberglass and doesnt itch....lol.... home depot rents the machines out.

[bigredhead]

Already bought the pink stuff.. it's in the garage.. all 15 bags of it.. too late.

I prefer the pink to the blown in stuff... have you ever had to get into an attic with blown in insulation before ? .. i have.. what a mess.

[mike from long island]

i am not 100% sure how your attic is. what is the plywoods purpose? if you are unable to remove it then blown in insulation is the only answer. you only need about a 3 inch hole to blow it in. it is difficult to picture your attic. can you do sections at a time? maybe remove some plywood instead of it all. then replace it as you go? :wondering :wondering mike

[85 250sx]

why is taking off the ply wood not at option? i have never built or seen a house with plywood in the attic. you could take the ply would off and nail some 2x4's along the trusses or rafters to to help suport them if thats what your worried about. or you could cut holes in the plywood and use spray in insulation but you already said thats not an option either. so i guess withe out any of those two options you dont realy have any.

[deathman53]

I absolutley hate insulation, I'm a electrician, just thinking about that pink stuff makes me itch, the blown stuff is even worse, it gets everywhere!!!!!! When you go into the attic, you end up tracking it all over the house. Have you guys ever seen 80 yr old blown insultion, it itches, it has small schards of glass that can really hurt and it also probably contains asbestos.

[holmstrom]

Hey everyone !!

After receiving last months power bill :eek:

I took advantage of Home Depot's one year no payment no interest deal and got me 15 bags of R-20 pink itch panther.

.
if you double layer your insulation like you want that would be r-40. r value is detirmened by thickness. You take 2 pcs of r-20 and stack it you have r-40. If you use the blown insulation, 8 inches deep is r-30. Most blown insulation is made up of recycled paper so it wont be itchy. If you purchase enough bags, lowes lets you rent the machine for free.

[bigredhead]

It's a little hard to explain, but the upstairs bedrooms each have a door to get into the crawl spaces.. they are the one's lined with plywood.. above this is the attic wich i have access to and am insulating with pink stuff.

The bedrooms have those partial 45 degree ceilings and those are the one's i canot access without totally tearing stuff out and making a mess of the drywall and ply..

Funny the electrician mentioned that.. next year i'm having the electrical done and this is why i did not go with blown in..

I plan to yank all the wire clips loose so that going into the attic may not be needed, the wires can just be pig tailed and fished out from the existing fixtures. :w00t:

I'll get pictures.. hold on.

[bigredhead]

Here they are.

1st is the bedroom, you can see how the 2ft section of 45 degree ceiling is part of the roof line..

2nd is the crawlspace that meets up with the bedroom celing. but behind it.

3rd is what i'm dealing with in the attic itself.. check that 50 year old worthless insulation !! lol...

[darrel632]

To deal with picture 3 is easy, do your double R-20, make sure you have some air gap on the peak to floor junction for ventilation, every 3 joist is usually enough, 4 inch gap put poly down wrapping the joists if you don't already have poly between the drywall and joists.

Picture 2 starts an isue, is that a plywood floor as well? If it is you either
A) pull it and insulate or
B) drill 2 inch holes and blow in insulation or
C) the best option pull it,styrofoam and seal with canned foam put it back in.

Picture 1 insulate the 6 foot vertcal wall from the back side, poly against the drywall if its not done, then R-20 is enough

[Somekindofjerk]

As a basic rule of thumb...
1.Buy a good face masc, that old insulation is dusty
2.A good framing square and knife are a necessity
3.Knee pads are a must, otherwise your knees feel like they will collapse under you.
4.Make sure the paper side of the insullation faces the living space... otherwise youv done little to no good
5.12 in will do just fine for you, though from what i was reading 12-20 is the good range.
6.Pull the plywood off, just take your time with a cats paw or flatbar and remove it. Its worth your trouble in the lond run.

Most important, watch your back... Nails are sharp:) I found out the hard way doing mine:lol:

[bigredhead]

Well... it was one hell of a day .. phew...

I ended up having to remove the ceiling ply panels from picture number 2.. there was insulation in there but it was packed in tight and was all wet from condensation.

I put in eave vents on every single lenght and then R-20 behind this and then 6 mil plastic and then re-nail the plywood over top the plastic.

The eaves themselves were packed tight with that paperback stuff. a 4 ft piece in a 1 ft opening.. all soaked, the eave is not vented at all.. i'm going to remove the sofets ( spelling ? ) once winter is over as they would crack right now .. it's too cold for the plastic sofet.

I have 3m asbestos masks with the pink filters, thank god.. it's a moldy mess up there. before the roof got done 5 years ago, the attic was getting ALOT of water and things got bad up there.. i'm bagging anything green and might spray it lightly with bleach before i load it up with new pink stuff...

thanks for the tips guys.. confirms my doubts as i go.

Knee pads tomorrow for sure.. my knees are killing me right now.. youch.

[bigredhead]

Well.. day 3 and still at it... :mad:

I tell ya what tho.. you ever want to find out who your real friends are.. insulate your attic ! :lol:

Thank god i had buddies come over and help me out. Looked like a nuclear disaster with all 3 of us sealed up in paper painters suits with filter masks on and taped up latex gloves and boots..

Just got out of the shower.. and still itchy. Been picking it out of the dogs fur...

And i still have a few more days worth of work before i'm done...

The idiots who did this last time PACKED the eaves full .. and i mean FULL.. stuff was all wet and soggy, I'll post pics of the progress tomorrow !

[erectordale]

Bigred you are going about this the right way as I build and rebuild houses for a living all the things you talked about doing here will help a Ton on the utility bills. getting the roof to breath through the soffits will prevent ice and condensation damage in the attic and outside on the shingles. Keep up the great work and the pocket will feel the differance right away Dale

[bigredhead]

Thanks Dale !! that's encouraging !! lol..

My power bill this month will SUCK as i'm having to leave the roof partially un-insulated to let the wood dry before i re-insulate it.. so i'm loosing alot of heat right now.. and the snow is not helping as things are more and mroe humid, makes the glasses all fogged up and work miserable.. but i'm getting it done.

Next month however.. i better see a difference.. or i'm slicing my wrists with my home depot card..

[darrel632]

Looking at your post from 3 days ago, you put the poly next to the drywall, right (The hot, house side) please say yes. if you didn't, your going to have a disaster on your hands real quick from condensation, I've seen ceilings collapse from the weight of water It's called ice damming and its just plain ugly; the attic must breath and plastic kills it The plywood has some breathability and is ok over the insulation. Even if it increases your electrical bill somewhat put 2 big box fans in your attic space and run 'em full time till spring you have to keep it as dry as possible untill you put in soffits, even cut 3 in X 10 in holes in the vertical faces of the attic and put in house floor vents for air circulation; this spring you can use metal house screen on them to keep insects out.

[Somekindofjerk]

Knee pads tomorrow for sure.. my knees are killing me right now.. youch.
Yeah, even me being 17 bending down that much walking around on your knees hurts like hell! If i was there, i would give you a hand. Doing it alone sucks:( Had to do my dads here alone. God dang was that annoying:lol:

Keep us updated and maybey some Pics would be cool?

[bigredhead]

oh yes.. i got it right.

Shingles / tar paper / wood / eave vents / pink insulation / vapor barrier / plywood. in that order.

I was considering the fans.. i have 2 vents already in the attic.. i may install a fan on one of them to create an airflow from one side to the other,

[darrel632]

Do the fans, even 1 to keep air flow goin' - its impossible to dry everything out perfectly during a winter reno with what you described, your gonna get mold again and thats dangerous to little kids, and some adults. In the summer put in a whirly vent in the roof they help a bunch if your coastal. Congrats, thats an ugly job to do on your own

[bigredhead]

I do suffer from mold/mildew alergies, so preventing mold is of upmost importance. I guess it's home depot again tonight !! lol....

Good thing i can do this in winter as it's too cold for the mold to prosper in there right now and allows workable conditions.. with proper gear that is.. i would not even consider crawling in the attic without my asbestos rated air filter mask.

We got alot of snow last night.. and i have 2 ft ice spikes hanging from my gutters this morning where i remove the wet insulation to let it dry.. loosing alot of heat.. but the inside is now dry enough for me to re-insulate and seal it up again.

I took more pictures last night.. will post them later on.

I did find one bad spot on the roof.. when they nailed down the new shingles the nail simply broke the wood underneath it.. can i repair this from the inside ? sylicone ? tar ? foam ? or leave it be ?

[darrel632]

Is water coming through? You can bridge it by going 90 degrees to the direction of the roof boards from underneath by using PL400 and screws, but make sure you don't go right threw the roof planks and shingles, remove all the screws 48 hours after the installation, unless you use brass fasteners. The tar papr should not be torn.
or, (preferred) you carefully cut out the affected board between the rafters, cut a new board to fit exactly, and cripple stud under the new section gluing and screwing to the rafters again ensuring that the tar paper is not damaged, if it is, install a new, small piece of tar paper from the underside lapping under / over, tar the back side of the paper and put in the new board as above. This may not be perfect but it works 100%. Pour the air to it, break all the icicles you can reach, you don't want big freaking icicles hanging they will soak into everything when it starts to warm up.

Glad you like the east country, we have 0 snow and +C temps in Alberta for the 3rd month of winter, other than servicing the snow machines I haven't started them since March 05, its still trike and quad weather. yeah -ha. I freaken hate the cold after 15 years of workin' in Africa -- this is a total bonus winter so far.

[bigredhead]

No it's not leaking right now and i don't want to create a leak by trying to remove the wood and possibly puncturing the tar paper.. I like the bridge idea and the adhesive idea.. good tip ! thanks !

Yeah.. weather here in NewBrunswick is pretty snowy, and the worst of the season is just upon us.. this is why i want to get it done asap.

I have had alot of help from friends, but it's an awful job to ask help with.. i fully understand why they don't knock down my door to help !! hahahahaha.. but they do when asked, wich i'm greatful for !

[bigredhead]

Here's some pics !!.. gotta love the pink stuff...:mad:

[bigredhead]

Here is the rotten board i was refering to.. the picture is not very clear at all. but from the dark wook you get the idea.. i put up a ridge vent to it and it really bulges in.. i'm attacking this tomorrow night .

Look like i'll be doing roofing within a year or 2.:wondering

oops.. forgot to attach image..

[1985 200s]

To patch that spot put a piece of half inch ply and glue it and screw it right to the roof with 1" screws. If there are roofing nails sticking through nip them off with end cutters and grind them subsurface with a grinder. The vents you are using are rafter vents and are apart of a system. You'll need to install soffitt vents and a ridge vent to complete the system and create proper air flow. The air will come in soffitt vents, up the rafter vents (ducts), and out the ridge vent. It appears your rafter vent's may be dead ended at the bottom. If they are when you install your soffitt venting drill several 3/4" holes thru the block of wood that spans across the rafters. A roof should never be insulated directly without ventilation. I've saw alot of this in recent years. Even saw roofers remove a decayed roof and reroof and leave the insulation problem intact and the home owner has no idea in 5 or so years they'll be reroofing again.

[bigredhead]

Good call.. That's exactly what has happened.

I bought the house 2 years ago.. and the shingles , siding, doors and windows were all renovated and re-done 4 years before i got it... horrible workmanship tho.. my god the things i keep finding.. horrible.

It's too cold out here right now for me to remove the soffit vents, they will just crack. i have to wait until spring/summer and then drill holes between each rafter just like you mentioned.

They installed the soffit vents directly over the wood eaves.. no vents what so ever... not a single one...ugh..

I'm getting there tho.. was at it in the attic late last night once again.. I'm done with the tear out.. the garbage guys must hate me .. lol.....

[traxxasx]

some holes like these.....

[darrel632]

Your better off if you can afford it is rip down the plywood soffit, (you have plastic screwed to them?) and go aluminum on all the horizontal surfaces lets air in keeps critters out, drilling holes is a boon to wasps, hornets, mice, and other assorted beasts like bats, etc. The less wood you have the less rot your gonna get over a period of time when it comes to this kind of reno. takes time and money, but like a trike its a source of pride when you've done it correctly.

[bigredhead]

I hear ya..

The entire house was " House Wrapped " with one inch high density wool and foil backing, then vinyl sided, 4 years before i bought it.. 6 years ago...i've had it 2 years now. New shingles.. windows.. doors.. idiots had to have noticed the insulation after repairing some portions of the roof, but never did anything about it.

They installed J trim and soffet vents over the existing wooden eaves.. so once winter blows over, the plan was to remove the vinyl soffet, drill holes in the wood eaves .. like sloth posted. and cover the holes with fine mesh screen.. then re-install the soffet vents.

When i moved in.. the place had mice.... LOTS of mice.. wasps in the front yard and in the BASEMENT.. and ants condo's in the back yard...

I won the war on all of them.. and little by little.. this place is becoming the jewel it once was.. but it's alot of time and money.... oh yeah.

[bigredhead]

Herre are a few pictures of the past few days.

See in the 1st one how the eave is PACKED tight and soaked.. i'm amazed that there was no huge amounts of mold.. too cold i guess.. thank god.

2nd one is how wet the wood is under the insulation when i removed it. all dry now..:w00t:

[traxxasx]

Are those blood drops.....and DAMN those boards are soaked......i bet there warped....

[hoser]

Fine mesh screen will become plugged in a few years with dirt and what not reducing flow by 80% or more if your going to cover with screen cut 1' diameter holes...

[1985 200s]

I don't see roofing nails protruding through the roof. Thats odd. They should penetrate all the way through. They used some short nails or redecked over the old deck and didn't increase nail length. When you reroof in a couple years make sure you use nails long enough to penetrate all the way through. Don't be surprised when you reroof to see nails starting to pull up on there own. If the nails don't penetrate all the way through they tend to loosen and work there way out from the freeze thaw cycle especially as wet as that roof was. As far as ventilation measure your house's length and width and multiply it to get square footage of the house. Not concerned if it's more than one story just the general square footage of a single story. The general rule is 1 square foot ventilation for every 150 square foot without ridge vent and 1 square foot ventilation for every 300 square foot with a ridge vent. I generally use all perforated soffitt if there are just gable end vents and alternate vented and solid when theres ridge vent. Also there is a soffitt panel out now that is solid from underneath and perforated it's entire length in each of it's channels which looks cosmetically better and can be used with ridge vent and give enough ventilation.

[darrel632]

It's sad but most guys in the reno industry really have no concept as to how critical insulation is and how to put it in so its affective, it really doesn't suprize me that a bunch of roofers overlooked it, most of 'em don't know what they are looking at. I think if I was you and you can recover all your "overlay" soffit, I'd just get rid of the plywood under it and use straight soffit, its engineered as a stand alone product, and will ensure adequate ventalation.

[1985 200s]

It's sad but most guys in the reno industry really have no concept as to how critical insulation is and how to put it in so its affective, it really doesn't suprize me that a bunch of roofers overlooked it, most of 'em don't know what they are looking at. I think if I was you and you can recover all your "overlay" soffit, I'd just get rid of the plywood under it and use straight soffit, its engineered as a stand alone product, and will ensure adequate ventalation.

Even if you can't totally remove the plywood cut as much of it out as you can with a recip (sawzall) saw or jigsaw. The holes I was refering to in a previous post was not intended for the ply wood under the soffitt. In your most recent pics I see the situation better and you don't appear to have those boards. In some houses I've seen there was a block of wood that spaned across the roof joist's on top of the upper wall plate up to the roof as a way of segregating the outside eaves from the interior. I don't see those in your pic. They would be right where that insulation sticks out that is cramed in the eaves.

[bigredhead]

Are those blood drops.....and DAMN those boards are soaked......i bet there warped....

Actually.. they look quite good for what they have been subjected to.

My house was built at a time when a 2 x 6.. was actually 2 x 6 ....

I was curious about the lack of roofing nails as well... the boards that the shingles nail into are a good INCH thick... it's not the crummy half inch particle board they use now-adays.. that might explain it.

I have done alot of research and asked a tonne of questions since i've began this project.. have learned alot.. specially that there are more opinions on how things should be done than ants in an ant hill... it's amazing.

Thanks for all the info guys.. keep it comming if you think of anything at all !

[bigredhead]

oh.. and another question.

I was up in the attic itself yesterday pushing the old wet insulation thru the sections of crawl space i canot reach from underneath.. and found a fair amound of powery green mold on the rafters and an insane amount of particles in the air from moving around ( when you look at the beam of light you can see tonnes of crap floating around..

Should i bag and remove all the old paperback wool insulation and bleach the entire attic.. or assuming that things will stay dry now that it's vented.. just cover the whole thing with pink batts and leave it be ?

Hauling all that away is not fun.. i already have about 20 industrial husky bags piled behind the garage in the snow.. another 6 in the spare bedroom and i have to haul it thru the house making a horrible mess and dust all over the place.. if it can stay there. i'd rather leave it.. but it it's better to remove it now's the time to do it.

suggestions ?

[1985 200s]

Personally I would clean it up just due to the potential allergens. If the mold does not become wet it can not grow though. In your one pic it appears there is ply over those 1 inch boards. Regardless the nails should penetrate. I also doubt your boards will warp they should be quite stable after all these years and if there not warped now they should be OK. All the info I have given I have given only because I know or I woudn't give it. I still see roofing companies roof houses wrong and there clueless. I follow manufacturers exact specs and instalation instructions so as not to void any warranty and I've been doing this along time. I was self employed but got sick of competing against half assers who do it cheaper and usually wrong. Thats how they make it profitable enough that they can under bid. Problem is alot of times an issue arises after the new owner buys a recently remodeled house. They go for best prices when remodeling for resale so people need to be carefull when purchasing a recently remodeled house.

[bigredhead]

Yeah.. i agree..

The people i bought it from had an " Inspector " check it before they got the house 4 years prior to me.. as it had just been renovated.. they were never told about the venting problem.. the inspector poked his head in the attic and said " it needs more insulation " and that was it.

Some people should not be employed in certain fields sometimes.. sheeesh..

I love the location and got it for an incredible price, so even if i have to totally re-renovate it again.. properly, i'm ok with it.. then i know it's done right..

I understand what you mean about undercutting, some guys just don't care about what they do, only want the money, and half ass everything.. it's horrible. but you see it in every field out there.. it's too bad.

I love watching Holmes on Homes !! lol.. he's hilarious when he gets pissed at contractors..

[1985 200s]

Yes the inspectors to are usually in a hurry to get as many done as they can, thats how they make there money, and often overlook things. I am actually contemplating getting licensed to do home inspections. It's sad to see some of the crap that goes on. It's a major investment and sucks to start loosing money on it right away. Your lucky you got a good deal there are others who loose there ass. Your deal would have been even better though had you not had these issues.

[bigredhead]

True.

You should have seen the ordeal i had to go thru to remove 2 and a half tank of 15 year old furnace oil from the basement !!!! that was fun.

We had to empty them, cut them with sawzalls and haul them thru the house in pieces.. god that was LOUD.... never spilled a drop tho.. phew. ( i'm told that can be expensive !!!! )

Next big project involves tearing down the chimney, installing a propane fireplace with direct vent... that's gonna suck... it's no more than 10 years old but the bricks are brittle and are falling apart.. i don't use the current wood fireplace at all because of this.. the liner is ok.. but it needs to come down.

I either have to skim coat it, and frame / side it or tear it down.. leaning on tearing it down.

[darrel632]

I'd wait till spring to get rid of the dry green mold, make a hatch or opening in an area exposed to the ouside (open up the soffit some where and push it out) try to vacuum the dry stuff out with a HEPA filtered vacuum before removing the batt insulation), and dispose of the bad stuff without going through the house, the last thing you want to do is spread potentially harmful spores inside your house; if its dry and seems properly insulated in that area let it go til its warmer -beach or ammonia everything wood after. So far you seem to be doing everything as best you can and should have no issues when your completed.
Good Luck

[darrel632]

If you do a propane furnace go to a 94% efficient and side vent it, you don't need a chimminey anymore, and if you get a Energy Inspection (about 150 bucks)the Cdn gov't will cough up anywhere from 500 to 1700 in rebates,(You are in Canada, right?) All you reinsulation could have gone under this program as well same as energy efficient hot water tanks, windows doors, etc.

[bigredhead]

Yep .. i am in canooda... this rebate you speak of... hmmm.. i have to look into that !!

And yes.. i want the fancy fireplace with the remote control lol....

You guys wait until i get into flooring.. i'ma have a 10 page thread !! lol...

[1985 200s]

You guys wait until i get into flooring.. i'ma have a 10 page thread !! lol...
I'll be waiting.

Also the chimney deal. I would rebuild it if I were you. Will last along time done right. Haven't seen many last long skim coated.

[darrel632]

Federal Gov't grant program

1) High efficency home heating system cost relief program
2) Houses retrofit grant
3) Energy star grant -Not sure if this one is still available.

as well different provences will match or have parrallel programs to underwrite or subsidize the costs of a reno.

Junk the chimmeny if you can with the high efficeincy equipment.
Your loosing 10 to 15% of your heat value with a chimminey
4 years and your cost savings on high efficency equipment has paid for itself.
We cut the winter costs on our house from 500.00 during a -40 month to 235 dollar bill for a similar time frame after installation.
We went from R 20 Roof insulation to R-56. (1200.00)
Installed Coleman / Evecon 94% efficient furnace (1700.00)
John Woods Energy Efficient Hot water tank (460.00)
LARS electronic 94% efficient boiler heat exchanger for basement / garage in floor heating (1500.00)

Fed Gov't cut us a cheque for 30%, Provincial for 20%, We've saved 4300.00 (estimate) in energy usage (gas) in 3 years; adverage gigajoule usage is down about 50% per year compared to previous 3 years before renos

Spray foam insulation under the floor joists wasn't covered by either gov't although I believe it is now, after all reno's we had to put in an air exchanger because the wood fire places (2 X airtight) were creating a pretty big negative air displacement - the gas furnaces were starving for O2 if the wood burners were going.

Its alot more comfortable in the house now, and way cooler in the summer as well.
Seriously thinking about solar panels in the next few years as both provincial and federal gov'ts have rebates in place for green programs wind, solar, whatever.

[bigredhead]

Wow.. very impressive.

I'm looking at the same problem.. last month was 460 and it was not that cold out... this month will SUCK as the past 2 weeks i've been loosing alot of heat while i let things dry before re-insulating.

My attic will have R-40 plus what ever the paper back stuff's R value is.. The walls will get done a room at a time during summer, but the chimney is the next item on my list.

Then it's converting from well water to city water !!!!! youch... $$$$$$$

I have to pay city water taxes.. and i don't have city water.. go figure !!!

[1985 200s]

True.

i don't use the current wood fireplace at all because of this.. the liner is ok.. but it needs to come down.



You do plan on keeping the fireplace for that occasional romantic evening correct?

[bigredhead]

I plan to replace it with a high efficiency propane fireplace insert !!! lol....

[bigredhead]

Well.. been hard at it yesterday and today.. got all the crawlspace done and am finally in the attic.. got all the rafters packed with blown in insulation and then got abot 2/3 of the attic double lined.. the end is in sight !!!:w00t:

[traxxasx]

Well.. been hard at it yesterday and today.. got all the crawlspace done and am finally in the attic.. got all the rafters packed with blown in insulation and then got abot 2/3 of the attic double lined.. the end is in sight !!!:w00t:


mmmmMMmmMMmMmmMmmM....looks like cotton candy. looks Pro.

[bigredhead]

Spent another four hours in there today, looks like i'm going to be 3 bags short.

I initially bought 15 bags, had them deliver it... then went back for more staples and plastic and while i was there got an extra bag for good luck.

Well... used all those 16.. went for 5 more plus 4 bales of compacted cellulose blown in bricks that i fluffed by hand for the crawl spaces that i could not reach with pink.. and i need another 3.... wow...

Looks good tho, and what a difference in temperature in the house, it's unbeleivable. It even dampened down the echo in the bedrooms..

Cost me more than double the initial planned expense.. but worth it.

For anyone needing to do this. Don't underestimate blown in insulation using the machine.. makes the job alot quicker, and the least amount of hours you have to spend in the attic, on your knees on top of 2 x 6's with fiberglass itching in places you can't mention on this forum, and dust filled sweat pouring in your eyes with on top of a breather mask clogged making breathing difficult. ... ... ... quicker.. is better.

But if you have to do the pink.. Stick with R-28 instead of R-20.. thicker, and makes covering gaps much easier, you need everything air tight and like a blanket without any holes ( or as few as possible !! ) lol...

One more night in that hellhole and i'll be done with it !

[1985 200s]

It appears that you are doing an excellent job. :beer

[bigredhead]

Thank you !

That's encouraging !!!

I'll post pictures of the topside once i'm all done !!

[darrel632]

Gonna "tuck tape" the seams to complete the job or just let it ride? That should kill the last of the air movement issues if you do it, not that it looks like you should have much issue with air. Looks real good though.

We're back to + 10 today a wonderful winter so far

[bigredhead]

oh yeah.. i'm going back to the Home Depot for 3 more bags and a roll of that red tyvek tape, I have alot of overlap on the plastic.. one strip would not cover it and i had to use 2 strips.. so since i had to unroll it and cut it.. i used it all. so lots of overlap, but some of the corners and triangle pieces need proper sealing, after this much work. i'm not cutting corners !! lol....

I wanted to get all the insulation in place to save my poor power bill.. and the final touches i can take my time and do it in due time ! ( this week !! )