Insulating Attic Raftes

To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.

Insulating attic raftes.

If you re using the attic for living space then you need to insulate the rafters. You can buy air ducts that staple to the inside of your roof above the eave vents and fit between the rafters. If you re not do the attic floor. If the plastic sheeting is in pieces overlap the pieces by 8 inches and staple it in place directly to the roof rafters and the wall.

In unfinished attic spaces insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below. Insulation if your attic is going to be converted into livable space then you will need to insulate the roof rafters. You should only insulate your rafters if you have baffles installed to separate the actual rafters themselves from the insulation. Attic baffles also known as rafter vents go along the sides of your attic and keep your soffit vents from being blocked by insulation.

Hire a pro to install spray foam insulation. The ones i ve used are made of styrofoam and iirc they cost around 2. 1a attic access door. Do not use plastic sheeting in this case.

If the air distribution is in the attic space then consider insulating the rafters to move the distribution into the conditioned space. The will hold open an air gap of approximately 1 inch to allow airflow past a layer of insulation. Place the plastic sheeting on top of the rolled insulation. Consumers are often told by spray foam contractors to do the rafters.

If there is a floor you will need to remove it to properly insulate the roof rafters. You can use rigid foam panels or do as tom silva does with nearly all houses these days. Install ventilation baffles into the space between the rafters before you install the insulation usually by stapling into place. Apply insulation between rafters when finishing an attic into a heated room or when building a cathedral ceiling in the home.

If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts.