How To Add Extra Insulation In Attic

Add the right kind of insulation.

How to add extra insulation in attic.

Fill all cracks between the living area and the attic with caulk or expanding foam. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. It s safer to build a small enclosure with hardware cloth or plywood to keep loose insulation away from lights and exhaust fans. Don t cover can lights unless they are rated for contact with insulation.

Cost effective way to save energy with this old house general contractor tom silva. Start at the lowest part of the attic where the roof meets the outer wall and unroll the insulation perpendicular to the joists back toward the. Check the depth using a tape measure. When adding additional insulation you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic.

For the center areas hold the hose level and blow in insulation evenly until you ve reached your level lines photo 6. You can add loose fill on top of fiberglass batts or blankets and vice versa. Install fiberglass batts over existing batt insulation. Blow in insulation until the hopper is empty.

Turn off the power to the outlet. Remove the outlet cover and shine a flashlight into the crack around the outlet box. Then pivot in place and do the same thing to the other side. Any existing batt or roll insulation in the attic should have the facing against the attic drywall floor or no facing at all.

Put on goggles and gloves to protect yourself while handling. Insulation should be rolled out perpendicular to the joists and unfaced rolls should be used. Batt or rolled insulation or blown loose fill insulation fiberglass or cellulose can be installed on top of old insulation. Carry a batt to the far end of the attic.

See below for a shopping list and tools subscribe to this old house. Use cardboard or rigid foam baffles to keep soffit vents open. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. Measure how much insulation you already have.

Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. How do i add insulation to existing attic insulation. Pull out a small amount of insulation if needed to help. You should be able to see if there is insulation in the wall.