Does your home lose heat? Does your home feel drafty? Do you have high gas bills or heating bills in the winter? You may need to insulate the attic of your home. Insulating the attic of your home will help both in winter and the summer. Insulating your home will improve help lower your utilities bills all year long and make your home more comfortable. Most of your heat is lost through the attic of your home, so even if you have well insulated walls you will still need to insulate your attic space as well.
In this article I am going to show you how to insulate your attic, but I suggest you also read my article on “How to Insulate Your Walls”.
Skill – Intermediate
Time – 4 Hours to 1 Day
Cost – $100 – $200
Tools and Materials
Insulation Blower Machine
- Install Baffles
You will need to install baffles starting at the very bottom of the roof line where it meets the walls of your home. This is to ensure your roof will get adequate air flow which is essential to your roof’s health.
Staple the baffles to the roof sheeting with the bottom of the baffle sticking slightly into the soffit or eve space. You will need to cut a piece of batt insulation about 5-6” Long to fill the gap around the bottom of the baffle. This prevents the loose fill insulation from getting into the soffit/eve space.
- Install Planks to Walk On
This is not necessary, but I found it very helpful. I insulated the attic of my home with Owens Corning PINK Insulation about eight years ago and I did not install the planks. This time I decided I didn’t want to have to balance the whole time on 2×8’s.
- Buy Insulation and Rent Blower Machine
You can get Cellulose or Fiberglass Insulation to insulate your attic. You can read my Product Reviews on both Cellulose and Fiberglass insulation. I went with fiberglass the first time and this time I am going with cellulose. In my opinion cellulose is better.
- Stage Your Work Station
You will need two people for the insulating process. One person feeds the machine and the other handles the hose.
- Set the Damper About Half to 3/4 Open
When filling attic spaces you can use the machine with the damper almost all the way open. Don’t open it completely though, it may clog the hose.
- Start Feeding the Machine
Make sure your partner is ready before you turn on the machine or it will get extremely messy. You may need to use a walkie talkie to communicate with your partner to turn the machine on and off.
- Fill the Attic Up to Desired Depth
I had about 8” of fiberglass insulation up there already. I added about 12’ of cellulose on top of it. I am just under R-60 up there now.
I insulated my walls and attic in one day and now my furnace comes on about half as often. I can feel the savings already! Plus, it feels warmer in my home!
The whole process will take a few hours to fill the attic of your home. When you finish up you will immediately notice a difference in your home.
Good luck with your insulating job.
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