handy man help? I want to insulate my attic need some pointers.?

Question

House from the 70's the attic will be a scary deal to begin with.
I need to replace some exterior wood and exterminate as well.

I have about 3 months to get this job DONE. So can I have a plan of action. OH- its just one person doing the work-me...so be kind- I'm a newby- yet fearless!

Answer 1

1st, tools; utility knife, tape measure, straight edge (a framing square works well or a level), work gloves, dust masks, eye goggles. 2nd, work clothing; old long clothes (good)( turtle neck shirt and long pants), or buy a tyvek one piece jump suit (better), rubber knee pads, spot light, extension cord. 3rd, a book or pamphlet on installing insulation from a home center. if the attic has a walkway you can use that for your cutting surface. if you have nothing but the ceiling joists, you will need a work surface to support you and one to work on, a couple of pieces of plywood cut in half will work good. if the attic has a floor, sections of it will have to come up. next, is there insulation in the attic already? dos it have a vapor barrier to it? either on the top or bottom? you need to know this to buy the correct insulation, if you have a vapor barrier you buy un-faced insulation, don't have it you buy faced. next determine how deep the ceiling joists are (how thick to buy). if the joist bays are already full, you will put the new insulation perpendicular to them. the store where you buy the insulation will help you determine how much you need for thickness but you will need to know the dimensions of the attic, and how far apart the joists bays are (width). when you install the insulation do not run it all the way to the bottom of the roof, that will block air flow (ventilation). it is o.k. to run it right up to the side walls though. this explanation covers most but not all of what you will encounter. do this work in the late fall, winter, or early spring for your comfort while working. and also take cold or cool shower when you clean up after working with insulation. good luck and have a warm and happy new year!!

Answer 2

The only thing you have to be concerned about is asbestos which is somewhat unlikely unless you have radiators or a hot water boiler. It will resemble drywall and it will look as if there is drywall wrapped around the piping. Other than that, most houses built pre-1980 were pretty well built and being that cheap materials didn't exist back then, it was pretty hard to take short cuts in the construction process. Oh... and because of that- doing any demolition will be rather difficult if you want to take out any walls or bathroom fixtures.

Answer 3

Never put insulation directly on the under side of your roof. The sheathing needs to have air so it can "breathe." What that means is if it cannot get air to it, it'll rot. That's why they put vents up in the attic. Put more insulation on top of the ceiling of your house. (On the floor of your attic.) That's the best way to add insulation.

Answer 4

I'd suggest bags of loose insulation (pink stuff) that you can spread as deep as you like. This would also be a good time to add a couple sheets of plywood up there (assuming you have head space) to add to your storage capacity. Insulate under them (between rafters) then nail plywood down to give you some floor space to walk around. Then fill up the rest of the floor w/ loose bag insulation.

Be sure to wear eye/mouth/nose protection so you dont' inhale fiberglass, or get it in your eyes.

Cellulose is another safter and good option, tho heavy. And termites eat it; but it if you're treating for pests, you should be fine.

Answer 5

I would use insulation that can be blown in; you can get the insulation and the equipment it will take to do the blowing at a home improvement store; you may need a second person to drop the insulation into the bin, but it shouldn't take more than two people to get the job done. It's fairly fast, extremely simple and you don't get fiberglass all over yourself; you still get pretty dirty, but no fiberglass stuck to your skin and clothes and anyone who's had fiberglass on them can attest to how uncomfortable and sometimes painful fiberglass can be...

Answer 6

400mm Thickness recommended for loft insulation,(You can get it from Most DIY Stores) and its far cheaper than having those bitty pieces all over the place.Measure your Loft Distance " ACROSS" your beams, and cut your " Lagging" with Large scissors Prior to going in Loft(Remember safety Goggles,mask and household gloves) Lay Evenly across the Joists(ensuring the Insulation goes into the Corners.[It would be good to have friend pass these up to You as You lay them...dont forget to leave your space entry till Last! On Completion Have a shower to remove all Insulation Dust [It does Irritate]...Any Probs with the shower bit ..let me know.....Hehehehehh ...Good Luck

Answer 7

you DONT lay insulation across the joist. you lay it in between. and the best way is to remove all the old to get a better fit. this ensures that any escaping air through drafts in the walls are sufficently stopped. then perhaps some ply wood over the joists to give you walking room because you never walk between wood. always walk on the wood!
if you blow it in its costly and like the preivious one stated, two are involved. use the roll. their usually 14.5 inches gap between ceiling joist. its relatively standard