Insulate Unfinished Attic Rafters

Depending on your climate an r value between 38 and 60 is optimal.

Insulate unfinished attic rafters.

Place the plastic sheeting on top of the rolled insulation. In unfinished attic spaces insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below. I use my garage as a home gym so i want to cool it off. Batt insulation can be added to the underside of the roof between rafters and a layer of batt or loose insulation can be added over the attic flooring.

Insulating between rafters install batting between the roof rafters for finished attic spaces. 1a attic access door. If you re considering turning your attic into conditioned storage or living space it s worth changing tactics to insulate between the rafters and wall joists instead of the floor. Attic baffles also known as rafter vents go along the sides of your attic and keep your soffit vents from being blocked by insulation.

I am trying to insulate my unfinished garage roof in order to reduce heat. Do not use plastic sheeting in this case. Hire a pro to install spray foam insulation. Home ceilings are usually insulated in order to seal off the extreme temperatures in your attic.

In this case the area behind the knee wall will be uncomfortably hot or cold. If there is a floor you will need to remove it to properly insulate the roof rafters. 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. You can use rigid foam panels or do as tom silva does with nearly all houses these days.

If only the living space will be insulated wrap the insulation around the room s walls and ceiling and then continue along the floor of the non living space. If the air distribution is in the attic space then consider insulating the rafters to move the distribution into the conditioned space. Attic moisture problems are often the result of heated air from the living space rising up into the attic which is not heated. You can use either faced or unfaced batting for this installation.

If your attic is usable space but not lived in then you won t need to insulate the roof rafters as long as the ceiling floor that separates the roof from your living area below is insulated. In order to avoid damage to the roof deck you should insulate ceilings to create an air barrier between the living space and an unfinished attic or airspace underneath the roof deck. Insulating a finished attic there are two basic ways to insulate a finished attic. You should only insulate your rafters if you have baffles installed to separate the actual rafters themselves from the insulation.