Best Attic Insulation For Old House

If you have an unfinished and unconditioned attic like many old houses my first recommendation would be to add batt insulation on the underside of the roof.

Best attic insulation for old house.

Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. Find your zone on the map and then use the chart to determine the level of insulation you need to properly insulate your attic walls floors and crawlspaces. Some homeowners also take the time to build walkways and or storage platforms in the attic prior to installing insulation. To keep the ventilation space clear above soffit vents special baffles need to be installed before the insulation goes in.

In most cases the best type of attic insulation will be blown fiberglass or blown cellulose insulation. Or you can also use blown in insulation which has environment friendly materials available. Cotton batting treated with borates is a good choice for an old house retrofit. You can add r 30 insulation batting throughout your attic.

Inspecting and evaluating your insulation. When you choose this solution and work at it alone be careful and wear safety gear. The national park service advises using insulation treated with borates in historic structures because it won t corrode piping. Achieving greater r values in attics the higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.

It s available in fiberglass mineral wool plastic fibers and natural fibers. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices. For anyone living below the mason dixon line it is never worth the expense to retrofit an old house with wall insulation. Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product.

Check the attic walls and floors adjacent to an unheated space like a garage or basement. If you live in an older house you ll have to inspect the insulation. This type of insulation is mainly made from recycled paper mainly newspapers and sometimes cardboards and other kinds of papers and comes in loose fills. Blanket insulation is available as batts or rolls and is the easiest diy insulation material.

Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material. Thickness must not be used as the sole factor in determining the r value of loose fill insulation particularly for attic insulation. The traditional option is fiberglass insulation. If you are looking for some organic way to insulate your home cellulose insulation will work best for you.

The majority of heat loss and gain occurs in your attic. Read more about the 3 types of heat here.