Reinslating Finished Attic

So it s time to pay close attention to what s happening up there.

Reinslating finished attic. A finished attic should be insulated much like the rest of the house with insulation in the walls and ceiling. The attic floor which is the ceiling of the living space below often already is insulated. For a finished attic to be to code it must satisfy the same living requirements of other rooms sometimes called the rule of sevens any living space in a home needs to have at least 7 feet 2 1 m of clearance from the floor to the ceiling and there needs to be at least 70 square feet of space available at least 7 feet 2 1 m in each direction. Stairs can take up a lot of space in both the attic and in the floor below so they are important considerations for planning.

Most codes require a specified minimum amount of headroom and it s tough to meet this requirement when insulating a finished attic especially since most codes require insulation equal to r 38 or more. If it is and you plan to provide heating and cooling to the finished attic space you need to remove. Since parts of a finished attic are usually very close to the roof insulation often blocks proper ventilation that is needed under a roof structure. Affix rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the hatch or door.

Without properly ventilating the roof your finished space can be just as unpleasant as an unfinished attic. Use a zippered insulated tent to keep the enclosure draft free attic tent at 7 attic cover insulator 120. How to insulate a finished attic. With a finished attic insulation must help keep the attic areas comfortable.

That means insulating the attic floor only not the walls and having vents in the roof. Finished attics need stairs that meet all of the standard staircase requirements. Drill holes between studs and rafters and blow in insulation without taking down walls. To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.

Add weatherstripping around the perimeter and a sweep to the door of a walk up attic. In general stairs must be at least 3 feet wide and provide at least 6 feet 8 inches of headroom. Without properly insulating your finished attic room will also be cold in the winter. Remove the drywall or paneling covering the ceilings and walls.

A finished attic is insulated in one of three ways. Proper attic insulation is the best way to prevent heat loss in the winter and retain cool air in the summer.