Old House Attic Insulation

Adding insulation where it was never designed to go mainly the walls of an old house causes a host of problems all due to the moisture issues it creates.

Old house attic insulation.

Wood can wet without issue but keep it wet and then the problems arise. This old house general contractor tom silva shows affordable ways to create an energy efficient attic how to know what insulation is behind your walls if you live in an older home understanding what pads your walls is essential to keeping your family safe. Here are just a few of the highlights. To keep the ventilation space clear above soffit vents special baffles need to be installed before the insulation goes in.

Square footage of your attic. Type and material of your insulation. In most cases the best type of attic insulation will be blown fiberglass or blown cellulose insulation. The insulation materials used in older houses are not as effective in keeping heat in as the new ones.

This is a safe first step to retaining heat and saving energy. The answer to making an old house inhabitable is insulation. Contractor or insulation installer s fee. Even if you bought the house with insulation already installed into it it s best to double check.

Vermiculite and perlite are older granulated insulations with relatively low r values which describes the product s thermal resistance. Sometimes wood products such as sawdust or balsa wood were used at insulation in old homes but these are very ineffective. According to home advisor insulating your attic can cost between 1700 to 2100. Shredded newspaper or loose fill cellulose was another common insulation in the past.

In most climates it needs a vapor barrier. The insulation must meet doe standards. Rather than insulating the whole home and potentially causing problems like excess humidity you can properly seal the attic of an old house. Fiberglass batts the insulation found in most houses in the u s are inexpensive and quick to install.

Like other batt type insulation fiberglass has a predictable r value if not compressed but is difficult to fit around obstacles without leaving gaps.