Insulate Unfinished Attic Rafters

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.

Insulate unfinished attic rafters.

Attic baffles also known as rafter vents go along the sides of your attic and keep your soffit vents from being blocked by insulation. Would it be better to insulate between rafters or to attach reflectix to the rafters leaving the space between the reflectix and the plywood open. I use my garage as a home gym so i want to cool it off. You should only insulate your rafters if you have baffles installed to separate the actual rafters themselves from the insulation.

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 there is a floor you will need to remove it to properly insulate the roof rafters. You can use rigid foam panels or do as tom silva does with nearly all houses these days. Do not use plastic sheeting in this case.

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. In unfinished attic spaces insulate between and over the floor joists to seal off living spaces below. Insulating between rafters install batting between the roof rafters for finished attic spaces. In this case the area behind the knee wall will be uncomfortably hot or cold.

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. I live in california with summer days usually over 90 degrees. Attic moisture problems are often the result of heated air from the living space rising up into the attic which is not heated. 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.

Home ceilings are usually insulated in order to seal off the extreme temperatures in your attic. You can use either faced or unfaced batting for this installation. Insulating a finished attic there are two basic ways to insulate a finished attic. 1a attic access door.

Depending on your climate an r value between 38 and 60 is optimal. Hire a pro to install spray foam insulation. I am trying to insulate my unfinished garage roof in order to reduce heat. 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.