Old House Attic Insulation

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.

Old house attic insulation.

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. Insulating the attic and roof roughly a quarter of the average home s heat is lost through the roof. Sometimes wood products such as sawdust or balsa wood were used at insulation in old homes but these are very ineffective.

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. Type and material of your insulation. Fiberglass batts the insulation found in most houses in the u s are inexpensive and quick to install.

Square footage of your attic. In most cases the best type of attic insulation will be blown fiberglass or blown cellulose insulation. Rather than insulating the whole home and potentially causing problems like excess humidity you can properly seal the attic of an old house. In most climates it needs a vapor barrier.

Contractor or insulation installer s fee. The insulation materials used in older houses are not as effective in keeping heat in as the new ones. The main factors that impact the cost are. The answer to making an old house inhabitable is insulation.

Vermiculite and perlite are older granulated insulations with relatively low r values which describes the product s thermal resistance. Some homeowners also take the time to build walkways and or storage platforms in the attic prior to installing insulation. Wood can wet without issue but keep it wet and then the problems arise. The insulation must meet doe standards.

This is a safe first step to retaining heat and saving energy.