To anyone who replaced their attic insulation

kkelly77

Hello all,

Can I just say, to anyone that has replaced their attic insulation on their own, you all deserve a medal. I bought some new insulation from B&Q seeing as it was relatively cheap at €13 a roll (used 8 rolls in total).

Started at 10am and only got finished at 7:30 pm. Took me about 4-5 hours just to clear out the crap the previous owners had left up there as well as the old insulation.

If you're thinking of doing this type of project, you should have at least one other person helping. Three would be even better : )

K

P.S. My house is about 28 years old and the space between the joists was wider that the width of the new insulation which was a pain. If yours is the same cut one roll in half with a saw before unrolling it. Saves a lot of grief.

311

Thank your lucky stars you didn't do it during the summer.

It makes it even more fun:D

Avns1s

Yep, it really is a hateful job. Well done to the guys who do it, day in, day out. Whenever I have done it, I have itched for days afterwards so the hardship doesn't finish immediately!!

Anyway, when you're sitting so much cosier when the wintry weather hits as early as the end of this week, it'll all seem well worthwhile.

10-10-20

I'd love if mine took less than a week!
I have one of those attics with lots of side-sections with tight crawl-spaces and downlighters...

RKQ

Its a dirty job but its well worth the effort.
It can be itchy and hard on the knees but it is one of those DIY projects that takes hardy any skill and gets real results.
Keep up the good work!:D

Kashkai

I know how hot an attic can get in summer so I waited until this time last year to lay extra insulation in mine. I got one of those white disposable and lightweight overalls, a facemask, gloves and glasses to protect me from touching and breathing in the insulation. But Jeez did I sweat like I was running a marathon in the desert. The only other thing I would buy when doing this again is knee pads as kneeling on the joists wrecks your knees.

The good thing was that the protective gear that I wore prevented insulation itch

kkelly77

I found I didn't itch at all. Worst part was because I was sweating so much all the dust and dirt got into my eyes. Looked like I was working in a coal mine. Luckily I did buy knee pads.

K

311

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I know how hot an attic can get in summer so I waited until this time last year to lay extra insulation in mine. I got one of those white disposable and lightweight overalls, a facemask, gloves and glasses to protect me from touching and breathing in the insulation. But Jeez did I sweat like I was running a marathon in the desert. The only other thing I would buy when doing this again is knee pads as kneeling on the joists wrecks your knees.

The good thing was that the protective gear that I wore prevented insulation itch

My apprenticship involved putting a suit on and lagging attics in the middle of july.
The worst part was running short ,coming down freezing and having to go off and get more rolls in soaking wet clothes.

willbur

hi very important to have white trow away painters overalls on, with hood and breathing masks , change the masks every 30 minutes , the firbres are dangerous to your lungs never do it without the masks best way to insulate if there is no floor on the attic
is to fill between the joist without pushing it down to much 100 to 150mm level with the joist and one better to add 150mm again at right angles to the joist , if the attic has a floor then insulate the rafters using kingspan see ther wep site

gears

This might sound like a dumb question but why did you take out the old insulation would it not have been easier and better to leave the old insulation in place. You could have just put the new insulation over the old, however bad it was and there by increasing your over all level of insulation... Couldn't you ??

kkelly77

gears wrote: »

This might sound like a dumb question but why did you take out the old insulation would it not have been easier and better to leave the old insulation in place. You could have just put the new insulation over the old, however bad it was and there by increasing your over all level of insulation... Couldn't you ??

Yes I could have done that but the attic and the insulation were in a REALLY bad condition. I just wanted to clear it all out completely and start from scratch.

K

gerry28

Hi,

We are about to do the same in my parents house on saturday, the attic is full of clutter and we recently had mice up there. Could be a long day!

Lex Luthor

I intend to add an extra layer this weekend to my attic.

I'll be running it perpendicular to the existing insulation. Do you leave a gap between each row of the top layer of insualtion of an couple inches so as to leave the joists breathe?

Also, is it true that 250mm total insualtion thickness is sufficient for our climate?

If thats the case I will only need an extra 100mm on top of what I already have, but I might just get 150mm anyway

RKQ

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I'll be running it perpendicular to the existing insulation. Do you leave a gap between each row of the top layer of insualtion of an couple inches so as to leave the joists breathe?

No gap required with floor joists (you are thinking of air gap between inslation and underside of roof felt on Rafters.) But ensure adequate air circulation at eaves! Ventilation of timbers is important.

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Also, is it true that 250mm total insualtion thickness is sufficient for our climate?
If thats the case I will only need an extra 100mm on top of what I already have, but I might just get 150mm anyway

250mm was a minimum depth - fine for DIY refurbishment - but if you have 150mm between joists I'd recomment 170mm or 200mm over joists (perpendicular to joist)

The thicker the insulation the better. Be careful to ensure adequate air circulation at eaves!

MayoForSam

I have only managed to put down an extra 6" over half of my attic so far because the idiot builder nailed down plywood sheets on top of the joists for flooring when the house was built (serrated nails too :rolleyes:).

So now I have to use a hole saw to drill around every nail to lift the ply, before putting down the extra rockwool, fitting some 6" wooden spacers and dropping the ply down on top again. Total PITA!

yop

How much is a roll of rockwool there Sam? Where did you buy it? Chadwicks or Heiton buckleys?

Rew

Ths is a job im going to start this weekend. I have a dormer bungalow so I have to insulate the attic space in the roof as well as at the edges at room level. Anything specfic need to be taken in to account at the edge attic spaces?

MayoForSam

yop wrote: »

How much is a roll of rockwool there Sam? Where did you buy it? Chadwicks or Heiton buckleys?

Can't quite remember, I got some of it handy from work . I think it was about €30 a roll from my local builder's providers (150mm thick x 1.2 wide x 6m). I cut the roll with a handsaw to fit between the joists (400mm), nasty, sweaty job though.

Raytown Rocks

311 wrote: »

My apprenticship involved putting a suit on and lagging attics in the middle of july.
The worst part was running short ,coming down freezing and having to go off and get more rolls in soaking wet clothes.

I did this for a year in Australia.
Imagine insulating an attic when is 40+ outside...many times I nearly collapsed with the heat.
Christ it was a nightmare..hated the job and to this day the thoughts of insulation makes me itch

bugsntinas

we live in an old cottage(100+year old) and don't know if ours needs doing because the previous idiot put a stud wall half way across the loft hatch:eek:

RKQ

Rew wrote: »

Anything specfic need to be taken in to account at the edge attic spaces?

Yes, maintain cross ventilation to prevent dry rot.
You will (or should) feel a draught at eaves level - DO NOT STUFF this area to stop draught!!! It must be maintained.

Lex Luthor

I picked up 16 rolls of Knauf Space Blanket (150mm thick x 370mm wide by 5.3m long) today at Homebase. They are doing 2 for 1 special on all attic insulation.

Total cost €120.

RKQ

MayoForSam wrote: »

I have only managed to put down an extra 6" over half of my attic so far because the idiot builder nailed down plywood sheets on top of the joists for flooring when the house was built (serrated nails too :rolleyes:).

So now I have to use a hole saw to drill around every nail to lift the ply, before putting down the extra rockwool, fitting some 6" wooden spacers and dropping the ply down on top again. Total PITA!

Why remove the ply?
Could you leave ply, insulate over perpendicular to joists and install 6" wooden spacers etc?
There are also insulation boards that can be floored over, they might suit your needs.

Nulty

im insulating the rafters in a '50s semi.

cutting the kingspan and installing, got to 70% and realised the need for the spacing between the sarking and the insulation. Duh!:o

Have to pull it out now, batten out the rafters. They're 110mm now and have 100mm kingspan.

another 50mm will do the job i think. Though i have to ask before i batten them out, is it worth increasing that to 100mm to get 150mm insulation on the roof?

Also, Im looking to find a roofer to sort out the ventilation. Im no expert but im guessing we need to install a ridge vents with continuous soffits.

Also, the hip rafters? how do you ventilate them??

kevfal0

Does anyone know where i can buy plastic rafter trays for ventilation in Ireland? I've tried googling but can't find any irish suppliers.

GreeBo

MayoForSam wrote: »

I have only managed to put down an extra 6" over half of my attic so far because the idiot builder nailed down plywood sheets on top of the joists for flooring when the house was built (serrated nails too :rolleyes:).

So now I have to use a hole saw to drill around every nail to lift the ply, before putting down the extra rockwool, fitting some 6" wooden spacers and dropping the ply down on top again. Total PITA!

Why not just cut the ply with a circular saw each side of the joists? It will be quicker and have the added benefit of higher joists so you can use more insulation?

(Naturally you will need to check for cables/pipes first but just set the depth to exactly that of the ply and you should be fine.

whosedaddy?

@ all those who had to remove old insulation first. Where can you safely get rid of it and how much does it cost...?

I have double bagged all the 50 year old insulation... and am not sure where they take at a reasonable cost - Dublin area.
I've been told different recycling centers have very different rules on that stuff.