Attic Insulation

molly dolly

2008 build detached two storey. I feel attic insulation letting us down. I am not very technical but this is a minefield. At the time we were told we were doing a great job insulation wise but our house has never been cosy and warm. I cannot do another cold winter. Everything has moved on. We have wall insulation beading but the house is like a fridge. Unfortunately himself is a demon for fecking everything into the attic and I think most of attic is compressed. Do we empty the attic maybe use some insulated boards for a little storeage, reinsulate (originally it was natural wool) so not sure what to use now. My search seems to have activated loads of ads for form insulation spray which I've always been told isnt a great idea but again what do I know. Any advice?

Any advice

Bawnmore

What depth of insulation is up there currently? Our attic was built in the 70s and the attic was insulated at some stage 20 years ago (there a certificate hanging up there somewhere from whoever did the work) but we added an additional 350mm of insulation perpendicular to it when we bought the house.

Padre_Pio

Probably buy a good few 300mm rolls of insulation and lay them perpendicular to the insulation already there.

You can buy attic floor stilts and attic flooring if you want to make better use of the space as storage.

molly dolly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122456191#Comment_122456191

it was probably two rolls applied between the wood rafters on the ground but wood remains clear. however years of suitcases, clothes, christmas decorations. I am itching to get a skip detox and reinsulate. The cold doesn't bother him so he doesn't think there is an issue

Did you find the extra worked well

Bawnmore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122456221#Comment_122456221

Ya ours was up to rafter level when we bought the house (not over it). We left it in place and laid the extra perpendicular to it in the whole attic. I built a separate area on stands above the new insulation then with attic board (tongue and groove plywood basically) for us to put things.

Bawnmore

One other thing if doing yourselves - make sure not to block airflow from any existing vents (like soffit vents etc) as you could cause more issues with moisture if preventing ventilation.

jamesd

We got the spray insulation into our attic - made a massive difference.

molly dolly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122456259#Comment_122456259

that is my preference. Who did you use? How much approx and what size house. We are both pen pushers so the fear of doing something ourselves and **** up attic timber is real.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122456333#Comment_122456333

I think the jury is still out on the long term effects of spray foam.

My own 2c is I wouldn't make a change that I couldn't undo easily.

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122456333#Comment_122456333

Be careful with the type you go for. There's a major issue in the UK where people have been unable to sell there homes and others struggling to remortgage because the wrong type was used.

molly dolly

Thanks for the opinions I think a detox and redo of whats there is possibly the best approach as there is so much conflicting info, at the moment mortage and selling are not priorities but as we get old we might want to escape to something more suiting us

jamesd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122456333#Comment_122456333

I went with western insulation, I spoke to a consulting engineer that designed my house and he at the time was doing some research for his own house and recommended them and said the foam was breathable.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058362557/attic-insulation

I shudder when I see natural wool been mentioned. Unless you spent 4x the typical amount for loft insulation it will be badly underspecified because it's so horrendously expensive. Leave it in and add 300-400mm of rock wool on top. Pay attention to not blocking eaves ventilation.

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122456259#Comment_122456259

I'm not sure about Ireland but in the UK spray foam actually devalues a property. I think there is a concern that there can be a lot of mould behind the spray insulation that can't be seen

Gusser09

300mm is key. Make sure you also look at youtube. Doing the eaves right is very important.

Perhaps hire a thermal imaging camera too. That will give you an accurate idea of where heat is escaping or cold air entering.

Sleeper12

300mm is the minimum allowable according to the building regulations. 350mm to 400mm is the norm nowadays

whizbang

Think about using rigid foam board; requires less than half the thickness, you can just lay cheap chipboard on top and still use the whole space for storage.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122465096#Comment_122465096

Good idea. 50mm would do the job perfect, can be a pain to fit it thru small attic openings though

molly dolly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122465102#Comment_122465102

that sounds like a good compromise. Any tips on what/where to buy?

whizbang

Your local hardware supplier will have what you need, I presume delivery being required…

I got hold of 14 sheets of slightly damaged 50mm cheap, ripped them lengthwise into 600mm width, they fitted easily enough through the opening.

10mm chipboard under where it can be walked on, and 10mm chipboard over. you could get away with 6mm, but i thought it was too flimsy to shoehorn that size into the attic. I would have preferred OSB or even 6mm ply but it was got cheap on adverts.

molly dolly

to be perfectly honest the attic is a dumping ground that I need to cull anyway so possibly only a small area needed instead. I veer between getting an insulation company out for an assessment or doing a home job.

J_R

Hi,

Considering getting attic spray foam insulated. However I have Solar panels and as part of set-up a total of 12Kw batteries in the attic.

would these cause any problems. ?

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122584086#Comment_122584086

I'd strongly recommend removing the batteries from the attic. We are a bit of behind here in Ireland but battery in the attic is illegal in a lot of countries. It's coming into the UK shortly

My attic floor has 400mm of insulation. I had to get six vents in the roof to allow circulation of air. I have a smart heating system with thermostat and humidity sensors in every room including the attic. Despite 3 vents front and 3 vents in the back of the roof, my attic exceeds 40C on a sunny day. Batteries in this temperature are a massive fire hazard. The heat also reduces the lifespan of the batteries too.

J_R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122585846#Comment_122585846

Hi,

Thanks for that. I intended to have the spray foam on the inside of the roof. Would that not work both ways ? Stop the heat from entering or exiting the attic space. ?

I also had the floor of the attic insulated when the house was built (40 odd years ago) and intended to have it upgraded.

So, would the batteries not kinda have the loft all to themselves, no outside influences. ? Perhaps an extractor fan if the temperature rose above a certain level ?

What do you think ?.

Sleeper12

I'm not an expert on it but most solar installation companies will incorrectly recommend batteries in the attic. It's only a matter of time before new installations won't be allowed battery in the attic.

I don't know what the temperature of your attic might be when you have it finished. If it doesn't get hot then happy days

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122585846#Comment_122585846

It's not just the batteries it's the wiring

You've google electricians on the renewable forum up to all-sorts of nonsense

Situation won't last anyway

embracingLife

UK newspaper report about attic roof spray foam insulation mortgage difficulties.

Link in the same page to a report that certain timber roofs will rot in 5 years after spray foamed.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/aug/12/they-encouraged-us-to-insulate-our-home-now-its-unmortgageable

embracingLife

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_I5nMryv6n/?igsh=MTJlZnVlZThyMXliNg==

Geuze

UK RICS

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) today launched an impartial and comprehensive guide written by subject matter experts to update consumers on the latest guidance about the use of spray foam as a method of insulating residential properties.

https://www.rics.org/news-insights/rics-release-new-spray-foam-consumer-guide?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlvW2BhDyARIsADnIe-KnnaVmT8UIrZJnN2QPuJ1LTJCkrbDJGHa_BiAy8KTDTTzPsZUEoNAaAmLgEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

embracingLife

Video of rotten roof timbers due to moisture trapped behind spray foam

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsjfuHZoOhp/?igsh=MWliNWx2MzFrNXB3

Sleeper12

This has been a major issue with UK lenders for a decade or more. It has amazed me that no Irish lender has an issue with spray foam AFAIK