What is this type of Attic Insulation?

mailrewop

Hi,

I'm in the process of buying a bungalow (built in 1987) and I had a structural engineer out who took these pictures of the attic insulation.

He provided a report that stated 'It can be seen that the ceiling has been insulated with approximately 400mm of blown in quilt type insulation'.

Does this look like a poor job and what type of insulation is it (other than blown in quilt type)? Would it be cellulose or something else?

The current owner bought the house in 2018 and I'm not sure if they had the insulation installed or the previous owner. I am waiting for the owner to confirm if they had the work done.

They did get a BER report done in April 2024 and the house is a C2 with the Roof marked as good in relation to Energy Performance but one of the recommendations is Roof insulation (average U-Value) Now 0.156W/m2k Potential 0.135w/m2k.

It looks messy to me and the structural engineer did say 'It was not possible to determine if insulation has been packed in at the eaves, or if a ventilation route has been left through the insulation from the soffit vents externally. It is recommended that further investigation is carried out in relation to this.' (He didn't go up into the attic, just popped his head in and took pictures). So its something I will get checked further.

Thanks

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MicktheMan

Can't really tell from the pics but doesn't look like cellulose, more than likely fibre (why not ask the 'structural engineer'?

2 questions to be answered here:

1. Is the insulation effective?
2. Is there sufficient attic ventilation?

Answer to 1. can be determined by thermal imaging of the ceiling when conditions are right.

Answer to 2 can be determined by inspecting the ventilation paths present and the roof felt during a cold spell.

Forget the BER, not fit for purpose.

Interesting to read a structural engineer not entering the attic … of course It was not possible to determine if insulation has been packed in at the eaves, or if a ventilation route has been left through the insulation from the soffit vents externally.

Either issue wouldn't stop me from going ahead with the purchase if everything else was acceptable.

Calahonda52

MtM, looking at the pics, couldn't blame him really as none of it looks floored,

looks a brutal job, the only way to see what's going on at the eaves and the hip is take off a few roof tiles along the eaves, post purchase of course

Am also assuming g that all power cables got buried😎

Mellor

Quilt insulation is can't be blown in. So I wouldn't put put too much faith in the "blown in quilt type insulation" label from the SE.

Looks like it's two separate stages of insulation. An original quilt, and a later sub-par blown in. Either fibre or poly.

mailrewop

Thanks for the replies. Still waiting for the sale to go through so I can't say how effective the insulation is but I will look into further when I move in, especially if has caused any blockages in the eaves.

It does look messy and I would like to floor some of the attic for storage, so what would be the best solution?

I'll probably get someone to take a look at it but I'm guessing it would be best to remove the current insulation, at least down to the original layer if that is still in good shape, and then add a new layer of rockwool on top.

Or is that even worth the effort or money?

Calahonda52

The eaves blockage issue really only arise if the soffits are ventilated