How To Insulate An Attic In Texas

The two types of attic insulation available for diy are loose fill insulation and batts insulation.

How to insulate an attic in texas.

Spray foam is a more expensive and more effective alternative to batt insulation. Find your zone on the map and then use the chart to determine the level of insulation you need to properly insulate your attic walls floors and crawlspaces. Most attic insulation is either fiberglass batts roll out blankets pre cut to fit in the spaces between ceiling joists or cellulose loose fill pulverized paper or fabric that is blown into attic spaces with a large hose. This old house general contractor tom silva and host kevin o connor demonstrate the proper way to insulate an attic.

Residents of southern and central texas should insulate their attics to at least r 30 or about 9 5 inches of conventional fiberglass batt insulation. Achieving greater r values in attics the higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. See below for a shopping list and tools.

If you live in the texas panhandle consider increasing your insulation level to at least r 38. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. Uninsulated attic spaces are responsible for significant heat loss since heat rises in a building.

It comes with a higher r value and can also be used in place of caulking to seal the space. Attic temperatures can often approach 140f during the day. The best way to insulate your house or church school or office building greatly depends on what type of environment you live in if you look at historic houses and buildings you can learn a lot about how to design for your climate because early builders had to adapt to the local conditions to try to make buildings as comfortable as possible. Properly installed a foam attic can average 80 degrees in the hot texas sun.

Spray foam is great for hard to reach gaps because it starts off as a liquid that expands creating an insulation barrier. In a standard insulation system ceiling insulation reduces the transfer of heat from the attic to the living space in the summer.