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Attic Insulation

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  • 15-11-2006 9:02pm
    #1
    coldroof
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭


    Hi,
    I'm planning to insulate my attic in a old 2 storey, mid terraced house this weekend, the attic space is very small with the cealings from the rooms below curving up to the front and back under the eves..

    Having looked through the various threads, so far i've got:
    > Wear protective equipement, gloves, goggles, mask etc...
    > Insulate between the Joists to a thickness of 250mm
    > Allow for sufficient ventilataion
    > Insulate under Electric wires, allow space for lights
    > Do not insulate under the water tank, box in the tank and insulate pipes

    Just a few questions,
    Whats the best material for attic insulation?
    Wheres a good place to source it? (northside) B&Q? Chadwicks?
    Will i require a vapour barrier?
    Whats the best way to deal with halogen downlighters?
    How do i deal with the adjoining gable wall?

    any other comments or advice are welcomed... thanks in advance
    ColdRoof.


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    #2
    Gautama
    Registered Users Posts: 641 ✭✭✭Gautama


    I re-insulated my attic a few weeks ago.
    I used SpaceBlanket (available in Homebase and B&Q) http://www.spaceblanket.co.uk/
    Dunno if it's the best, and given it's convenience I'd say it's a bit more expensive, but I found it great. My house has a low pitch, not even enough room to stand up staight at the apex.

    It's basically rapped in a protective foil and tightly rolled. When you remove the wrapper, with a little encouragement it unrolls by itself, expanding to the full 100/150/200 mm thickness.
    Gloves and mask are almost unnecessary but use them. Forget the goggles. I'd recommend a fancy 3M mask, about €10-15, the type that goes under the chin and back to the ears. The basic type are crap, don't fit snug. Knee pads are a great idea.

    Dunno what's a vapour barrier.
    As for downlighters, I don't have any. But as everything with downlights, their only advantage is the looks. (Disadvantages being the price, the power usage, the frequency with which they blow, yadda...). Apparnetly you need to give them about a 15cm clearance. This would be a bit messy with SpaceBlanket as the idea is that's it's wrapped and neat. Anyway, you'll need to cut a hole, 30cm diameter, to allow for the downlighter and it's heat.
    Dunno what you mean by "deal with adjoining gable wall", just insulate the lot.

    Measure it up beforehand, the lenghts, joist widths, widths between joists, etc. Then visit the DIY store and do the maths. As your house is an old one the joists will probably be 57cm apart, some blankets are 37cm wide (like mine). Takes a bit of time to figure out the correct way of doing it.
    Again, I recommend the kneepads, not a mat as you'll need to use your hands for extra balance as you move around there.
    Also, if you don't have a light up there, I recommend getting a bulb on a cable, attached to an extension cable, plugged in somewhere in the house. Hang if off something (away from the watertank). It makes it so much easier than a hand held. I learned this (and the kneepads) the hard way and reformed after a few hours.


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