Building an attic door insulation enclosure. Thoughts/Help needed...
 

So, we've got the house and of course, now I've gone into saving obsession mode! I currently want to design an attic door enclosure to insulate the hole that is in my ceiling.
http://www.diyhomeinsulation.com/ima...own_stairs.gif

You guys know what i'm talking about. Any of you have any pics?

I'm thinking base box "frame" 2*"x5*"x10"x3/4"thick. This looks like it will net a lowly R3 of something like it... can I place a batt on top like the toupee of a hot air breathing bald man?

I was suggested by my inspector the "Battic Door" R50 insulation kit for $100. I am crafty and want to try to do my own, but if i'm going to spend more and not get good results, then premade will work... HELP!

I am working my way up to doing the same thing, and would recommend using 2" foamboard, even doubled up in thickness if you want the extra R-value. In the past, I have had very good luck using high-quality duct tape to hold Dow foamboard together semi-permanently, which allows you to dispense with framing something up out of wood and then having thermal bridges.

Of course, I've never tried taping something in an attic with the summer heat issue - so an adhesive might be a good idea, too.

This 'batticdoor' kit thing looks way overpriced for what you are getting. They want to sell you something that puts insulation on top but foil on the outside that isn't covered in insulation in a setup that looks easy to make a mistake with how it lines up on the weatherstripping?

For $99.50 + $24.50 S&H
For $124 you could buy a measuring tape, a saw capable of cutting foam, a caulking tube of foam adhesive, some foam weatherstripping, and some 4x8 foot sheets of foamboard and make something much better at insulating and air sealing for not a ton of effort.

You can see my method of sealing my pull down attic door here:

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/conser...g-house-3.html

Unfortunately, I never finished it up...

I insulated my attic with 2" foam board, foam board adhesive, soft weatherstripping strips, a string drilled and glued in to it to pull it down and some Seal&Peel caulk.

here are a couple of pics from Daox's thread, for the lazy:

http://ecorenovator.org/pictures/house318.JPG

http://ecorenovator.org/pictures/house319.JPG

http://ecorenovator.org/pictures/house320.JPG

I leave it to the readers to figure out which view is which:)

Cost: zilch, built from leftovers and scraps.

The plan still is to put some great stuff over the top on the side pieces and throw some paper/plastic over the top of it while curing so it creates a flat surface for that top piece to seal against.

Thanks for posting the images Jeff.

Thats what I wanted to hear. I was thinking I could, but the math wasn't with me. I would love to do something like this but wasn't sure about the actual R value being high enough to make it worth it. Battic is sold as R50. I'd need 4+" of foam for that. Is that necessary?

I don't see how the batticdoor thing could possibly be any more than about maybe R30 if it used two layers of the more dense R15 3.5" fiberglass. There is no way it could even be getting that because they don't insulate the sides of it at all. That product is just a lie to try to sell something to people who want to meet code in new construction, I think. Not sure but the product is junk in my opinion.

I think that 4 inches of XPS(blue or the pink) foam would be plenty. That's R20 and in general its a small area so even if it is less than what you have in the rest of your attic the difference won't be huge, it will be far less heat loss/gain than even one small window in the house. Your walls probably have R13 or R19 of fiberglass in them depending on how thick they are. The important part is getting a good air seal between the joints in the foam and a good gasket seal at where this will sit.

Have you done anything with building an attic door enclosure RobbMeeX?