1.5 story house insulation ideas - Page 3

S-F · 01-31-12, 06:39 PM

That kind of thing is becoming increasingly popular as people begin to realize that the cost of insulation will pay back pretty fast (spray foam being the most expensive insulation on the general market). That being said, one of the main benefits of cellulose as opposed to petrochemical insulation is it's hygrothermal properties. It can buffer up to 1/3 of it's weight in water and then disperse it later.
Damn. I need to assemble a set of Robert Riversong quotes to keep in my pocket.

wendortb · 01-31-12, 08:30 PM

A couple questions for scottorious:

Will you be replacing the roof?
Is there enough headroom in your .5 story to make the ceiling lower?
Why does the solution need to be DIY?

If you are not redoing the roof and don't have the headroom to make the ceiling thicker, you will probably have to hire someone to do closed cell foam. 4" is not much space.

If you have a few more inches to give, your options open up a little. You can do the cc/cellulose; vented with cellulose, or vented with rigid foam board all the way.

If you are redoing the roof, add 2-3" xps or polyiso on top of the decking and put your roof on top of that.

I should have done that last thing but didn't when I put on my metal roof. Btw, my metal roof helped a lot with keeping the upstairs cooler than with the asphalt shingles. During the summer. Really helped with my electric bill.

scottorious · 01-31-12, 10:18 PM

I like to work on everything I own. I also dont have unlimited funds and have free labor at my disposal. From cars to my motorcycle and now even my house. I have the ability and I just think I get the best job that can be done because its my own stuff. I dont have enough room to drop the ceiling down but theres enough room to increase the thickness of the ceiling. I am not replacing the roof at this point.

S-F · 02-01-12, 03:55 PM

A great recent article on this style of house on GBA.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...difficult-heat

01-31-12, 06:39 PM	#21
S-F You Ain't Me Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Northampton MA Posts: 662 Thanks: 6 Thanked 71 Times in 58 Posts	That kind of thing is becoming increasingly popular as people begin to realize that the cost of insulation will pay back pretty fast (spray foam being the most expensive insulation on the general market). That being said, one of the main benefits of cellulose as opposed to petrochemical insulation is it's hygrothermal properties. It can buffer up to 1/3 of it's weight in water and then disperse it later. Damn. I need to assemble a set of Robert Riversong quotes to keep in my pocket.

01-31-12, 08:30 PM	#22
wendortb Lurking Renovator Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Indiana Posts: 14 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	A couple questions for scottorious: Will you be replacing the roof? Is there enough headroom in your .5 story to make the ceiling lower? Why does the solution need to be DIY? If you are not redoing the roof and don't have the headroom to make the ceiling thicker, you will probably have to hire someone to do closed cell foam. 4" is not much space. If you have a few more inches to give, your options open up a little. You can do the cc/cellulose; vented with cellulose, or vented with rigid foam board all the way. If you are redoing the roof, add 2-3" xps or polyiso on top of the decking and put your roof on top of that. I should have done that last thing but didn't when I put on my metal roof. Btw, my metal roof helped a lot with keeping the upstairs cooler than with the asphalt shingles. During the summer. Really helped with my electric bill.

01-31-12, 10:18 PM	#23
scottorious Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: bloomington IL Posts: 46 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	I like to work on everything I own. I also dont have unlimited funds and have free labor at my disposal. From cars to my motorcycle and now even my house. I have the ability and I just think I get the best job that can be done because its my own stuff. I dont have enough room to drop the ceiling down but theres enough room to increase the thickness of the ceiling. I am not replacing the roof at this point.

02-01-12, 03:55 PM	#24
S-F You Ain't Me Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Northampton MA Posts: 662 Thanks: 6 Thanked 71 Times in 58 Posts	A great recent article on this style of house on GBA. http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...difficult-heat