Attic Insulation Advice With Knee Walls

If your attic space is framed with rafters and is unfinished it has a triangular shape.

Attic insulation advice with knee walls.

It is very easy to see where the studs are on this knee wall. It s usually easier and more effective to insulate the sloped ceiling rather than. At the bottom points of the triangles the rafters meet the top plates of the exterior walls. Knee walls also provide pockets for additional insulation in the attic.

The exact height of the knee wall is your choice. As i researched the possibility of insulating the attic space in my knee wall i learned that it was a major contributor to wasted energy. If you plan to insulate a kneewall and the attic floor behind the kneewall. Filling the space behind the knee walls with insulation helps to lock in your home s thermal energy.

The blue lines representing insulation and hardboard on the graphic did not exist in my attic. Insulate the sloped ceiling. Air seal and insulate the kneewall. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material.

When the insulation is blown in on the attic floor all of the joists are covered and well insulated. If only the living space will be insulated wrap the insulation around the room s walls and ceiling and then continue along the floor of the non living space. There are two basic ways to insulate a finished attic. Proper air blocks air barriers for example covering the insulation on the attic side and between the attic floor joists below the knee wall should be present.

In tight attics or odd shaped wall conditions i e. As shown in the graphic above the knee wall lets in air from your eaves into the attic space. Two ways to insulate attic kneewalls good. Knee walls are not found in all attics and they are not absolutely necessary.

In this case the area behind the knee wall will be uncomfortably hot or cold. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices. As well the access door should be insulated and sealed appropriately. If you go back and view the illustration above you ll notice there s an enclosed area behind the knee wall.

But they are awfully good to have. Not so on these knee walls. Another alternative for knee walls conditions is to remove and reinstall the batt insulation to qii standards. Then cover that same area with an r 8 fsk affixing it using cap nails.

Rather than leaving this space empty homeowners can fill it with insulation for additional thermal protection. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. As a comparison we can just barley see the horizontal ceiling joists.