Attic Insulation Advice With Knee Walls

Insulate the sloped ceiling.

Attic insulation advice with knee walls.

If you go back and view the illustration above you ll notice there s an enclosed area behind the knee wall. Filling the space behind the knee walls with insulation helps to lock in your home s thermal energy. 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. Another alternative for knee walls conditions is to remove and reinstall the batt insulation to qii standards.

Knee walls are not found in all attics and they are not absolutely necessary. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material. There are two basic ways to insulate a finished attic. It s usually easier and more effective to insulate the sloped ceiling rather than.

Not so on these knee walls. In this case the knee wall area becomes a cold space like traditional attic areas. As well the access door should be insulated and sealed appropriately. As a comparison we can just barley see the horizontal ceiling joists.

Rake walls it s easier to handle than plywood or thermo ply and still gives you an r 19 r121 assembly depending on the original batt insulation installed. 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. If your attic space is framed with rafters and is unfinished it has a triangular shape. Then cover that same area with an r 8 fsk affixing it using cap nails.

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. In this case the area behind the knee wall will be uncomfortably hot or cold. The exact height of the knee wall is your choice.

But they are awfully good to have. At the bottom points of the triangles the rafters meet the top plates of the exterior walls. In tight attics or odd shaped wall conditions i e. Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product.

As shown in the graphic above the knee wall lets in air from your eaves into the attic space. Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices. Two ways to insulate attic kneewalls good.

Air seal and insulate the kneewall. It is very easy to see where the studs are on this knee wall. The blue lines representing insulation and hardboard on the graphic did not exist in my attic.