Attics (also called "lofts") are the space immediately below a house's roof.
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How do you navigate an unfinished attic?
My attic only has plywood around our HVAC. The rest is just covered with cellulose insulation. How do people get around their unfinished attics?
I've been up with a flashlight trying to judge where ...
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1answer
240 views
What should I keep in mind for attic storage solutions for a small home with 14" rafter spacing?
So our attic and our stuff in general is not serving us. Yes, we need to get rid of the stuff we don’t need. If we need anything up there then it is not down here because we need it seasonally (think ...
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4answers
341 views
Can I cover junction boxes in the attic with insulation?
This may be a duplicate of What are the codes for electrical wiring in attics?
I have an attic which is accessible via a ladder through an access panel in the garage and in a bedroom. The trusses ...
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1answer
167 views
Can I add unfaced insulation on top of faced insulation which is on top of cellulose?
I want to roll out some additional fiberglass insulation in my attic. Currently there is loose cellulose with faced fiberglass batts placed on top of the cellulose. The facing is facing out as in ...
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1answer
1k views
How can I stop a draft from an attic hatch lid?
During the colder months there is a cold draft at the bottom of the stairs and I had a new drop down loft hatch installed 18 months ago as I was convinced that was the cause. It had become warped. But ...
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1answer
72 views
How do I install a bathroom exhaust system?
We are set to close on our house in about three weeks and one of the problems that the inspector noted was that the vent in the guest bath vents into the attic (never going outside) and the master ...
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3answers
386 views
Is torn kraft paper vapor retarder in the attic a problem?
I'm adding additional insulation in my attic. Unfortunately, I tore the kraft paper vapor barrier of the existing fiberglass insulation in many places while air sealing. Is this a problem? Or is this ...
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1answer
328 views
Reducing Attic Fire Risk
When I had my house built, it got cold and so we called the local power co-op energy savings expert to give us advice. One of the things he said was that we had the wrong kind of insulation in the ...
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1answer
88 views
Do attic vents or rafter baffles need to be as wide as the rafter bay?
What happens if the attic vents or rafter baffles don't cover the entire opening between the rafters and one or two inches of wood is left exposed?
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1answer
2k views
How can I stop exhaust fan vent condensation problems?
So, our bathroom fan leaks when it is cold. In the attic, the PVC pipe connected to the exhaust is uninsulated, and frosted -- shock!
So, my question is, what is the best way to fix this? Do I cut ...
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1answer
637 views
Can someone review this garage loft design for structure and stability?
I'd like to build a loft above a 12'x16' portion of my garage. My plan is to lag screw ledger boards to the studs and attach 2x10 joists to the ledgers using joist hangers. Additional supports will be ...
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2answers
284 views
What can I do with these roof trusses to cover them up a bit?
Relating to another question about loft conversion I also want to fill up the gaps in between the trusses on which the roof tiles lie on.
So during allot of build I heard here and there that some ...
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1answer
2k views
Why is there water dripping from my ceiling AC vents?
I have a one story house with hot water heat. The house also has forced air AC ducts running from the attached garage, in the attic, down into the living room, bedrooms, and kitchen. At certain times ...
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2answers
174 views
Should a fire alarm be installed in the attic?
I installed hard-wired and interconnected smoke alarms through the house. I wondered, though, if a fire spread through my attic I might not know about it until the ceiling or roof collapsed.
Should I ...
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1answer
524 views
Do I need soffit vents for my knee wall attic?
I purchased a 55 year old home that has no soffit vents. The attic space consists of a knee wall attic space and peak attic space. The peak attic space has vents at each end and a ridge vent at the ...
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1answer
68 views
How can I insulate my attic conversion, without pulling down the plasterboard?
I recently purchased a house, and it has an attic conversion. Once winter came along we found out that there is no insulation between the roof and the plasterboard.
Does anyone know of a way I can ...
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2answers
324 views
How do I properly insulate an attic ceiling?
I'm considering insulating my attic ceiling using a foam kit.
Doing a bit of research tells me that air sealing and proper ventilation are key
I live in Long Island NY and currently have about R-19.
...
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2answers
259 views
How do I draft proof a “drop down” loft hatch
I am trying to draft proof our drop down loft hatch, however I can't see how to get a good seal as its “push to release” click does not hold it tightly enough against the draft proofing strips.
Are ...
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1answer
2k views
How should I add new joists and flooring to a loft space?
First off, basic floor plan of the loft:
Hard lines are the walls on the first floor underneath, joists on the first floor landing run left to right so does that mean the central wall running front ...
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2answers
956 views
How do I determine what supplies to buy to insulate an attic?
I would like to add more insulation to an attic. What measurements and points do I need to look at to decide what materials to buy?
How do I determine if I need airflow baffles?
How do I determine ...
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2answers
78 views
How do I find the studs on my ceiling through 4.5" of polyiso?
I am starting to install polyiso on the interior of my slanted cathedral roof assembly and am having trouble finding the studs through the 4.5" of polyiso that I have.
Things working against me:
...
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1answer
97 views
How can I improve the insulation in the lower attic space?
I live in a house with a finished attic. There's a substantial upper attic (big enough to walk around) and there are also knee walls between the upstairs rooms and the lower attic. There is ...
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2answers
207 views
Is dirty batt insulation on attic floor a sign of air leakage?
My attic is 530 sqft, with soffits, ridge vent and some 18"X18" window with mesh over it (I cant recall its name). The house was built in 1960 and has batt insulation on the attic floor. The batt ...
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1answer
136 views
What is the best way to install insulation batts in an attic?
As far as we can tell, the attic is laid out like so - first is the 2nd floor ceiling, then whatever material is right above that, then the attic joists, then there is plywood nailed to the joists, ...
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1answer
541 views
Where can I find parts for attic pulldown stairs?
I need two rollers replaced in my attic loft pull down staircase - the big ones on the picture. These drums have tension spring inside that helps to pull the stairs up and down.
The mechanism is ...
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1answer
354 views
What type of motor do I need for my attic fan?
My attic fan motor appears to be on the fritz (makes a buzzing sound and the fan tries to turn but won't make it more than 1-2 revolutions without sticking).
I'm trying to figure out what type of ...
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1answer
184 views
How can I insulate my attic in southern California?
I live in Southern California (San Bernardino county), and I'd like to add insulation in my attic.
cathedral ceiling; 1/2 of entire roof has no attic space how do i insulate this space? the other 1/2 ...
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1answer
217 views
Is it possible for wind driven rain to be forced into soffit vents? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Can wind force rain into the soffits?
Apologies if this question was asked before.
I've recently noticed slight paint peeling in two ceiling locations, right next to ...
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1answer
242 views
How do I deciding whether to install an attic venting system?
I live in Colorado, and the weather is starting to warm up. In a couple months, the temperatures will rise pretty high. Thankfully, I have a well insulated house (there is over 20 inches of fiberglass ...
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1answer
1k views
How to properly vent attic in windy/snowy areas to avoid snow infiltration?
To ask the other part of question: How bad is it to have wet insulation? that didn't get asked... How do you deal with homes that are in high wind and snowy areas which are susceptible to snow ...
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1answer
79 views
How does the temperature sensor work in an attic fan?
I have an attic fan that should turn on by the temperature that is set. It is pretty hot today (Southern California) so I expected it to be on.
So far I have not seen it turn on and I just reduce ...
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1answer
322 views
Insulating attic ceiling and looking for synthetic t&g ceiling boards
We have a 3/4 upper floor room that is in desperate need of a complete overhaul.
The current ceiling consists of 2x4 ceiling rafters with a foam vent and perhaps 2.5" of foam insulation, then the ...
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3answers
304 views
Is there any reason not to use a radiant barrier in the attic?
i am considering putting up a radiant barrier in my attic, with a product like AtticFoil, to 1) reduce the attic temperatures as my A/C ducting is in the attic and 2) to reduce heat convection into my ...
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2answers
108 views
Is it alright for an exhaust fan to vent into the loft? [duplicate]
I live in a rented property, when I moved in a new bathroom suite had been installed.
We however have had chronic condensation problems in the property.
when going into the loftspace I could not ...
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1answer
197 views
How can I wire an HD antenna into my attic?
I have a 2 year old house 2 floors and then an attic that you have to use a pulldown to get into. The house has an ethernet cable (90% sure it is an ethernet cable) that is in the attic, I have a HD ...
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4answers
7k views
Do I need a moisture barrier between my bedroom and attic?
This is related to my other question about moisture barriers.
There is an attic above the bedroom and there is insulation with paper backing in place. The attic area seems far more likely to get ...
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1answer
91 views
What are these metal ducts/tubes going into the attic used for?
We live in a house that is approx. 1200 sq ft. and was most likely gutted and 'refactored' by the previous owner. In our laundry room, they built a 'closet' around the water heater and our HVAC unit. ...
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1answer
407 views
Will installing an OSB floor in the attic create moisture problems?
I installed some new OSB flooring in my attic. The area it covers is about 160 sq. ft. The total area of the attic is about 750 sq. ft. There is just blown fiberglass up there, and there is no vapor ...
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1answer
635 views
How do I insulate around conduits and into difficult edges in my attic?
I am thinking about adding a little over a foot of insulation to my attics.
I understand that there shouldn't be gaps between fiberglass batts (I read that this can reduce efficiency by 25%, whatever ...
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1answer
293 views
What are the codes for electrical wiring in attics?
What is the typical code for wiring in attics? I understand these vary but what's best practice?
Can you just have electrical wires exposed with all the junctions, in junction boxes, provided all the ...
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1answer
80 views
Why am I having an attic ventilation problem this year when I didn't last year?
This winter in the attic I noticed ice on the roofing nails. Obviously warm moist air condensed and then froze on the cold nails. When the weather broke and warmed up a bit, I was back up in the attic ...
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0answers
48 views
Can I use a water tank and pump to feed a boiler?
As the title suggests I would like to know if I can use a water tank and pump to feed my boiler?
I want to get rid of my electric shower and currently I have large water tank with a pump feeding to ...
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0answers
116 views
Is this a safe way to clean black mold in the attic? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to remove/clean black mold?
My dad says there's mold in the attic (that looks black), and he plans to spray it with a mixture of water and chlorine.
Is this a safe ...
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2answers
95 views
Where is the best place to store cardboard?
Having recently moved, a thrifty state of mind, and plenty of room for storage, taking into account mice, mold, and structural breakdown:
Would it be better to storage collapsed moving boxes in the ...
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0answers
30 views
Attic Insulation [closed]
I live in Rockville, Maryland. I am a widow and my experience is that companies try to cheat me by giving me high estimates....
I am looking for a reputable company to add insulation in my attic. I ...
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0answers
83 views
Is this Home Insulation quote too much? [closed]
Recently got a Home Energy audit and the company provided a quote to perform the following:
- Open Cell foam insulation for Attic ceiling. He didn't measure the attic ceiling square footage, instead ...
