Questions tagged [attic]
Attics (also called "lofts") are the space immediately below a house's roof.
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Can I use plastic sheeting in a storage attic to contain blown insulation?
I have a 21 foot x 21 foot attached garage with an attic above for storage. There are supporting studs that are about 5-1/2 feet in from each side (so 10’ between studs. There is blown in insulation ...
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What is this old loft insulation?
Looking to insulate my house loft, there is nothing between the joists however between the battens there is this (see images) it's 10mm thick and against the hessian felt, looks extremely dated and ...
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Black tar like substance and streaks on attic roof and stains on chimney
I am looking into buying this house but saw a few things that concerned me.
The house got some strange tar like streaks on the inside of the roof. The chimney also has some black stains on the front, ...
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Can I flip orientation of truss diagonal brace?
Attic truss has a diagonal brace (red) linking all but outermost king posts (blue). I would like to flip the orientation so that instead of starting at bottom at one end and ending at the top, it ...
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Mold growth in attic, best DIY solution (if that's even possible)? [duplicate]
Discovered a leak in a bedroom ceiling after a particularly severe rainstorm. When I went into the attic, I discovered the mold as shown in the pictures. I went on the roof and it seems that some ...
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Struggling to find an installer to insulate the cavities in my loft [closed]
I'm not a builder or an expert by any stretch of the imagination, so please forgive me in advance.
For context, I live in a 1960s mid-terrace 3-bed ex-council house in East Sussex, UK. We have a loft ...
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Making a secret passage to my attic. Can I cut the ceiling joists?
I am putting a secret passage in my linen closet behind a grandfather clock (a la the Webster show) to access my attic. My question is: Can I cut the ceiling joists to make the opening bigger?
Here ...
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How can I extend the chimney insulation shield before adding cellulose?
I'm adding 12 inches on blown cellulose on top of the existing fiberglass. There is a shield around the chimmney duct but it is not long enough, see:
The cellulose will enter in contact with the hot ...
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How to Level Collar Ties to Install Drywall
I am doing a hybrid renovation of the attic/second floor of our 1924 cape cod style home . We hired out for the code-related trades (framing, electrical, insulation) and are DIY-ing the rest (drywall, ...
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Ventilation in Attic Dormer
The ventilation in my attic never seemed like it worked correctly. Here's the backstory:
There is a section of my teardown/rebuild home that protrudes about 3 1/2 feet from the rest of the house. The ...
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Dust like particules covers the attic floor. Is that the insulation material?
I went to my attic today and took a few pictures. Here is one which shows the "dust" that covers most of the attic (as far as I could tell, it's all over). So I would imagine this is ...
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advice on gambrel roof garage with 2nd floor apartment
1st time home owner, plan to keep property long term so like to do things the best way possible for long term. Doing as much myself as possible.
Looking for advice on completing apartment above a ...
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Is it safe to walk on the bottoms of roof trusses?
My roof is made up of Fink trusses (chords in W shape). The trusses are made of 2x4s. The bottom edge of the truss acts as a ceiling joist and drywall sheets are attached below it, forming the ceiling....
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DIY Attic ladder or hire someone?
This is what my attic access looks like. Is it feasible to install ladder access myself or should I hire someone?
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Do I need to insulate the walls in this attic cavity?
I have vaulted ceilings in the kitchen and dining room. The walls in the attic for that cavity are not insulated but the roof (rafters) are. I have added some insulation to the floor (ceiling above ...
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Advice needed for choosing drop-down attic ladders
We are going to install a drop-down attic ladder for easier access to storage. I don't know anyone with one of these however and none of the local home improvement stores have any on display, they are ...
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Am I taking the appropriate approach to insulate + properly ventilate my attic?
I have a question about the ventilation + insulation of my attic space, and what needs to be done to correct it. I apologize if any of my terms are incorrect, as I am certainly no engineer or ...
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Insulating Void In Attic Above Stairwell
I am a fairly new homeowner. I own a "raised ranch" style home in suburban Chicago (main floor above grade, mostly furnished basement below). The stairs to the basement are roughly in the ...
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Laundry air intake from the attic
There is a washer-dryer, water heater and A/C furnace in my laundry room, all of them gas operated. There is an exhaust fan in the ceiling and an intake vent that connects directly to the attic so ...
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Air sealing of attic floor of house build in the 50s
We had the old insulation removed from the attic. The house is in Quebec, and was built in the 50s.
Before putting new insulation, I want to air seal the attic. Two contractors suggested spraying 2&...
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How do I assess different insulation recommendations? [closed]
We live in CT.
I don't know the technical terms but our house configuration is:
Split level ranch (two floors plus attic)
Gas furnace and gas water heater in the basement
Air handler in the attic
Air ...
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Allergy symptoms after attic insulation replacement
Had my 20 year old attic insulation replaced with new blown-in white fiberglass by professionals yesterday.
Family is now having significant allergy symptoms especially when central air is. Purifier ...
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Attic access, feasibility-how-to question
We are trying to build an attic access to our second story. The plan was by to support and cut the middle joist (pic), and box it out. The hole in the drywall is into a closet. We were going to remove ...
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Can you insulate over radiant decking?
I’m adding fiberglass batts to my garage attic which already had radiant decking. Is this a bad idea? I bought $1300 worth of R19 batts and stapled about half of one side already. I left a gap down at ...
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Are these roof members structural support?
I’m fairly new to DIY home improvement. Are these arrowed parts structural support? I’m looking to vault the ceiling below but I’m not sure if I need to involve an engineer.
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Should I use foil-faced foam as attic baffles where foil will be installed over the insulation?
Which one is better to install the baffles if we're putting radiant barrier foil after the baffles(cardboard) and before R60 blown-in cellulose?
A.
B.
My pushback on A is that there will be a space ...
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Will solar fans go hand-in-hand with ridge vents and whole house fans?
I have ridge vents but I’m wanting to add a whole house fan and a solar attic fan.
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Can radiant foil act as insulation baffles in an attic?
We're planning to put R60 cellulose insulation and a radiant barrier foil. We will staple those barriers into the roof framing. Will the radiant barrier foil withhold an R60 insulation to prevent it ...
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Need Help Balancing Attic Ventilation
I live on a small remote island and I'm building a cabin out of what once was a barn. My soffits are plywood with a 2.25" diameter hole in the center of each 16" OC roof truss. This has ...
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soffit vents: better to have more, smaller-size vents or fewer, larger-size vents are okay?
My 120-year-old house has no soffit vents and 2 passive roof vents a couple feet below the ridge line (no ridge vents). I want to add soffit vents in the wood soffits to provide more airflow because ...
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Soundproofing an open stairwell against downstair noise
I'm trying to dampen the sound that comes up the stairwell by installing a new wall and a soundproof blanket.
We currently have a half-wall that I'll be extending up to the ceiling.
And that would ...
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How can I add flooring to this attic without compromising the insulation?
I am looking for a good/cheap way to add flooring to this attic space without compromising its function. It runs the entire length of the front of the house and we'd like to use it for storage.
Would ...
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What is this glowing orange spot in my attic framing?
My husband and I moved into a rental house. The AC isn't working properly, and a professional told us that a pipe needs a small cut so the water flows easily for the AC to work. We cannot of course ...
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5/12 Roof Pitch - Loft Options
24x24 16'Ht Garage with a 12x24 Loft
Intent: conversion to an off grid home.
Could I lower 1st floor rooms under loft area from 10' a 7' ceiling height to create enough room in the loft area to have a ...
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Are these knee walls load bearing
I bought a new construction house a few years ago and the attic was advertised as ready to be converted to a rec room. It is mostly framed, with knee walls and has lighting, an initial gfci outlet ...
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How I fix this attic door misalignment. Hinge bent
Pictures
Just moved into this home and this attic door does not close. Looks like the hinge (door hinge like part) is bent. How do I fix this? I don't see any parts available either.
I am worried that ...
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Attic subfloor, venting, and mice
I am trying to evaluate what my exterminator/remediation company is telling me, and would like some help, please.
I recently added a subfloor to my attic. I sought advice from a contractor I know, and ...
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Running ductwork through unused chimney
The chimney in our house has been unused for years since there is no fireplace and the high efficiency units we have vent out the side of the house. We recently had the chimney removed down to the ...
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Sanity check and advice requested in attic roof repairs
I'll be closing on a house soon with a broken rafter, split opposite rafter and a twisted underpurlin that were all missed in the home inspection.
[Edit]
These were missed during the home inspection. ...
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Connection between Copper and Pex pipe broke in extreme cold
During extreme cold month of Feb in East coast, my baseboard radiator pipe broke, basically the connection between the copper and pex pipe broke and water leaked all over.
I called a contractor and ...
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Code compliant options for adding electric service to attic?
I'd like to add electrical service to my unfinished attic for two attic fans, led lighting, and a few low voltage sensors (e.g. wifi router, hard wired zigbee motion sensors pointed at the living ...
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How to properly plug nail holes in roof shingling?
During last winter's rain storms, we had an issue with significant moisture in our attic (dripping water). Therefore, a roofing company nailed an emergency tarp to the roof to cover the affected area.
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Can I add a second layer of rock wool insulation over a first layer of fiberglass insulation?
My house is a 70s style split level with soffit, ridge, and gable end venting. Right now there is only one layer of fiberglass batt insulation and I need to add a second layer (current r value is ...
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Attic Fan Exhaust Options
I am looking to install an attic fan in my house (note: not a whole house fan). It was built in 2016 and is two story modular stucco, so no gable available for an exhaust window. I am reluctant to ...
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HVAC - bathroom vent in attic space
Looks like my crappy builder did not do a very good job with the vent in my attic space as it already detached from the exterior wall. Any advice as to what products I can buy and affix back onto the ...
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Is it normal for relative humidity to increase when the attic fan turns on?
The outside humidity is 96%. The attic humidity is at 60%. When the attic fans turn on, the humidity in the attic begins to increase. Is this normal?
The attic insulation is batts, not blown-in. ...
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What are these full-height studs in a half wall for in my attic?
I'm prepping to finish my attic. It's a new construction home, but the attic was most pre-framed and wired. However I noticed that there are floor to "ceiling" studs at the top of the ...
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Will the drywall in my 1970 home support modern attic insulation?
I live in a 1970 house and I am looking to replace the attic insulation. The current insulation is old fiberglass batts. I want to remove everything, foam seal it, and then blow in cellulose to get ...
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How do I figure out my attic ventilation CFM - california fire safe vents
I'm looking to install a whole house fan for my 1700sqft house in northern CA. The install doesn't seem too complicated, but I don't know how to calculate the total amount of ventilation I have in my ...
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Do I need an attic exhaust fan? [closed]
My attic is finished and has central air, but has a 2nd room that is unfinished with no duct work. We use it for storage. Currently it gets very hot and humid in that room in the summer, to the point ...
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