Questions tagged [attic]
Attics (also called "lofts") are the space immediately below a house's roof.
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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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Water pipes in attic [closed]
2x4 roof truss, bottom of truss is kitchen ceiling. Going across truss not in between.No HVAC is in attic so can’t get heat into any enclosure I build. Installing 1/2” copper supply pipe, hot,return,...
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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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Rent insulation blower or continue DIY
My current attic is lacking in cellulose insulation. Currently I can see the top of every 2x8 joists by ~ 3/4in. When measured and assumed to be 7in of settled insulation all around, I’m guessing I’m ...
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Loft bed design question [closed]
I am building a twin loft bed. The loft would be a DIY bed with 4 legs, but have a design challenge on one leg side of loft bed.
There is an air floor register located to one of the 4th leg.
So how ...
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How can I add framing to my garage ceiling to support a loft?
Our gable-roofed block garage has a partial loft that we use for storage. I would like to finish the other half to expand useable attic/loft storage. There are 2x8-18 at 16” on center which span the ...
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Do I need to vacuum water out of my attic A/C drain pan?
Long story short, a/c repair guy fixed my a/c system in my attic today, it had shut off due to a moisture warning in the pan because of a clogged drain. Fixed the drain, installed a new moisture ...
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Why use staples to secure the purlin and the strut instead of wooden dowels?
as you can see in this picture, staples are used to secure the purlin and the strut instead of wooden dowels.
Now the staples are coming loose. I called a professional, and they told me they will ...
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Are improperly set engineered truss gussets a serious concern?
I went up into the attic of my house and noticed that the intermediate beam of the roof truss has come loose from the rake.
Should I call a professional to fix it, or can I leave it like that?
I ...
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Adding plywood flooring to attic
I'm in the US.
I'm looking into adding a plywood "floor" to an attic above a garage. I'd also like to be able to walk on the plywood.
The wooden beams that are already there are 1.75" (...
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A contractor tells me even if he seals the attic, raccoons will break in anyway if they smell old raccoon smells. True? Urgent?
We had raccoons in the attic in spring for the past few years. We've finally nearly arrived at a point where we can do something to prevent them from getting in. We've had one estimate so far, and ...
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Fireblocking balloon framed interior/attic walls
Small 1960 ranch, roof trusses spaced 24" with a center sloped cathedral ceiling over the living room / kitchen, giving about 2-1/2 additional feet of height at the peak.
The wall at either end ...
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Attic conversion subfloor questions
I am converting my walk up attic into liveable space and would like advice on the specifics of the subfloor. The floor joists are 2x12s spaced 16" OC and currently there is 1/2" plywood ...
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How do you insulate the peak of cathedral ceiling?
I am converting an unconditioned attic to living space, and I will insulate the cathedral ceiling with mineral wool batts. I have seen a million articles, Q&A pieces, and videos that tell me how ...
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Why does my home continue to warm after sundown?
I live in a 1950's single-story ranch-style with a vented attic space (with a roof ridge vent). I haven't turned on my central air yet for the summer, and I've noticed that the air temperature inside ...
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Why is my attic hotter after venting was updated?
I had my roof replaced last year and I am now seeing consistent temperatures in the attic that exceed 40 degrees over the outside temperature. For example, it was 62°F the other day and I had 108.5°F ...
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Attic Ladder Spring Lift Issue
The left-hand side spring on my attic ladder now pops off the retaining thing when it is put back up. It then will come down, but will not go back up unless I manually lift the spring up-n-over. ...
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How can I insulate the sloped ceiling of an attic room?
We have a century home. First two floors do well in summer / winter, 3rd floor is always too hot or too cold. The attic was completely uninsulated.
The plan was to use batt insulation on the attic ...
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Best way to turn my detached garage into an insulated shop?
There is a pretty large detached garage on my property (built ca 1995) approx 16' x 29'. Previous owner had started putting R-11 insulation on the walls and underside of roof, but I think may want to ...
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Would sprayed insulation under the roof deck cool down a hot attic?
Typical 4-br type 80s-ish build suburban house in the south: downstairs ac is super-powerful; upstairs ac is fair. Hard/impossible to keep the upstairs below about 75 say in summer.
The problem is the ...
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Odor on top floor
My home in the Chicago suburbs has a third level that is a mostly finished master suite with a full bathroom. As the weather warms up we notice an obvious “body odor” type smell in that room. When ...
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Re-wiring flood lights under soffits - had twisted splices in old wiring
I'm going to replace exterior flood lights (4 of them) that are mounted under soffits.
When I looked into the current wiring, I saw that the wiring was coming from the switch (inside the house) to ...
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What is the best way to build an insulation wall out of Ytong in my attic?
I live in a brick house from the 1930s, which has been modernized to meet the German KFW110 standard.
The only thing missing are the attic end walls, which are only one brick thick and according to ...
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How to replace strongback across joists
I am looking to floor my attic space and as part of the process, beef up my insulation.
Since my existing joists are 2x6s that span 12’9” with 16” spacing, I’m planning to sister the flooring area ...
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