While we’ve been working on the bathroom, Shawn started a side project to better insulate the attic above the 2nd floor before summer gets into full swing here in TX (which would be now) and take advantage of government incentive programs to increase home energy efficiency. Since we’re all about energy efficiency, this is a no brainer.
All three of our attics are currently insulated with blown in insulation. I hate this stuff, probably in part because it’s matted down and dirty and gross. And in some areas, it’s so thin, it’s not exactly doing it’s job. We would prefer Rockwool insulation and for attics, R30 is the recommended weight. R30 Rockwool is basically double the thickness of the R15 Rockwool we’ve used in the walls. You could build yourself a wooly fort out of this stuff and never get cold.
Because we also want space to store stuff in the attic (and easily access the mechanicals), Shawn wanted to lay the insulation and then build platforms over it. Since the R30 Rockwool is thicker than a 2×4, he had to build the framing up with 2×3’s to get the extra height. Easy to lay the sheets of Rockwool and then screw down a sheet of plywood on top.
Shawn has about 2/3 of the attic done at this point, which is everything over our bedroom. We’ll have to see how the electrical bills are, but Shawn’s been optimistic enough to turn the thermostat down a couple extra degrees at night.
Engineers Without Walls 