How do I insulate an attic-bedroom conversion?

I’ve got a house with an attic conversion that was done before I moved in. So far I’ve been using it as storage, but after living here a year I know that the attic room is an icebox in winter and a sauna in the summer, regardless of the temperature of the rest of the house.

I take this to mean that the attic is not insulated properly? The conversion looks like an amateur job and it doesn’t look like it was finished before the house was up for sale.

What do I need to buy and do to insulate the attic properly?
What kind of insulation do I need?

What it looks like I’ve got is the actual sloped roof itself, with plasterboard panels nailed to the beams, creating a cavity. In the cavity is what looks like plain old polystyrene. Yes, that’s right, polystyrene. I’m not aware that polystyrene is a good insulator. What do I buy to replace it with? And is it that simple to put the right kind of material in the cavity, or is there more to it than that?

I am planning to use a shipping container and make a house. How would I avoid damp forming inside.?

I will be insulating the container on the outside and lining the inside of the container with plasterboard and rochwall insulation. I am worried about moisture behind the plasterboard forming on the surface of the steel. I will paint the steel for a vapour barrier and screed the floor with a flexible screed. I will do the ceiling the same as the walls.

i am turning my garage into office & need to know about isulating it?

it has single skin brickwork & intend to baton out interior walls & plasterboard, but knot sure whats best to insulate cavity with.

Thermoboard or Spray Foam Insulation? max 25mm which is best?

I need to apply some insulation to a concrete ceiling the -topside being exposed to open air, hence its cold in winter on the inside!. I have limited headroom so can only go to max of 45mm inc plasterboard. Which option is best? The room will be heated and correctly ventilated, so I just need to stop the cold air against the ceiling causing the cold, as the walls are insulated.

Thermal foil insulation, which way should the foil face?

I have just purchased Thermal foil insulation for the loft, but the instructions are not great. I have had a loft conversion, but I want to insulate the storage area in the front of the roof.I am going to use this on the beams that seperate the room and the store, but should the foil face the plasterboard, or the store area?
By the way, the insulation comes on a roll, with foil on one side and bubble wrap on the other.

how much is it gonna cost to fix my walls? 10 points!?

so the new room im moving into has a wall that has the insulation sticking out , and part of the wood wall is missing , thats why its sticking out. the other wall has like insulation board on it, and it looks like crap. should i just put thin would or dry wall over it and paint it? how much will this cost? thanks

Ceiling Insulation Question?

In my cellar I have normal wooden framing for the ceiling, with in between each board some standard yellow insulation (The kind that looks like cotton candy). I’m tired of seeing it falling out, and I want to put up some sort of plastic/styrofoam board ceiling. How easily can this be done and how much would it cost per square foot of the material?

Attic and Exterior Wall insulation?

Location: Austin, TX

I’m purchasing a new house. The builder is putting fiberglass batt insulation in exterior walls and blow-in firberglass insulation (R-38, 12inches) in attic.

Attic:
1. Is R-38, 12″ enough for firberglass fill? or should I go with cellulose. Cellulose seems to have issues with moisture and settling down overtime.

2. If I put cellulose, I think I cannot use that space at all, right? Is it okay to put a board to increase usable space?

Exterior Walls:
3. Anyone used cellulose for it? Is it worth the cost and maintenance?

4.. Is it worth the risk do it in both?
5. How to check if there any leaks or moisture buildup if I use cellular?
6. What are the maintenance costs?

Thanks in advance for your advice!
I forget to mention that, the roof already comes with Tech Shield Radiant Barrier and we also have Ridge and Soffit Venting.

Do I still need to go for Cellulose in attic? Are above not enough?

thermal properties of Kingspan Insulation boards?

external walls upto 3m’s high:- 1MM thick Coated galvinised mild steel profile sheeting, 80mm mineral wool quilt with 100mm heavyweight block internal finish..

ok question is what part of this element would be exchanged for the insulation boards? internal part? filling or external?

and more importantly, does anyone know the thermal properties for the boards? ‘U’ values, or its heat capacity? if you cant go that deep can you tell me why the insulation board is better than the current set up? i need good detailed answers please!

im looking to find out which one is going to keep heat in! and the difference in heat loss between both set ups. and cost comparisons..

thanks for any help.

if you can give mre help plz email or IM me Jarinsiran1@yahoo.co.uk

plywood over attic insulation?

I need to replace my current attic insulation (it has compacted over many years) with something that works better. From my research, a loose fill 12″ or so should do the trick. I also am considering putting up a radiant barrier along the inside of the roof. Is there any danger of putting plywood boards over the new insulation or could it actually help with heating/cooling costs?

I understand that the electrical wiring ceiling wiring will be covered so if there is ever a problem the boards would have to come up.

Any other pros and cons?

Thanks.
That is part of my concern. I’ve calculated that I need about 12″-14″ of insulation to get the ideal R. Placing plywood boards over it will compact the insulation, probably decreasing the R value. However, does adding the plywood make up for that lost R? I don’t know.

Fiberglass insulation vs. Blown insulation…which is best?

We live in upstate NY, and are remodling our hundred year old home. Which would be better for insulating the exterior walls. We would rather not take down exterior walls. The walls are sheetrocked over the plaster and lathe. During some remdloing we have noticed that there is blown insulation, but it has settled over the years. Would it be better to tear walls down and use standard insulation, or us the blown in. Also how is the blown in for retaining heat compared to fiberglass? Cost is not a huge issue, as we can do this ourselves. Also, would adding a fiber board insulation sheeting to the interior walls beneath new sheetrock be effective? Thank you for your help.

How much will this job cost?

Reside in Albany, NY. Our house is 28′x36′ and has an attached 20′x20′ garage (both fully vinyl sided) (back of the house is 3 stories – due to walk out basement).

There was some damage to the siding on the garage (tree) and we decided, rather than replace 1 side (as we dislike the yellow siding) that we’d redo the entire thing (to match many renovations we’ve done). My husband CAN do this himself, but due to time constraints we are considering having a contractor do it.

We are awaiting the return of formal extimates we’ve requested. Can anyone ballpark what is reasonable? We’ve heard (from 2 contractors) between $9000 and $12000 (just waiting for the formal answer). This includes removing old siding (disposing of it) fully siding and insulation boarding the entire house and garage, and replacing ALL soffit. Is between 9 and 12 thousand a reasonable amt?

Thanks for your input!
the siding we’ve chosen will run about $4000.00 – would it be significant savings if we remove ALL the old siding ourselves? Should be hire someone only to redo the new siding?

Can I insulate my house from the outside?

I will be replacing my sinding in the fall and plan on also replacing the “brown board” with OXB sheathing. My house currently has R11 inslulation and I was wandering if I can replace the current insulation with r13-r15 from the outside of the house. I thought as long as I face the vapor barrier toward the drywall I should be ok. I also plan on using insulated vinyl siding for my project.