shadesofmauve (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shadesofmauve) wrote2014-06-11 12:30 pm
shadesofmauve) wrote2014-06-11 12:30 pm
Entry tags:
Baffling Baffles
One of the recurring headaches in my remodeling project is the question of what to do about the attic ventilation baffles. See, I’m only adding 240 square feet of space, but the remodel permit requires me to bring the rest of the attic insulation up to current code — which I’m quite happy to do! I like to be cozy and not throw my money at the utility company! It has this one difficult aspect, though.
Blowing in insulation requires baffles — cardboard or cheapo plastic, doesn’t matter — up between the trusses to keep an air path from the eave to the ridge free of insulation.
Almost all of the ones my house had have fallen down, and have ot be replaced.
There are 30 of these things (my little house is actually quite well ventilated on the intake side of things! Now, if I had more outflow vents that might actually do something!).
I have a plane-jane boring 1960 ranch house. You know the kind. Single story rectangle, roof pitches of 3 or 4 in twelve? That means that in the place where you need to get to install the baffles, you’re looking at a foot between the joists and the roof. A foot to manipulate yourself, the baffle,and your tools.
Did I mention the roofing nails go all the way through and come out the bottom of the sheathing to stab you in the head? They do that.
So I’d finally given up on this insane prospect and decided I’d pay someone to do it for me, but my first quote arrived and…
1. they want almost as much as I paid the (highly skilled) electricians to replace the panel/weatherhead/grounding.
2. the estimator says they’ll do it by stapling cardboard to the bottom of the trusses rather than putting them up IN the trusses (to allow more insulation cover over the top-plate), which is wrong wrong wrong wrong according to every energy efficiency and ventilation source I’ve looked at, and specifically not what I asked for.
I’m really hoping the next estimator is better — at least if you’re going to charge a grand do the damn thing right! — but if not, I’m back to figuring out how to do it myself.
The actual project'll wait 'til it cools off this fall, I suppose. I can dread it quietly until then.
Blowing in insulation requires baffles — cardboard or cheapo plastic, doesn’t matter — up between the trusses to keep an air path from the eave to the ridge free of insulation.
Almost all of the ones my house had have fallen down, and have ot be replaced.
There are 30 of these things (my little house is actually quite well ventilated on the intake side of things! Now, if I had more outflow vents that might actually do something!).
I have a plane-jane boring 1960 ranch house. You know the kind. Single story rectangle, roof pitches of 3 or 4 in twelve? That means that in the place where you need to get to install the baffles, you’re looking at a foot between the joists and the roof. A foot to manipulate yourself, the baffle,and your tools.
Did I mention the roofing nails go all the way through and come out the bottom of the sheathing to stab you in the head? They do that.
So I’d finally given up on this insane prospect and decided I’d pay someone to do it for me, but my first quote arrived and…
1. they want almost as much as I paid the (highly skilled) electricians to replace the panel/weatherhead/grounding.
2. the estimator says they’ll do it by stapling cardboard to the bottom of the trusses rather than putting them up IN the trusses (to allow more insulation cover over the top-plate), which is wrong wrong wrong wrong according to every energy efficiency and ventilation source I’ve looked at, and specifically not what I asked for.
I’m really hoping the next estimator is better — at least if you’re going to charge a grand do the damn thing right! — but if not, I’m back to figuring out how to do it myself.
The actual project'll wait 'til it cools off this fall, I suppose. I can dread it quietly until then.