Handyman Guide > Unfinished Attic and Exterior Walls

Unfinished Attic. An easy attic to insulate is one without finished floor and with the rafters exposed. Here, it is necessary only to insulate the attic floor. This will prevent heat from entering the attic and additional insulation on the attic roof, in most cases, will not be required. Be sure to keep the door tightly shut, as an open door provides an excellent means for warm air to escape into the attic and out through the roof.


Almost any kind of insulation can be used for this job. For dry fill insulation, put down a sheet of waterproof paper and pour the insulation over it to the desired thickness. When using blanket insulation, place it so that the paper side is on the bottom. Nail rigid insulation sheets over the roof rafters.

Exterior Walls. A great deal of heat may be lost through the exterior walls, and a brief dcscriptioli of their construction may help toward a clearer understanding of the insulating problem involved.

The exterior walls are composed of two separate parts, the outside and the inside wall. In between them is a dead air space cut into vertical sections by the studding. This space is about three inches wide. In a well-constructed house, this area is closed at the top and bottom to prevent circulation of air between the walls. As a precaution against fire and to strengthen the frame of the house, horizontal pieces of two by four studding are placed between the vertical studding at each floor level. These fire-stops, as they are called, may have several bricks on top of them as added protection against :fire in the basement rising through the walls.

If the inside walls are cold, go to the basement and see whether the space between the walls has been left open, allowing cold air to flow up between the walls. You can correct this condition by nailing strips of wood over the openings at the bottom and at the top, where the walls open into the attic.

Insulation between the walls helps greatly to increase the comfortableness of the house and the efficiency of the heating unit. The work is best done by a concern with the necessary blower equipment, but it can in some cases be done by the home mechanic.

To put insulation between the two walls, remove a small section of the outside wall and pour the dry fill into the space between the inner and. outer wall. Measure the depth of the space before putting in the insulation, to determine whether there are any obstructions in the wall, such as fire stops, that would prevent the insulation from filling the entire space. When obstructions are encountered, mark their location on the outside wall and make an opening in the siding under the mark so that the space can be filled. Pack down the insulation from time to time while pouring.

Insulation can be added in this manner to houses whose outer walls are of wood, but it is very difficult with brick and stucco walls. Here, the best thing to do is to line the interior walls with insulating board nailed to furring strips attached to the wall. This provides a dead air space between the insulating board and the old interior wall.

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