Monday, October 7, 2013

Starting the Insulation

R-38 Insulation Bats for the Ceilings

 
R-30 for the Walls

Plenty to Go Around
 
Dining Room Ceiling Completed

One Bedroom is Already Done
 
The Rafter Baffle Allows air flow from the Soffit Vents to the Ridge Vent
The airflow helps to increase the life of your roof

This is what they look like on their side
 
I stopped by to find that the insulation had been delivered and that they had already started to install the bats in the walls and ceilings.

They’ve come a long way with insulating houses where they used to stuff rags or anything that was available into the cracks to where we are today with the many types of insulation that are available for house construction.  Our outside walls are constructed using 2 x 6’s which allows us to have even more insulation on the outside walls.

Insulation is measured by its R value which is the measure of its resistance to heat flow.  Although the R value is not the only way to measure insulation, it’s pretty much a standard term used by everyone. The higher the value, the better its ability to keep the cold out.

The main idea is to have an envelope with the living area inside the envelope staying warm (or cool) surrounded by insulation which keeps the cold (or heat) out. But just throwing insulation up is not enough. You need to make sure the house can breathe or else you can wind up with a moisture problem which in turn can lead to mold or rotting wood. This is done by leaving a small amount of space between the insulation and the outside wall. I’m sure that there’s a lot more to it than that. But you get the idea.

It looks we’re heading into the next phase of construction with the focus moving to the interior. Yay!

Enjoy your week.

5 comments:

  1. I love this stage. You get to see the form of each room for the first time. Very exciting.

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    1. That is so true. Now we can't wait for the sheetrock to see what it's really going to look like.

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  2. Looks like you will be bug snug come winter - well, i know it comes sooner "up there", but still. I keep saying it will go faster, but it has already started. Enjoy the ride!

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  3. We've been lucky. The weather will still be in the high 60's next week and we're heading into mid-October. We're keeping our fingers crossed for a warm winter.

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  4. It's nice to see your house being built from the ground up, right? Paying attention to your insulation can go a long way in the future by providing you sufficient heat during winter season. A reduced amount on utility bills is also to be expected. How's your house now?

    Todd Kroll @ Kroll Window

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