Insulating Your Home - Insulation Projects
Insulating Your Home - Insulation Projects
Insulating your entire home is a big job.
If you plan on doing it yourself, phase it out over time as a series of smaller insulation projects. Pick the projects from this section that need the most attention.
By the time you're finished, you'll get to know every inch of your home like you never have before.
Choosing an Insulation Project
Deciding which insulation project to do first can be a daunting task. Your home is a large complex box with lots of places to insulate.
As a rule of thumb, if you're not sure where to begin, you can't go wrong starting an attic insulation project. It's usually the easiest place to insulate. It's also where most of money you spend on your energy bills disappears.
The next best insulation project is to insulate your basement or crawlspace. Here you'll usually find the same situation. An unfinished space you can reach without tearing apart the walls and ceilings. It's also one of the largest sources of heat loss and moisture problems.
Attic Insulation Projects
It is true that heat rises. But in the summer, heat from your attic gets pulled down into your home by differences in pressure and leaky ducts connected to your central air conditioner. So no matter where you live, adding insulation to your attic will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Your attic is also the easiest place to add insulation to an existing home. Although it won't seem like it when you're crawling around up there.
Wall Insulation Projects
Insulating the walls in your home is relatively easy if you're planning on remodeling or willing to remove the drywall. It also gives you a chance to air seal the wall cavities.
But if your home has no insulation in the exterior walls, you'll probably need to call in a professional. Mainly because installing blown insulation into the wall cavities requires special equipment and expertise.
Slow Rise Foam Insulation for Walls
There are other DIY options on the market for insulating existing walls. Blow in foam insulation kits you can buy from Dow, Tiger Foam and Foam It Green are the top sellers.
Using these kits, you inject the blown foam insulation into the wall through a tube that fills the wall cavity as it expands. It's an amazing new type of insulation that really works. It's just a little costly and I'd only recommend it for smaller, mission critical rooms in your home.
Garage Insulation Projects
If you're like me, your garage is your oasis. A space where you can escape from the craziness and tinker around with your projects. Unfortunately, it's also the most uncomfortable space in your home.
Insulating and air sealing your garage will not only make your work more enjoyable, but you'll create a safer living environment for your family. You'll be able to get your work done without worrying about loud noises bothering the people on other side of the wall.
Air sealing and insulating your garage will also prevent deadly gases from entering your living spaces. All in all, not bad for a few hundred bucks and a weekend of your time.