How to properly insulate an attic and make a winter living space out of it

Once I bought a one-story house with a non-residential attic. The idea immediately came to insulate it, thereby increasing the living square meters. After all, an attic is a very good idea to expand your home space.

The first step is to properly insulate it so that there is no strong heat loss through the walls. I recommend that this procedure be carried out with the help of mineral wool, since it will be convenient to work with it in an already built room. It is best to take minvata 10 cm thick and lay it in two layers so that the second layer overlaps the seams of the first.

Insulation of vertical walls

The easiest stage in the work. It is necessary to correctly calculate the width between the rafters, and prepare for each section the insulation plates we need in width. I cut the mineral wool with an ordinary dummy knife, which I do not advise you to do, since the blades have to be changed quite often. It is better for this business to purchase a special knife for insulating materials, it is relatively inexpensive, and the effect will be much more pleasant. Please note that the insulation must be cut with a margin of 5-10 cm, otherwise it will not fulfill its protective function. Next, we insert the prepared material into the vertical sections between the rafters.

Roof insulation

For me, it was a more difficult process, since I had to work at the top, where all the dust rises, and there is nothing to breathe. For such work, you must wear a protective suit, construction goggles and a respirator. I must say right away that this work must be done together. One supplies sheets of insulation, the second holds them. I, on my own, tried to simplify the process for myself: I took nylon threads and, using a stapler, attached them to the rafter beams.

Then he took insulation and tried to shove it under these threads. Firstly, it is very inconvenient, and secondly, the threads were torn under the weight of mineral wool. Therefore, on the other side of the attic, I decided to add fastening threads to all sheets of insulation.

I do not recommend doing this procedure using threads, since they can be replaced with blocks that can be fixed with self-tapping screws between the rafter beams. At that time, there were no blocks at hand.

Pulling on the vapor barrier material

When the insulation is laid over the entire roof area, you need to pull on the vapor barrier. For each manufacturer, it is attached in different ways. This is a very important point! If the vapor barrier film is laid with the wrong side to the insulation, then in winter the insulation will absorb all the moisture. It is attached with construction brackets to the rafter system

Finishing the walls

I decided to sheathe the walls with clapboard, as this will give the attic an unusual, memorable look. Moreover, if you have euro renovation throughout your house, then you can be creative in the attic. What material would you use to decorate the walls in your attic? We write the answers in the comments!

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