Since more pictures and information would be adviseable and usefull, I figured that this might help since it seems to be in the alley of what the poster is asking.
Thanks to Thumb and Hammer for the information.
The Attic Renovation
Finishing the second floor of a 1 1/2 storey house.
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This is one of the side attics in the guest room. I removed all of the old insulation and cleaned up all the debris. The fire damage is obvious in these pictures. I painted over the fire damage with Zinsser Bin spray primer which supposedly helps to encapsulate any odor. Whether it does or not may not be important, since the damaged wood will be sealed behind vapour barrier.
I installed vapour barrier in the side attic, wrapping it up and over each floor joist and taping all the seams with red technical tape. It was awkward and time consuming, but it is essential to prevent the warm moist air from the house from infiltrating the attic space.
Rather than install another suspended ceiling, I decided to install some collar ties so that drywall ceiling could be hung. The collar ties will also add strength to the roof structure.
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I temporarily attached a couple of 2x4s to the rafters and made sure they were level to each other and along their lengths. I then cut 2x6s and installed them by resting them on the 2x4s and screwing them to the rafters. The 2x6s allow for R-20 insulation. An additional R-5 will be provided by extruded polystyrene boards which will be sandwiched between the collars and the drywall, providing a thermal break. I was advised against adding another layer of insulation above the collar ties as the resulting air space would be inadequate.
At this point in the renovation, I became overwhelmed with the numerous problems in the house. I sought the advice of a contractor on a number of issues and hired him to repair the structure of the back dormer as it had been compromised by the improper installation of windows. That repair is covered elsewhere on this website.
I asked “John” how much I could expect to pay if I had him finish the second floor for me, and was pleasantly surprised by the estimate. He could certainly finish the job a lot faster than I could if I continued plucking away at it on weekends.
Basic Attic Structure
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This diagram is copied from Jon Eakes’ website (www.joneakes.com) and shows the basic structure of an attic.
The vertical studs are what is commonly referred to as the knee wall. The knee wall meets with the slope of the roof which creates a cathedral type sloped ceiling. The space on the other side of the knee wall is the side attic.
Side Attic Insulation
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The side attic should be treated as any full size attic since it is directly above living space. The joists are 2x8s, which allows for two layers of 2x4 insulation in between. I chose to insulate with Roxul which has a higher R value than the pink stuff. 2x4 insulation has an R-value of 13.5. With 2 layers between the joists and another layer running perpendicular over top, the R-value of the insulation in the side attic is in the range of R-40.
Cathedral Ceiling Insulation
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It is absolutely crucial that at least an inch or more of airspace is maintained between the insulation and roof deck to allow for adequate ventilation.
The roof members are 2x6s, which only allows for 2x4 insulation at most. John added 2x2 strapping to all of the roof members. Not only does this create a larger cavity for insulation but it also adds strength to the roof structure.
Raft-R-Mates were installed to prevent the insulation from coming in direct contact with the roof deck.
Now we could insulate the sloped ceiling to R-20. With one inch polystyrene between the drywall and the roof members, the r-value increases to r-25 with no thermal bridges. Essentially this system offers excellent insulation value because wood conducts heat and cold. The polystyrene prevents the outside temperatures from being transmitted through the wood directly to the drywall.
Knee Wall Insulation
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House wrap (Tyvek) was stapled up on the attic side of the knee wall, treating it as an outside wall. This not only provides a backing to prevent the batts of insulation from falling into the attic, but also acts as a barrier to help stop the cold air from penetrating the insulation, increasing its effectiveness.
Other options for backing for insulation: nail 1x2 strapping, or other wood strips to the attic side. Some contractors opt for chicken wire or other forms of netting to hold the batts in place.
Using extruded polystyrene, while it may seem like a good idea adding more r-value to the knee wall structure, is not recommended in my area, where vapor barrier must be on the warm side of the insulation. The polystyrene would not allow the wall to sufficiently breath.
I hope this helps a little.
Marcel