What can we use as temporary insulation in our attic?
We inherited a home in the Missouri Ozarks/Truman lake area. It was intended as a summer vacation place only. We added a living room which is sufficiently insulated floor to roof, however the back of the house was an add on by my step father years ago, and is not insulated. We had a furnace/central air unit installed before winter. We endured very high propane bills all winter and now that summer is here this room is hot in comparison to the other parts of the house. We know what we have to do , however we can’t afford to do it right now. Is there ANYTHING we can do temporarily in the attic to lower the temperatures in this part of the house? I considered using the left over tyvek wrap but figured this would cause condensation. Also wondered about styrofoam. Please advise us.!
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Juli,
Insulation is fairly cheap. If you borrow money to install cellulose, you'll save money in the long run compared to buying propane and electricity to heat and cool your home.
Thanks Martin, We are aware of the low cost of cellulose...in fact that is our plan in the future. However right now it's not easy to come up with that money, and we're unable to borrow. I was just hoping someone would have an alternative, i.e. we saw an add for styrofoam for a dock and wondered if that would work? ( it was listed as free in craigslist)...I'm even thinking that right now newspapers would be helpful tacked to the ceiling in the attic! I appreciate your advice, though! Thank you
Tacking that leftover housewrap to the underside of the roof rafters would help by channeling the air wash from soffit vents to ridge vents. (I've done it myself many years back and it was really great in the summer especially.) Take the time to do a neat job and it will set you up for blowing in cellulose on the ceiling when you come up with some cash.
Think of it as insulation baffles for the cellulose you'll be getting around to before Thanksgiving. So get it down as close to the soffits as possible, caulk any air leaks in the ceiling and top plates and make a neat job of it at the ridge. It's not temporary, It's the first step of a three-part process. Baffle, caulk, and blow.
Thank You Michael!!! That made sense to us! We'll get started on that right away!
I am way too familiar with your situation. Also try Craigslist and any local classifieds for fiberglass insulation or rigid insulation.
Contact the facilities manager for the local school board. Often school roofs are repaired in the summer months. Ask if there are any reroofing jobs planned. As an alternative, call the local roofers who replace flat roofs. Explain you are in search of cheap rigid board insulation. The roofers may be happy to make a deal with you or give you insulation. They may be willing to donate offcuts of new insulating board. You save money and they don't pay for disposal. Less garbage enters the waste stream. Good luck - Jim