More Extensive Insulation Hard-Covering (and more invention)

This post is built from photos posted in Picasa Web Album Truss Attic, January 2016  .

After five man-weeks, there is this:
65% of attic floor (ceiling insulation) areas are durably plywood-covered, yet insulation is R42 on average. This insulation will endure.

The 1991 home has a living room cathedral ceiling not at risk of rot, as are cathedrals foolishly integral with a roof. Half of the energy savings due to my weatherization are at this now-benign cathedral. Most of those savings are at R30 walls, previously with flimsy R13, not in contact with drywall. 

How does one form hard-covered R30 walls? Details are in my comprehensive photo album: Milwaukie_1991_Attic . 

Average attic floor insulation was R10, that commonly found in distressed loose-fill that was intended R19. The very large attic was a useless and dangerous place.

Attic walls had no useful insulation. The trampled 3" of loose-fill on traveled floor areas was R7.

Over time, plans become detailed, real and accurate.

Build safe, strong flooring supports, 10" here, and 21" for a raised central deck.

At long last, find a cure of can light energy bleeds over the living room cathedral. Four remodel cans were pushed up 24 years ago during house construction, with no attempt to reset insulation, and with poor delivered light.

The first can light replacement by Nicor DLS4 on a RACO 175 junction box, is less perfect than three that will follow.

Replace three can lights in a batch.The drywall rings are cut from divots found in the attic, carefully aligned with ceiling texture. Two drywall screws deliver perfect patch alignment, each time.

Six Nicor DLS4 now, really pretty, I thought then. My next customer will complain of glare, and  I will stop offering them. This customer still likes them.

Work in the attic includes 100% sealing of wall headers , now foolishly disdained by most other contractors.

Most of my work is in preparation, lights below, attic lights, supports for raised flooring/ covering of insulation, and more. Placement of new insulation is dramatic and satisfying, but is a small part of the job. 

Top layer placement for each periphery half, takes three hours.

I knew I would hard-cover most attic floor insulation, and the attic walls, by practiced methods. Here in the living room cathedral ceiling, I settled on something new. Hostility of this tight space, with bristling nails overhead, and real risk of falling into the living room, must be overcome. Create safe access by encapsulating an R25 base on 5" cuts of plywood. Cover all with crossing R19, exposed.

With the base-layer covering, it is possible to safely reach all the way to the soffit blocks in placing added insulation layers here, too.

Noisemaker bath fans were belatedly replaced with nice Panasaonic FV08 VQ5. Shuffling the plywood flooring and insulation is painless.

This attic is not a trash heap. A small salting of hole saw debris is collected.

I don't use a Sawzall. Grind off the coarse shingles with turn of deck screw points. Then make the simple, clean 4 1/8" wood cut. I have pulled a minimum of nails in three rows, parting tar-down with a blunt Wonderbar. The spun-aluminum penetration adapter plate is confirmed oversize, and will be trimmed.

I have owned spun-aluminum roof penetration adapters, four each in sizes 4", 6" and 8", for a year. At last, I get to employ two 4" adapters, with new ducting of two new bath fans. Trim off some excess material. Take one third of that 3-tab shingle, split it at the tar line, and insert a piece over each installed adapter, to gain one more layer of assured roof water-tightness.

This is the watertight hole of a roof penetration adapter. Nails are reset. Unexpected shingle damage is tarred. Needing now only a rain cover, roof integrity as good as new.

Use no tar," it says. I come close to complying. I must learn to use screw heads that self-seal.

New Panasonic FV08 VQ5 fans and needed straight initial ducting, are protected under insulation and decking. Use shortest run, nestled with truss elements, in the reach to the roof penetration. Added 2x4 under the roof sheathing compensate for the roof cut, and anchor screws of the vent cap.

Hard covering is important everywhere, It matters especially at tight passages.

Admire the Calvert attic ladder, installed with innovation. The "broad top step" importantly adds to safety. Every new safety invention becomes mandatory.










Access inventions are shared freely with any manufacturer:
https://sites.google.com/a/r5portals.com/www/home 

At my r5portals site, please see current, very important advocacy for good access in new building codes.
https://sites.google.com/a/r5portals.com/www/better-building-codes-for-access-portals  
If you have a vote on the IECC developments for 2018 , please show interest in this.

With an interfering bath fan duct gone, add stability to the truss array. This 16"x96" piece of strong 3/4" CDX plywood, with four 2" deck screws to each truss, strongly resists rotation of trusses to collapse in a tornado. It is a small cost in offset of cheapness in 1/2" OSB roof sheathing, but could you do this without flooring and lights?