You say that most sloped ceilings are batt insulated. Does that suggest packing the gap tightly with rockwool would be sufficient? Blocking off both ends with insulation board? Or is it too risky in regards to air pockets and ventilation?
Thank you for such a quick reply! Since posting, I've discovered that bitumen felt funnels air from the sofit area of the house, up past the side attic, over the sloped ceiling and into the top attic. Given that the sloped ceiling now won't be 'strictly' air tight using this method, would you still say it is a good option to take? There's only 75mm-100mm gap to shove rockwool or fibreglass insulation down... Thoughts??
We have a bedroom and walking closet over the garage. The bedroom has a window and the closet has a window that is like a dormer. Where would we insulate the closet space? The bedroom is properly insulated in ceiling (and walls?) but the closet just gets so cold and you can’t leave the door open long or the bedroom will get cold
Hi there! I wish I could envision your scenario. Feel free to send me an email to eric@hometrustremodeling.com with any photos you can share and perhaps your address if it is visible from Google Earth and I can take a look to see if I can give you some advice.
Hello! Love choclate labs! Okay, here is what you do. If you encapsulate the knee wall attic area where the soffit is, completely seal the soffit and the walls and that space is then semi conditioned so you don't need to worry about ventilation. For the top collar attic, if you seal and insulate at the floor of the attic then yes, keep your gable vents and ridge vent. Or add smart vent and ridge vent next time you replace the roof.
This is very helpful. We are having to remove old Vermiculite by an abatement company. Do you think new insulation will have a significant impact on the hot summers/cold winters? We have forced hot air, and the upstairs is obviously the last place the air gets to. Is there a better system for heating/cooling cape houses?
You will be okay with what you have! If you create a tight bubble by insulating correctly - using the correct techniques - the forced air will work more effectively. While working in those tight places, technicians should check duct connections and make sure they are in good working order. I used to think the air traveled along through and got to the other side, but what is really happening is that the ducts are pressurized. Static pressure. Once the air gets all the way through the entire duct system is under pressure forcing the air through the openings (supply) so it is way more important to seal ducts and make sure there are no pressure release points. Better pressure = better air flow Hope this helps!
Does adding an air barrier/ sheathing to the main knee wall have the potential to trap moisture in the batt insulation or would it be better to leave open? I'm assuming to use unfaced batt to avoid the vapor barrier sandwich. Thank you
Hello. Thanks for the question! This is one of the more difficult questions to answer due to so many factors - mainly climate and the conditions of the space, etc. I tend to worry more about sealing out unwanted air from the outside and keeping in the precious conditioned air we pay to make. Personally, I would not add knee wall insulation in any circumstance without an air barrier as well.
I see your great at replying, so I have a question. I’m finishing my bonus room. 590sqft. I’m insulating with 4” polyiso foil faced foam board. With that insulation, I’m afraid 18k btu mini split won’t run enough to keep humidity down. But not sure 12k will be enough. I’ve thought about putting 6” of poly on the ceiling so maybe a 12k would do. What’s your thoughts.
Hi. This is not my specialty. You should get someone with a mechanical HVAC license to do a an assessment. Do min-splits actually dehumidify? I read recently that they do not do a great job. Also, be sure to air seal all seams around the polyiso. Hope this helps!
Great video. What would your approach be if a cape cod does not have soffit vents? We do have ridge vents in the peak of the roof and gable vents up in the peak area as well. We currently have super old batting insulation within that knee wall scrawl space that are stapled to the roof rafter areas--of which most of them are falling down and not working properly which is why are are looking to update it. We have had 2 different energy companies come out to our house and give us their opinions on what to do and it was typically a combination of spray foam the corner of the house all the way up until it reached the kneewall/slope area before it goes into the actual sloped area, spray in packed cellulose in the sloped area, and spray in cellulose in the devils triangle peak area. Combining all of this with some foil/foam stuff to seal in the cellulose. Both companies said by doing this we wouldn’t need to insulate the lower flat attic since this would now be “conditioned” space nor would be have to spray foam any of the air gaps from lets say canned lights, etc. I kind of see the logic here, but I feel you would want to also seal off any air gaps between the 1st and the 2nd floor since we already have return vents upstairs in our HVAC system. They also said that since this would now be conditioned space, that that area of the attic wouldn't be too much hotter than our actual bedroom on the other side of the kneewall--which I find hard to believe.... Secondly-I always thought that attic need ventilation but according to these two companies, they said we didn’t need ventilation since they would be making it conditioned space. If we were to completely seal that attic space, that means no air would be going through the slope area and out of the ridge vent-which I thought was the reason for having such things. Apologies for the long comment!! Your video has been so helpful in actually explaining things so I wanted to get your opinion on my situation.....thanks!
Hello! Thank you for your thoughtful comment! It sounds like you're dealing with the typical complexities of insulating a Cape Cod home, especially without soffit vents. Here’s my approach: Soffit vents or not, I would encapsulate the knee wall area if possible (budget, accessibility). Remove the old insulation before adding new. When you encapsulate the knee wall, the space behind the foam is part of your conditioned space (envelope), and the need to seal or insulate the knee wall, or the lower attic floor no longer exists. You do not need to worry about sealing between floors. The key to sealing a house is always finding the pathway to take that seals between the inside and outside of the house. Before encapsulating, the space below the knee wall attic floor touches the attic, but that is no longer the case once the area above is encapsulated (foam applied to the roof deck and the gable end wall). Sealing between would be a waste of resources for no gain. When the knee wall is part of the space, the air inside flows through your HVAC system. Even if you have a wall and a door closed to the encapsulated space, air will still flow through and find its way to the HVAC system for conditioning. Your skepticism about the attic’s temperature balance is valid. Even conditioned, you may notice some variance. Ensuring the insulation is installed correctly, and the airflow is controlled should minimize these differences. Hope this helps!
@@homeairleakagetest Thanks for the info! When you say encapsulating the knee wall--you mean just sealing it from the outside world sort of speak? Also---we live in Northern VA so the summers as you know get unbearably hot. Additionally--I am not so sure about the spray foam since from what I read contains a bunch of toxic materials, and we can't even be in the house from 24-72 hours after they spray it in, which is concerning since it is unknown what the long-term effects from this may be after breathing it in constantly. The companies said they don't recommend batting insulation anymore for the areas that touch the roof hence why they switched to spray foam; but could there be an approach where spray foam isn't used? Below are some pictures for our situation and the one company's plan of attack is the 4th image down. Links to pics below: Insulation Pic 1 - imgur.com/a/vrfyJHv Insulation Pic 2 - imgur.com/a/GFaDcS7 Insulation Pic 3 - imgur.com/a/j0i4evM Insulation Pic 4 - imgur.com/a/vGZdE1E Company's plan - imgur.com/a/KrqS5xs
@@agacom1 Yes, sealing the space from the outside is to encapsulate. I wouldn't believe the hype about spray foam. Yes, there is a short period that the foam off-gases, but it is a short-term inconvenience for a long-term gain. I like the company's plan and the only other thing you can do is seal the attic floor above the 1st floor, seal the knee wall and add insulation to both. Basically, change the pathway the seal and insulation takes to protect the living space. Whatever you decide to do, it will be way better compared to what you have based on the photos you shared. Good luck!
It is difficult to say for sure, but I have done several Cape Cods through the years, and I am not getting any complaints! It is mostly about making the boundary between the inside and the outside better so that your HVAC can work magic for you. Be sure to seal any accessible ducts in a Cape Cod as well so that the air can be delivered to the upper floor as effectively as possible.
Does insulating the upstairs in my cale cod affect the first floor temperature? Ive been thinking of removing all gnr deywall on ceiling and kneewalls and spray foam insulation all over
Absolutely it does! There is a portion of the first floor that is beneath the knee wall attic. Sealing and insulating properly will help with comfort throughout your home! Spray foam is a wonderful solution or a Cape Cod, just make sure you have someone that takes the time to get it right.
@@homeairleakagetestthank you for the advice. I got a quote which I thought was reasonable but I wasn’t sure if it’s worth the investment. The cape cod is a sauna in the summer and ice box in the winter. I’m hoping if I were to insulate the upstairs with spray foam that the temperature on first floor would benefit as well.
@@bradadam3924 It will because, in the winter, the sealing and insulation will prevent heat from escaping. If the warm air has nowhere to go, then it will stay inside your bubble. In warmer months, the heat and presumably humidity will not get in as rapidly, allowing your AC to do a much better job.
Since I was little I froze in my Cape Cod house my parents owned. It was always cold. How many years later we have purchased this home from my father and are now figuring out how to properly insulate the upstairs bedrooms.
after watching your great video, I have started thinking of sealing the knee wall with spray foam to keep it seperate from other areas as conditioned space. That will seal of soffit vents there but hopefully it will be fine. Not sure about what to do about attic space tough. Currently I have blown in, and worrying about blocking soffit vents there if we blown more. Do you think it should be fine because i have gable and ridge vents? or what is the best way to increase r value there, it seems no one wants to go there and they only suggest blown in from attic access point. Thanks a lot
Hello! So glad that you found the video to be helpful in some way! The way you can increase your blown insulation and not compromise your ventilation is to add baffles or extend baffles. Here is a video on what that looks like: at about 2:00 mins ua-cam.com/video/kerYwtiOfEI/v-deo.html
I have 4” thick polyiso 4’ x 8’ i have cathedral ceiling section 2x6 should i leave 1” air gap or mount the polyiso direct to roof deck? I have knee wall and i am going to insulate that with rockwool and baffle up to knee wall, i plan to use that for storage but i will still put insulation in the 2x4 5’ high knee wall, im going to do r15 batt with a 2” rigid foam back.
This is a really good question and I think I recently lost a job because my answer would be install the foam board directly to the roof deck and allow the gable vents (if you have them) ventilate the top collar flat. Treat the sloped attic, the top collar, and the knee wall attic as three separate spaces. Close off the sloped portion so it is not connected to the top or the lower attic. I live in Maryland where we get some extreme weather days/periods but there are so many configurations that I see and rarely do I find mold or rotted wood in the attic, even when things are not done exactly right. I suppose if you have access and you can create the perfect channel, but be careful that it does not create a route outside that conditioned air can take.
@@homeairleakagetest awesome, i have eve vents and ridgecap, started to finish out the upstairs. So i found someone that was sslling the 4” of plolyiso sheets 40 bucks each, so i heard mix no air gap to gotta do air gap from eve to ridge, my head was spinning. Without air gap will make so much easier, plus with 2x6 bay the 4 inch polyiso r26 then 1.5 inch more it will be close to r38 blammo! Lol i will seal edges with good caulking or if gaps larger than 1/4” can spray foam to seal it. Great info and thank you! I subscribed, i got 1k sq foot of unfinished area to do. Lol i think i am leaning toward beadboard over the drywall so dont have to sand n deal with drywall mud 🤪
@@homeairleakagetest oh im in north carolina, not sure if that would alter anything. Not as snowey as maryland, more humid in summer. Just west of winston salem, down the road from Jr Johnson orig moonshine NASCAR guy. 😂
I have seen that and tested houses with no overhang at the eave, and the knee wall attics are still connected to the outside. Are you looking for insulation solutions for your Cape Cod or have you already insulated?
I’m still researching before we decide on what we need to do. Your video has helped immensely.
Really glad to hear this! I hope you figure it out and you improve your quality of life (inside your home)!
This house is basically the same setup at ours is upstairs. 1951 cape cod
You say that most sloped ceilings are batt insulated. Does that suggest packing the gap tightly with rockwool would be sufficient? Blocking off both ends with insulation board? Or is it too risky in regards to air pockets and ventilation?
That would be going above and beyond and will benefit you. No risk in my opinion.
Thank you for such a quick reply! Since posting, I've discovered that bitumen felt funnels air from the sofit area of the house, up past the side attic, over the sloped ceiling and into the top attic. Given that the sloped ceiling now won't be 'strictly' air tight using this method, would you still say it is a good option to take? There's only 75mm-100mm gap to shove rockwool or fibreglass insulation down... Thoughts??
We have a bedroom and walking closet over the garage. The bedroom has a window and the closet has a window that is like a dormer. Where would we insulate the closet space? The bedroom is properly insulated in ceiling (and walls?) but the closet just gets so cold and you can’t leave the door open long or the bedroom will get cold
Hi there! I wish I could envision your scenario. Feel free to send me an email to eric@hometrustremodeling.com with any photos you can share and perhaps your address if it is visible from Google Earth and I can take a look to see if I can give you some advice.
What about the soffit and the ridge vents? Do they have to breathe or do you add a vent?
Hello! Love choclate labs! Okay, here is what you do. If you encapsulate the knee wall attic area where the soffit is, completely seal the soffit and the walls and that space is then semi conditioned so you don't need to worry about ventilation. For the top collar attic, if you seal and insulate at the floor of the attic then yes, keep your gable vents and ridge vent. Or add smart vent and ridge vent next time you replace the roof.
This is very helpful. We are having to remove old Vermiculite by an abatement company. Do you think new insulation will have a significant impact on the hot summers/cold winters? We have forced hot air, and the upstairs is obviously the last place the air gets to. Is there a better system for heating/cooling cape houses?
You will be okay with what you have! If you create a tight bubble by insulating correctly - using the correct techniques - the forced air will work more effectively. While working in those tight places, technicians should check duct connections and make sure they are in good working order. I used to think the air traveled along through and got to the other side, but what is really happening is that the ducts are pressurized. Static pressure. Once the air gets all the way through the entire duct system is under pressure forcing the air through the openings (supply) so it is way more important to seal ducts and make sure there are no pressure release points. Better pressure = better air flow Hope this helps!
Thank you! I will mention/ask about this when it's time to re-insulate. @@homeairleakagetest
Does adding an air barrier/ sheathing to the main knee wall have the potential to trap moisture in the batt insulation or would it be better to leave open? I'm assuming to use unfaced batt to avoid the vapor barrier sandwich. Thank you
Hello. Thanks for the question! This is one of the more difficult questions to answer due to so many factors - mainly climate and the conditions of the space, etc. I tend to worry more about sealing out unwanted air from the outside and keeping in the precious conditioned air we pay to make. Personally, I would not add knee wall insulation in any circumstance without an air barrier as well.
I see your great at replying, so I have a question. I’m finishing my bonus room. 590sqft. I’m insulating with 4” polyiso foil faced foam board. With that insulation, I’m afraid 18k btu mini split won’t run enough to keep humidity down. But not sure 12k will be enough. I’ve thought about putting 6” of poly on the ceiling so maybe a 12k would do. What’s your thoughts.
Hi. This is not my specialty. You should get someone with a mechanical HVAC license to do a an assessment. Do min-splits actually dehumidify? I read recently that they do not do a great job. Also, be sure to air seal all seams around the polyiso. Hope this helps!
Great video. What would your approach be if a cape cod does not have soffit vents? We do have ridge vents in the peak of the roof and gable vents up in the peak area as well. We currently have super old batting insulation within that knee wall scrawl space that are stapled to the roof rafter areas--of which most of them are falling down and not working properly which is why are are looking to update it.
We have had 2 different energy companies come out to our house and give us their opinions on what to do and it was typically a combination of spray foam the corner of the house all the way up until it reached the kneewall/slope area before it goes into the actual sloped area, spray in packed cellulose in the sloped area, and spray in cellulose in the devils triangle peak area. Combining all of this with some foil/foam stuff to seal in the cellulose.
Both companies said by doing this we wouldn’t need to insulate the lower flat attic since this would now be “conditioned” space nor would be have to spray foam any of the air gaps from lets say canned lights, etc. I kind of see the logic here, but I feel you would want to also seal off any air gaps between the 1st and the 2nd floor since we already have return vents upstairs in our HVAC system. They also said that since this would now be conditioned space, that that area of the attic wouldn't be too much hotter than our actual bedroom on the other side of the kneewall--which I find hard to believe....
Secondly-I always thought that attic need ventilation but according to these two companies, they said we didn’t need ventilation since they would be making it conditioned space. If we were to completely seal that attic space, that means no air would be going through the slope area and out of the ridge vent-which I thought was the reason for having such things.
Apologies for the long comment!! Your video has been so helpful in actually explaining things so I wanted to get your opinion on my situation.....thanks!
Hello! Thank you for your thoughtful comment! It sounds like you're dealing with the typical complexities of insulating a Cape Cod home, especially without soffit vents. Here’s my approach: Soffit vents or not, I would encapsulate the knee wall area if possible (budget, accessibility). Remove the old insulation before adding new. When you encapsulate the knee wall, the space behind the foam is part of your conditioned space (envelope), and the need to seal or insulate the knee wall, or the lower attic floor no longer exists. You do not need to worry about sealing between floors. The key to sealing a house is always finding the pathway to take that seals between the inside and outside of the house. Before encapsulating, the space below the knee wall attic floor touches the attic, but that is no longer the case once the area above is encapsulated (foam applied to the roof deck and the gable end wall). Sealing between would be a waste of resources for no gain. When the knee wall is part of the space, the air inside flows through your HVAC system. Even if you have a wall and a door closed to the encapsulated space, air will still flow through and find its way to the HVAC system for conditioning. Your skepticism about the attic’s temperature balance is valid. Even conditioned, you may notice some variance. Ensuring the insulation is installed correctly, and the airflow is controlled should minimize these differences. Hope this helps!
@@homeairleakagetest Thanks for the info! When you say encapsulating the knee wall--you mean just sealing it from the outside world sort of speak? Also---we live in Northern VA so the summers as you know get unbearably hot. Additionally--I am not so sure about the spray foam since from what I read contains a bunch of toxic materials, and we can't even be in the house from 24-72 hours after they spray it in, which is concerning since it is unknown what the long-term effects from this may be after breathing it in constantly. The companies said they don't recommend batting insulation anymore for the areas that touch the roof hence why they switched to spray foam; but could there be an approach where spray foam isn't used? Below are some pictures for our situation and the one company's plan of attack is the 4th image down.
Links to pics below:
Insulation Pic 1 - imgur.com/a/vrfyJHv
Insulation Pic 2 - imgur.com/a/GFaDcS7
Insulation Pic 3 - imgur.com/a/j0i4evM
Insulation Pic 4 - imgur.com/a/vGZdE1E
Company's plan - imgur.com/a/KrqS5xs
@@agacom1 Yes, sealing the space from the outside is to encapsulate. I wouldn't believe the hype about spray foam. Yes, there is a short period that the foam off-gases, but it is a short-term inconvenience for a long-term gain. I like the company's plan and the only other thing you can do is seal the attic floor above the 1st floor, seal the knee wall and add insulation to both. Basically, change the pathway the seal and insulation takes to protect the living space. Whatever you decide to do, it will be way better compared to what you have based on the photos you shared. Good luck!
With proper insulation. How much can the attic room improve in terms of degrees?
It is difficult to say for sure, but I have done several Cape Cods through the years, and I am not getting any complaints! It is mostly about making the boundary between the inside and the outside better so that your HVAC can work magic for you. Be sure to seal any accessible ducts in a Cape Cod as well so that the air can be delivered to the upper floor as effectively as possible.
is the blown in only option for collar attic? it seems it is almost impossible to crawl there in our 60s cape
Does insulating the upstairs in my cale cod affect the first floor temperature? Ive been thinking of removing all gnr deywall on ceiling and kneewalls and spray foam insulation all over
Absolutely it does! There is a portion of the first floor that is beneath the knee wall attic. Sealing and insulating properly will help with comfort throughout your home! Spray foam is a wonderful solution or a Cape Cod, just make sure you have someone that takes the time to get it right.
@@homeairleakagetestthank you for the advice. I got a quote which I thought was reasonable but I wasn’t sure if it’s worth the investment. The cape cod is a sauna in the summer and ice box in the winter. I’m hoping if I were to insulate the upstairs with spray foam that the temperature on first floor would benefit as well.
@@bradadam3924 It will because, in the winter, the sealing and insulation will prevent heat from escaping. If the warm air has nowhere to go, then it will stay inside your bubble. In warmer months, the heat and presumably humidity will not get in as rapidly, allowing your AC to do a much better job.
Thank you@@homeairleakagetest
Since I was little I froze in my Cape Cod house my parents owned. It was always cold. How many years later we have purchased this home from my father and are now figuring out how to properly insulate the upstairs bedrooms.
Cool! What methods are you using? Did this video help you in any way? Thanks for your comments. 🙂
Adding my comment 11 times lol this is a process this house is extremely cold in the winter and humid in the summer
@@Tiffa1004 absolutely you can send me an email. eric@hometrustremodeling.com
after watching your great video, I have started thinking of sealing the knee wall with spray foam to keep it seperate from other areas as conditioned space. That will seal of soffit vents there but hopefully it will be fine. Not sure about what to do about attic space tough. Currently I have blown in, and worrying about blocking soffit vents there if we blown more. Do you think it should be fine because i have gable and ridge vents? or what is the best way to increase r value there, it seems no one wants to go there and they only suggest blown in from attic access point. Thanks a lot
Hello! So glad that you found the video to be helpful in some way! The way you can increase your blown insulation and not compromise your ventilation is to add baffles or extend baffles. Here is a video on what that looks like: at about 2:00 mins ua-cam.com/video/kerYwtiOfEI/v-deo.html
I have 4” thick polyiso 4’ x 8’ i have cathedral ceiling section 2x6 should i leave 1” air gap or mount the polyiso direct to roof deck? I have knee wall and i am going to insulate that with rockwool and baffle up to knee wall, i plan to use that for storage but i will still put insulation in the 2x4 5’ high knee wall, im going to do r15 batt with a 2” rigid foam back.
This is a really good question and I think I recently lost a job because my answer would be install the foam board directly to the roof deck and allow the gable vents (if you have them) ventilate the top collar flat. Treat the sloped attic, the top collar, and the knee wall attic as three separate spaces. Close off the sloped portion so it is not connected to the top or the lower attic. I live in Maryland where we get some extreme weather days/periods but there are so many configurations that I see and rarely do I find mold or rotted wood in the attic, even when things are not done exactly right. I suppose if you have access and you can create the perfect channel, but be careful that it does not create a route outside that conditioned air can take.
And thank you for watching and contributing!
@@homeairleakagetest awesome, i have eve vents and ridgecap, started to finish out the upstairs. So i found someone that was sslling the 4” of plolyiso sheets 40 bucks each, so i heard mix no air gap to gotta do air gap from eve to ridge, my head was spinning. Without air gap will make so much easier, plus with 2x6 bay the 4 inch polyiso r26 then 1.5 inch more it will be close to r38 blammo! Lol i will seal edges with good caulking or if gaps larger than 1/4” can spray foam to seal it. Great info and thank you! I subscribed, i got 1k sq foot of unfinished area to do. Lol i think i am leaning toward beadboard over the drywall so dont have to sand n deal with drywall mud 🤪
@@homeairleakagetest oh im in north carolina, not sure if that would alter anything. Not as snowey as maryland, more humid in summer. Just west of winston salem, down the road from Jr Johnson orig moonshine NASCAR guy. 😂
Lol i gonna lose my head the polyiso is jogns manville it has foil on one side. To foil or not.. 😂.
My cape doesn’t have soffits.
I have seen that and tested houses with no overhang at the eave, and the knee wall attics are still connected to the outside. Are you looking for insulation solutions for your Cape Cod or have you already insulated?
No need for the fast paced music
Thanks for watching and the feedback!
I have a 1941 Cape. Can you recommend anyone in Connecticut that can do this work? Thanks!
Hi, sorry. I don't know anyone personally, but find yourself a certified Building Performance Institute Professional and you will be in good hands.