???. If there are cathedral ceilings or you conditioning an attic due to hvac equipment installed up there then ok. But you can go wrong with your pocket book when a standard truss/ceiling can have r60 cellulose or rockwool installed a whole lot cheaper than spray foam with little to no difference in performance if installed by competent people.
If you do this. Make sure you install the proper soffit vent baffles before you blow in the insulation.
I guess I was under the mistaken impression that she was able to and was going to use it as storage and wanted access. I have a cottage with a similar set up, attic has some light storage, I had the gable walls and and roof deck shot in foam. It’s very clean, draft-free, maintains a good temperature year round , and added some minor structural integrity to the roof according to my architect friend. It still allows access without wading through feet of of insulation.
Problem is that trusses like her is rated for any storage. Only rated for the weight of ceiling/insulation.
How did you cover for code and fire? Seems challenging with truss webs.
It seems most of us have at least a little civility.
Hey, no rude comments about Kay!
Judy, like others have said, those attic trusses are not meant to hold any more that the ceiling and insulation. Sure you can toss in a bit of Christmas decorations, but seriously, it isn't designed for it. If it were me I would remove the clutter and have someone blow in fiberglass and store your items elsewhere.
Thank you so much for letting me know! I will get a professional to insulate right away. I may put down some 1/2" plywood so someone could walk up there to just store some christmas decorations?
Thank you, Zeke! I would love to get my garage door a bit more insulated. I only heat to about 42 but only turn the heat on when it hits 0. I really just keep the car reasonably warm and do a few projects out there but nothing for hours on end.
Thank you for replying! Most of what is up there is just empty storage bins (for moving). Probably 100 of them or so. And just Christmas decor. Do you think if I put down 1/2" plywood and distributed the weight - i could get about 300# up there? I see on the thread that I definitely need to get it insulated. I also think I may have to do that to the garage door, somehow. But I'm now looking at building a shed...I hope someone affordable pours concrete and could do it in winter!
Jack - thank you so much. I guess when I said "floor" - I just meant so I'm not stepping on the studs like an acrobat. Just something to slide those empty bins on. Do you think 1/2" ply would hold up 400 or so pounds if evenly distributed? It is mostly empty bins but a lot of christmas. 250 pounds is more accurate but want to be careful about it. I also see I should have someone do some spray insulation!
YOun are right about the advice! I can't beleive how many responded in just a few hours. And they all seem to have the same advice which makes this so much less stressful when deciding what to do. I'll listen to the experts!
Are you too shy to ask yourself? I had to have my son-in-law help me figure that out but my photo should now be on my profile. Thank you for all being experts in this field. If you boys need advice on quilting...then I can return the favor.
Trying to plywood the whole attic floor will be and expensive undertaking and it limits the amount of insulation you can put up there. Some attic trusses have a bit of an open area in the center and perhaps you could run some plywood there, but I sure would bother to try cover it all. It would be quite an undertaking.
I added some cross pieces (2 x 4) at the center of the truss just above where the top of the insulation would be (but easier to put in before the insulation). Then put some plywood on that. I just did a walkway down the middle. If you put the plywood directly on the bottom of the truss you only have room for 3.5" of insulation which is better than nothing but not really enough to do a good job. As others have said you should only put very light stuff up there and the temptation is to add a bit more and a bit more and you don't realize how much it add up. But the walkway makes if much easier to access things to add a wire for something and such like.
That's why I let my son-in-law do all the garage nonsense!Judy I don't think any of us want you in the roof, that's what it is, not an attic or storage space and it's certainly not safe to be walking crouched over and carrying something. One misstep and there's lots of things to knock your head on and you could easily fall through the ceiling and onto the concrete below.
Now don't make us raise our voices to you, be a good girl and go get the shelves Zeke was talking about above.
Hi! Thank you much for your reply. It's mostly keeping empty storage bins and boxes (for future moves). I will keep Christmas up there but I put it up against the back wall. I don't intend on walking up there (my son-in-law does that, but only to retrieve something. It's 25' long. When the weather gets to 15 degreen F or lower, I will put the heat on to about 42. It's to keep a few things from freezing. So any amount of efficiency would be great but I certainly don't want to over do it. I'm so confused! but I am understanding one thing is clear - don't put a lot of weight. I just want stong enough plywood to let someone walk up and grab something.