Just got my attic ladder replaced and I'm debating doing this but I'm not the most handiest of people. Watching this video is giving me confidence to tackle this project on my own. Your instructions are super clear and simple.
I added half inch thich by 1 inch wide weather stripping along the inside edges of the pull down and along the inside edge of the roof where it sits. I tested with a flashlight and zero light. I also had my wife use a fan at the edges and i felt no wind. This idea will be overkill but will extremely help cut down lost energy. My AC blows out 45 degrees and by the time it hits the vents it is 55 degrees or 10 degrees loss or 22% loss. I'm adding soffit baffles and a larger solar power attic fan. Should bring the temperature loss down to about 50 degrees so about 5 degrees loss vs 10 or now only 11% loss. Attic temps currently at peak of day is 115. At approximately 7pm its about 105-110. Temps should drop drastically with improving air flow and exhaust. Next step will be checking my hvac for any air leaks and putting hvac tape over it. Probably gain another 1-2 degrees there as well.
It’s 102 today here in Louisiana and in the hall upstairs it’s 76 but when I pointed towards the seam on the attic door I got 92. I’m definitely making this asap. Thanks for this video instruction. 👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks Ray. I’m going to make one myself here in freezing Ireland. Silly builders put attic hatch in bedroom ceiling so all heat is being lost through it into cold attic. Can’t wait!
Excellent professional demonstration with explanation on how each part of the box is cut and why--to fit the opening in a snug manner and easy to move and reset in the opening. Direct and to the point. No idle chatter. Thank you, well done. Now I have to do this!
Many thanks! There's probably a criteria to decide which way to face that foil. It reflects radiant heat well, so simply ask which direction matters more. If you're more concerned about your home heat leaking into the attic in winter, then face the foil inward bouncing that heat back in. If heat from the attic getting into your house in summer matters more, then face the foil out. Of course if you can find insulation with double-sided foil, that doesn't matter.
The foil always faces inwards. You will not get heat radiating from outside that passes the foil but it does act as a moisture barrier and if you have it the other way, you can end up with condensation inside the insulation which you absolutely do not want.
This is a great idea. Initially I thought the tombstone design might not be convenient enough, but a hinged design would really be worse now that I think about it. Thanks for the upload!
Just finished building a cover. Thanks for the instructions; easy project. I found the most time consuming part was peeling the backing off the tape. A few other learnings from my job. I did not have a utility knife that went all the way through the board so used a hacksaw blade. This worked ok, but did leave a rough, uneven edge. Putting the manufactured edge down along the staircase board helped solve this. I also had a gap between the staircase frame and the attic frame that was not insulated. I filled this with spray foam ( Great Stuff).
Looked at many videos on this topic and loved your design the best, especially at the 6:10 minute mark where you show how you added the additional foam. I just did this, using 1/2" foam inside the frame for the stairs, and then added 2" foam on the sides (above the floor level) and on the top. Checked it from underneath by leaving the attic light on and turning off the light in the living space - saw no cracks of light in the box - nice tight seal. I also like how you built it in place, since nothing is completely square in an older house! Thanks!
I'd keep an eye on the area where the lid is recessed down into the attic access framing. Could get moisture build up there depending on your local climate.
Thank you!!! I was looking for a way to insulate my new Werner 25x54 attic ladder. I discovered a ton of fiberglass blanket above my opening, so I'll be needing to rearrange how attic is insulated. Not something easily planned when you are looking at an uninsulated 25 x 54 hole in the ceiling. lol. Thank you for making the video and showing some before and after. I have some EPS foam board , so I'll be looking forward to this. BTW, I ground down a jigsaw blade to resemble a bread knife with rounded over scallops. Bosch want's like $14 for a blade. It does cut pretty well and smooth enough through 2" EPS foam.
Thank you for paying attention to air gaps and sealing -- a lot of other videos just slap it on top and don't mention that. They may be helpful, but not as effective as when it is air sealed like you did in this video. Nice work!
This is a very creative way to a solution and kudos for that! If I had to improve on your design, I'd put a rubber seal around the door, you also need to make sure that it's continuous so the ends sort of get melted together and for that you need to leave them about 1/2" longer on each side. Try using a rubber seal not foam and you can maybe glue that instead. I'd also make sure that the frame has a thermal break from the ceiling. You need access to the space around the frame. Make sure that all of that if filled for foam. If you can get a hold of a roll of expanding window installation foam that's best but if not the gun spray kind is also a good solution. There will likely be some packers around the frame. Not much you can do about thermally separating those so ignore them. Fill everything else with foam. One dry, cut out the excess. You can also take the door trim off and do the same on the other side. You'd be amazed how much heat gets lost though the gap around the door.
Any type of hinge on foam board would fail eventually anyway. Thankfully I only have to go in my attic when I'm making a video about insulating attic stairs.
I had 10 plus inches of cellulose blown in several years ago. Went up recently to install security cams. All of that cellulose has sank to the rafter tops. As in it's ALL GONE. Cellulose is a waste of money. It settles over time. Like you just tossed all that cash out the window. At least pink panther fiberglass stays put.
Im thinking the shiny side should be on outside facing attic space, would that help in the summer months to reflect heat? Also in winter months the white side facing steps would absorb heat?
I thought that this was a great idea and fully planned out my project; however, just before buying the materials, I was reviewing the rigid foam board documentation and noted that it "must be covered with an approved ignition barrier and cannot be left exposed". There are paints that can be sprayed on, but these are prohibitively expensive...like ~$100 a gallon. The next best method I could find was to cover all exposed foam with a 1/2" board, but that would add considerable weight and cost. Lastly, fire-rated polyiso board is available, but it currently goes for ~$100 per 4' x 8' sheet. As I was searching for a solution, I came across fireproof, foil-based Attic Stair Insulation Covers on Amazon. These products appeared to be very thin; however, they were rated ~R15 (almost 3x the rating of 1" rigid foam: XPS is R5 and polyiso is R6) and they were priced about the same as one 4' x 8' sheet of 1" rigid foam board (currently ~$30 for foil-backed polyiso). Furthermore, it's much faster and easier to install--it's simply stapled in (though I intend to run a bead of silicone around it for a better seal). I don't know that I believe the R-value rating, but in my humble opinion it's certainly not worth creating a potential fire hazard (or liability issue) when a cheaper, easier, and (allegedly) better performing method exists. The tutorial was well done, though, Ray.
@@HouseDoctorRay Yes, it certainly does; however, I strongly disagree that wood is more flammable. In fact, covering the foam board with 1/2" plywood meets the code requirement, so I find it highly illogical and unlikely that the code would allow for a less flammable material to be covered by a more flammable material...
By the way, I just completed doing mine EXACTLY the same way you did yours. As they say, great minds... There is a difference though, I used EPS rather than PolyIso. I don't think it makes much difference, but the PolyIso has slightly higher R value per inch I believe. I have heard that PolyIso can lose some R value over time though. Not sure if that's true or not, but the EPS certainly is a lot cheaper! Makes more of a mess when cutting it. Lots of static clingy 'snowflakes' all over the place!
I've got a tiny attic and very little space around the stairs. I checked around and it seems the Attic Tent will be a better solution for me, rather than buying all the insulation and cutting them custom.
Oh... one more thing. I put the foil face on BOTH inside and outside. Since there were two layers of insulation my thought was that if it were on both sides, it would reflect heat down in the winter from the bottom, and reflect heat away from the top in the summer.
An energy efficiency contractor installed one with a wood frame and lid. It's solid but has me wondering about the consequence of all that weight resting in one spot.
Great video. I will be making one of these boxes soon. I am considering doubling the flat surface in attempt to use as much of the full sheet of material and to increase R value. What do you think?
Fire safety is always something to consider. According to this link polyisocyanurate is less flammable than the exposed sheathing and flooring (osb) found in many attics. www.qualtim.com/sites/qualtim.com/files/uploads/PIMA/PIMA_TechnicalBulletin_XXX_v2.pdf#page=6 You should also compare it to the flammability of kits you can buy that are made of styrofoam. Joe raises a good point that should be considered.
So I'm reading up on this project and I really appreciate your guide. During my research, it seems that to code now the insulation should be equivalent to the surrounding attic insulation. Add batt fiberglass on top of the cover to looks to be recommended to improve the total insulation. Any thoughts on this? Have you found that just the foam board is sufficient for your needs?
One 4x8 sheet should give you enough to do a single layer. I used 1" thick because the framing around the stairs was tight. Use the thickest you can fit. I put two layers of 1" board so I used two sheets.
I built a single box then built a second box around it to get a double layer of insulation. Works really well and makes the house much more comfortable.
UL rated foil tape for ducts should adhere to the foil side well and hold up to attic heat, but perhaps not as well to the raw insulation side. Also if you are doing this in a blown-in insulation area, the insulation dust may contribute to tape adhesive failure, wiping the insulation off just before taping may yield better results..
Does it make sense to add Weight on top of it and add wheather stripping like a rubber quarter round to make a seal tight better? Thank you . Was very helpful
I would only add weatherstripping if you need to because the framing is not flat or straight. Something like this would work, amzn.to/3ul3gJB. Or maybe camper foam from the auto parts store, it is used between pickups and bed covers.
@@dropndeal Actually an airtight seal is vital, because the thermal barrier can’t work completely if heated air is rising into the attic through cracks and gaps.
As far as I know the shiny side is supposed to face whatever warm side your trying to insulate... the shiny side is for radiant heat to reflect heat back towards the warm space, the foam is for insulation against the cold space on the other side...
@@HouseDoctorRay I guess you have to build two of them one for summer and one for winter. LOL good job man. I'm trying to figure out how to make my access door trimless and almost invisible.
@@STEVEM730 Couldn't you just glue/adhere radiant barrier foil on the opposite side. That way it's radiating heat back into the attic in the summer and radiating heat back into the house during the winter.
Thanks. For the video, I just built one today. I couldn't get the cuts as clean as yours but I made sure the natural edge that I didn't need to cut was facing the bottom and to make up for the jagged cuts on the top and sides, I uses plenty of the Nashua foil tape. Do you think that adding one of those attic covers they sell on Amazon over the box would give it a more finished look since they're about the same dimensions as the box?
A company I just watched their video on youtube make an attic door that's 3" thick filled with foam insulation. I can't understand why all attic door companies don't make the door itself an insulating door. People wouldn't accept it on their front door and their attic door is mounted where all the heat goes first.
This is a great walkthrough and I'm planning to try it myself. One question, my lightswitch box for the attic is built into the side of the frame for my pulldown stairs, in a corner. The way the switch box is positioned, it would obstruct any foam board--I also have a narrower 1" area to work with. What's the right approach for dealing with this? Should I measure and cut a switch box-sized gap in the board? Would this allow too much of an air leak? And do I need to wrap that area in foil tape or something to prevent a fire hazard?
If you can't move the switch then you'll have to notch the foam board to go around it. Yes, I would tape the edges to make it more durable. Just be very careful that the foil tape and the foil on the board can't slip behind the cover and short the switch. Foam board insulation is technically flammable but so is all the exposed wood in your attic.
@@HouseDoctorRay True on the wood in your attic, however building codes require foam board to be insulated for a 15 minute burn by using something like drywall. In this case the difference in wood in the attic vs this is that this gives off horrible chemicals when it burns/melts as well as goes up like a dry Christmas tree.
How does the material do with sound proofing? This is exactly what im looking to do to an attic, except we hangout up there sometimes so we can be loud (we’re a college group) Roommate goes to bed early. Looking to cover the space with sound proofing. Any suggestions?
readme info lol well just meant when the attic light is on you can see into the attic with the door closed . There’s a huge gap all the way around my attic door is all.
So those covers that tout R values of 14 to 17 are pretty much worthless? Also, how hard is it to position the box when you head back down from the attic? Thank you!
I can't say for sure how well the pre-made covers insulate. I can tell you that I find it hard to believe that a 1/4 inch flexible foam cover can insulate as well as 2 inches of solid foam. Rewatch the end of the video and you will see how easy it is to get the cover to drop into place.
Ah, thanks! Another question -- is R10 foam board adequate for boosting efficiency? There's a company selling what it touts as an R-50 lid box kit. Thank you again!
@@TheAnxietyCloset It depends on the price of the kit and the type of board. I would not use white 'styrofoam', it is too brittle. You can buy two sheets of 1 inch rigid insulation board and a roll of foil tape for about $50 at one of the big box stores.
@@HouseDoctorRay so I couldn’t find 1 inch foam with foil. I got regular 1/2 inch polyiso or backer board. And used Smart Shield on top of it. Let’s see how it works. Reinforced with foil tape and some screws.
@@HouseDoctorRay I think I may. Last few hot days coming next week. I will see how the temps are near the door, I did use silicone on the seams for an airtight seal. Went a little bit overboard but cutting airflow was a big mission of mine.
You probably should engineer it with a proper rubbery seal all around the edge. Even though you think you've sealed it, you haven't really. It really needs to be airtight.
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