Do you need to insulate your roof? We answer your question on how to, here

Roof-Insulation

Insulating one's house is something that was once absolutely unheard of. People lived in harsh weather conditions without anything to significantly protect them from the climate.

For the past few decades, however, everything has drastically changed. Home insulation and commercial insulation has become the norm when building a new property or upgrading your property.

Nowadays, insulating your house is something that most people would not be able to comfortably live without. Whether you are living in the coldest parts of the world or the warmest, it doesn't matter--it is still essential to insulate your house if you wish to enjoy living in it and remain calm, relaxed and happy even in the harshest of weather.

But where should you begin? There are so many different aspects of thoroughly insulating your house, which is why many people tend to get confused about which step they should take first.

The best way to go about it is to begin with the step which is the most important, i.e. insulating the roof.

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A common misconception that people seem to have is that the majority of heat is lost from a house through the walls. While it is surely true that a considerable amount of heat is lost through the walls, most of the house's heat are, in fact, lost through the roof. The percentage of your home's heat that is lost through the roof is, on average, around 40 percent!

This is an extremely large amount of heat that is exiting the building and leaving you and the other residents of the building feeling cold and vulnerable in the chillier months or climates.

Because the roof is the area through which most heat is lost, your house would not be comfortable to live in if you neglected to insulate this area. Even with the absolute best quality insulation such like Johns Manville, Owens Corning, Roxul or CertainTeed installed in the walls, windows and flooring of the building, you will not be getting the complete benefits of insulation if your roof is not insulated properly.

So, do you need to insulate your roof?

The answer to this question is a firm 'yes'. You absolutely need to install roof insulation if you want to stay protected from unpleasant weather conditions. There's no excuse not to, really.

The next query that we need to address, though, is regarding the materials and methods by which you can get this process done in the most cost-efficient manner.

The first step is to pick the insulation material that best suits your needs.

One option is to use recycled insulation, which is an environmentally friendly material that does not cause rashes on the skin while you handle the material. If you want to install your insulation without worrying about it irritating your skin, this is a great option to consider.

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One of the most common ways of insulating the roof, though, is the conventional blanket insulation. This type of insulation is very easy to work with, as long as you make sure to wear protective gloves and clothing while handling it. This type of product is most common in residential insulation and commercial insulation jobs.

It is recommended to always consider using the recycled materials rather than the widely used materials, so as to benefit the environment.

Before you order the material, make sure you measure the surface area of the roof and check the recommended depth that is needed. Then you can go on to place an order according to your needs so that you do not end up with more or less material than your roof requires.

Any small gaps in the roof which you believe might let the cold in or in hot climates the cold out, should be filled in properly before you begin laying down the insulation.

Now, to actually lay the insulation down, you will need to remove debris from between the joists and then lay a vapour barrier between the joists, stapling it there with a staple gun.

Next, roll out the insulation material between the joists and tuck it under the sides. Try to make sure that there are no gaps between the material that could prevent the insulation from being as effective. Cut holes in the insulation material for any electrical hardware. This is an essential step which you can not skip out on if you do not want to deal with electrical issues later on.

Once you have done this, if you wish to increase the depth of your insulation, you may go ahead and add another layer of the material at right angles to the initial layer. You may or may not need to do this, depending on the regulations in your area.

The next thing you need to think about is the pipe work. Most roofs have pipes that must be insulated as well so that they do not freeze during the colder times of the year. For this, it is best to use custom made pipe insulation. This can be used by buying it in several diameters according to your requirements, and splitting the insulation so you can easily slip it onto the pipes and tape it in place. If the pipe work on your roof has numerous pipes that intersect with each other, fitting the insulation might be a little bit tricky and time-consuming, but it is a necessary process if you do not wish to deal with the pipes freezing and needing to call a professional to fix them up.

That sums up the method by which you can insulate your roof and add to the comfort of your home!

Keep in mind that insulating your roof is not necessarily a process that absolutely needs to be done all by yourself. A DIY project is definitely a good idea if you wish to gain a new experience and save on some money, but if you are okay with making an investment, it is perfectly fine to call up an expert and have them do the-the process for you. The choice is yours.

Now go and get to insulating that roof and improving your home, without further ado.