Hey everyone-
My attic is currently filled with blown-in insulation and is unfinished. I'm going to be doing a few projects that will require that I get up in and move around freely in the attic. The depth of the blown in insulation makes it kind of time consuming to find the joists for footing and since I want to be able to move quickly/efficiently (w/o putting my foot through the 2nd floor ceiling), I plan on installing some planking to guarantee a solid walking surface. When I'm done, I'd like to leave the planking intact in the event that I need to get around up there in the future (it will be secured to the joists).
In terms of insulation, what says the pros? Should I insulate as well as possible below the walkway (it will likely be no more than 12" wide) and then install batts on top of it? My thinking w.r.t. using batts over re-distributing the blown in insulation is two fold. First, it would provide a visual cue as to where the walkway is. Second, it would be easier to pick the batts and move them to the side (and then replace them when done) as opposed to raking/re-raking the loose insulation. Of course to make this work, I'd probably need to build retaining walls on either side of the walk to keep the loose insulation off.
On the other hand, I don't plan on spending every other day in the attic so perhaps I should just plan to cover the walk with the loose-fill insulation and deal with the minor inconvenience of moving it for those few times that I'll need to access the attic.
Ah well, feel free to share your feelings.
Jim
My attic is currently filled with blown-in insulation and is unfinished. I'm going to be doing a few projects that will require that I get up in and move around freely in the attic. The depth of the blown in insulation makes it kind of time consuming to find the joists for footing and since I want to be able to move quickly/efficiently (w/o putting my foot through the 2nd floor ceiling), I plan on installing some planking to guarantee a solid walking surface. When I'm done, I'd like to leave the planking intact in the event that I need to get around up there in the future (it will be secured to the joists).
In terms of insulation, what says the pros? Should I insulate as well as possible below the walkway (it will likely be no more than 12" wide) and then install batts on top of it? My thinking w.r.t. using batts over re-distributing the blown in insulation is two fold. First, it would provide a visual cue as to where the walkway is. Second, it would be easier to pick the batts and move them to the side (and then replace them when done) as opposed to raking/re-raking the loose insulation. Of course to make this work, I'd probably need to build retaining walls on either side of the walk to keep the loose insulation off.
On the other hand, I don't plan on spending every other day in the attic so perhaps I should just plan to cover the walk with the loose-fill insulation and deal with the minor inconvenience of moving it for those few times that I'll need to access the attic.
Ah well, feel free to share your feelings.
Jim