Should I deck my attic?

[cnodie1]

It is getting into the cooler months and I have been tossing around the idea of decking certain areas in my attic for storage. Are there any disadvantages to doing so?

I have done some research and decided if I am going to do it I will be using 5/8" decking cut into 2x8 strips to get them into the attic easier. I know not to compress the insulation so I may have to raise it up in some places and some wires (not electrical) will have to be moved into more convenient locations.

Any thoughts?

 

[Bayoupiper]

Make your decking as wide as you can possibly fit up the stairs.

If there are wires that cannot be moved, then get some 1x material to make spacers along the tops of the rafters.

Best thing I ever did was deck attic!



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[Hitman]

I think so. It's such a huge space saver. Just be sure to put good shelving and you can really de-clutter a house.

 

[CrkdLtr]

It's my understanding if you cover too much of your insulation then the insulation will not be very effective anymore.

 

[Taiaut]

I have often thought of taking out the stairs that go to the attic and put a little 2'X2' door and a step ladder.Would be better off not having an easy way to put things in the attic.
Have a friend in Lafayette who decked over a rather large kitchen and after storing his stuff and his kids stuff found some of it in his kitchen one day. Just sayin'. If you are not
going to use it then have a garage sale or give it to GoodWill. 130 - 150 degrees is not a good storage place.

 

[Pacioli]

5/8" is a good thickness. Bayoupiper is right about the width. If you are stuck with 2' widths then I recommend you run the decking perpendicular to the joists or, if running it with the joists, cross brace the joists before putting the decking down to prevent sagging. If your garage has plywood ceiling then you might be able to pull down a section and have room to put full sheets through. You'll need at least two helpers, one on the ground and one in the attic. But you get a better result and the installation will go much faster. Any cutting that you need to do for fitting will go MUCH better on the ground than in the attic, trust me.

 

[Jack]

Spray foam your roof line if you want to deck the attic.

 

[Danny Abear]

Spray foam your roof line if you want to deck the attic.

Tat will shorten the life of your shingles by several years

 

[Jack]

Tat will shorten the life of your shingles by several years

Why is that?

 

[rt2carry]

Why does spray foam shorten the shingle life? I've been considering foaming the roof line and have never heard that.

 

[Jack]

Tat will shorten the life of your shingles by several years

First result on google disagrees with this statement.

http://www.sprayfoam.com/aeps/aeitem.cfm?aeid=1201

 

[LACamper]

I'm curious about the spray foam also. I'm getting ready to replace my roof and was considering spray foam after, just in case I need to replace any sheeting.

I would bet the issue with the insulation and decking is with compressing the insulation. Maybe placing some 2x4's to allow a bit of extra space first?

Last year I had assumption insulation (IIRC) add some blown in insulation to my home. They did a good job and were cheaper than I could do the job myself renting a blower from home depot and buying insulation.

 

[Booseman]

Why is that?

Why does spray foam shorten the shingle life? I've been considering foaming the roof line and have never heard that.

Both of these please???

 

[Jack]

I'm curious about the spray foam also. I'm getting ready to replace my roof and was considering spray foam after, just in case I need to replace any sheeting.

I would bet the issue with the insulation and decking is with compressing the insulation. Maybe placing some 2x4's to allow a bit of extra space first?

Last year I had assumption insulation (IIRC) add some blown in insulation to my home. They did a good job and were cheaper than I could do the job myself renting a blower from home depot and buying insulation.

Working in attics daily, I can tell you it is a night and day difference between foam and fiberglass or blown cellulose. If I had to guess, I'd say spray foamed attics run about 15 degrees hotter than the temperature in the home. If I had the height difference between my ceiling and the peak of my roof, I'd look hard at spray foaming mine, however I've got about a four foot difference at the peak, so it really isn't viable.

 

[Bill Baldwin]

RE: Shingles.

I've used spray foam on a few houses that we built. The theory behind shorting the lifespan of the shingles, is that the insulation holds the heat against the bottom of the shingle, thus shorting the lifespan. This doesn't happen. As stated above, the attic will stay a few degrees warmer or cooler than the main part of the house. A house that we built for my folks several years ago, originally required a 7 ton A/C, with the spray foam insulation in the walls and on the roof deck, the A/C requirement was dropped to a 4 ton. The house was about 3,800 sq. ft. and their electric bill was about $150 per month. Spray foam is very expensive, however, the cost savings will pay for the additional cost. I'll give you an example. The insulation for the parents' house cost $12,500 vs. $2,300 for batt insulation. The cost of the A/C, however, went from $20,000 to $12,000. With the new A/C and no batt insulation, the cost of the spray foam was $2,200. The savings on the electric bill of ~$150 per month paid for the balance of the insulation in just over a year.

Insulating your roof deck is only 1/2 of the equation, though so don't expect the same savings. In the most recent house that we build for the folks, we included a return on the A/C in the attic so that the attic is climate controlled as well.

 

[cnodie1]

First off I would LOVE to spray my attic right now but my wallet couldn't take it.

I also do not plan on decking my entire attic. Mostly over my garage and a couple of places over the house (might try to make a walkable path from one attic access to the other).

Right now there is no insulation in the decking over my garage. Before I deck it, should I lay some out over the area I deck? If I do not insulate the entire thing, will it even be worth it?

I am going with 2x8 pieces to save material and plan on running 2x4s perpendicular to my joists for support and running the decking perpendicular to the 2x4s to pick it up off of the insulation (if necessary)

 

[Jack]

Why would you insulate your garage? It's not climate controlled and the walls aren't insulated. It would be a waste of money.

If you can't afford the foam, you might want to consider installing a radiant barrier. It will still improve your electric bill, but at a fraction of the cost. Plus you can easily install it yourself.

 

[Bayoupiper]

My carport attic is decked and so is the area around the stairs.

I can store a who bunch of my wife's crap that should have been thrown away in that area.

The only other part decked is a path to the A/C unit, which seems to need constant attention......




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[cnodie1]

Why would you insulate your garage? It's not climate controlled and the walls aren't insulated. It would be a waste of money.

That's why I asked all of this home owning stuff is still new to me. I was seeing if I should do it before I put down the decking. Thanks!

 

[RustyHammer]

As you can see, there are all sorts of options. Personally, depending upon your purposes, I would probably just lay down some plywood (the biggest pieces you can get through the door) and screw them down. No one is going to be having a party in there, so the less expensive the material, the better. If you decide to refinish and/or air condition ... I'd worry about blowing more insulation or whatever then. The simpler (cheaper) for now, the better. That said ... you're not going to be able to store things which are not "heat friendly" up there. Good luck!