Insulation question

[jkpell]

The insulation contractor has blown in the attic area of my house. I had planned to put a floor down and use that space for storage after we move in. My question is can I screed (not sure if that is spelled right) off the top layer down to the ceiling joinst or does it need to have batt insulation installed? I know that compressing insulation is not a good thing but if the cavity between the joist is filled (batt or blown) will it have the same r value? The ceiling joints are 2x10's because I wanted to make sure that we could "use" the upstairs.

[harleymsn]

slow down and take a break. Give that insulation a few weeks and you will see how much it will settle.

[Pat]

There will be some initial settling of a good job. A poor OVERBLOWN job will settle a lot! If the insulation doesn't settle down to or close to the joist tops then pushing it down is reducing your R-value and should be avoided. You could add 2x3 or 2x4 on top of the joists to gain height i the areas to be floored over. Be careful not to exceed the designed load bearing strength or point load capabilities. Not every design is intended to support attic storage. Some can some can't.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]