Attic insulation ?

robnewo2

A question. We have an older home(1940) and the attic floor has a cellulose insulation with tongue and groove softwood flooring end to end. Very tight. Recently we had tree damage and a section of the attic floor(about 1/6) and room below was destroyed(How we found about existing insulation.) Now we are rebuilding and faced with the question...Do we build a platform over the existing attic floor to add insulation to bring us to R38? or Do we rely on the integrity of existing floor and platform only the damaged section to add additional R value to that area? or...Do we just keep the floor a single level throughout and sacrifice/only put what would amount to R18 only in that damaged area. All the walls and ceilings in the house are thick plaster almost/about 1". I'm hesitant to outlay the additional $ to what appears to be a tight existing area. Any advice? We are also going to be adding central air with all that in the attic.

Zman

What climate?

What climate are you in? Are you running heating and cooling ducts in an unconditioned space?

Carl

VDBLU

Building Science Article

You may find this article interesting:  http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1205-attic-or-roof-evaluation-two-advanced-weatherization-packages/view

robnewo2

attic ?

 We are in the philadelphia area. We have hot water heat(radiators) and ductwork for AC (to be installed) will be running in attic, so that would be unconditioned.