We have Blogs on the importance of home building insulation and Blogs on the negatives of the over-insulation of today’s homes in order to keep us cool in summer and dry in winter and throughout the year.
Firstly, we will cover why insulation is important in the building process of a home – ceiling insulation it is very important to have the mandated amount of ceiling insulation – minimum being R4 rating – resistance to heat flow, this will influence the effectiveness of the insulation and measure its resistance to heat flow. With ceiling insulations resistance breaking down after 5 days of excessive heat, therefore it is crucial that we also install an effective roofspace ventilation system with installing the ceiling insulation, to remove this overload of heat from the roofspace.
Just to give you an example – when the Government’s insulation fiasco was in full swing, we had so many enquiries for roof ventilation due to the fact of the homes being insulated without effective ventilation, they claimed their homes were hotter than before the insulation was installed.
The next thing to look at what kind of ceiling insulation is the best and the healthiest. Any type of blown in insulation is subject to movement and bunching. We believe not great value to the homeowner.
Then there is fiberglass batts this is the most used and cheapest form of ceiling batt, however it comes with health risks especially if you have protrusions through the ceiling into the roofspace.
There is also a product called earth wool it is supposed to be healthy compared to fiberglass however it still has glass fibres, go figure.
Polyester wool is healthier however natural wool is the healthiest, expensive but worth it.
The idea is to have ceiling insulation combined with an effective roofspace ventilation system and for best results to have no protrusion emptying into the roofspace (a sealed ceiling).
As for roof sarking – roof sarking as a vapour barrier under metal roofing, a better product is a blanket foil insulation this is the best insulation under a metal roof covering.
Sarking under rooftiles, you are much better off without it, save your money buy a new lounge suite instead. See Blogs “Sarking Roof Tiles” and “Annex To Sarking Roof Tiles”.
Check out Blog on this site “Warning! Read Before You Design Your Next Housing Project”.
We have covered vapour barriers for metal roofing and sarking under roof tiles what about wall cavity insulation? Don’t do it, unless it is a board type insulation that still leaves an air gap within the cavity, we reiterate don’t do it, why, see following Blog “Condensation After Cavity Wall Insulation” and if you are thinking of polyurethane foam insulation anywhere in your home build, read this Blog “Is Polyurethane Foam Insulation Safe”. Another good Blog “Is Fibreglass Insulation Dangerous” and “Insulation And Roof Vents”.
We have many other Blogs on this site that will benefit the layman with home building and I hope with my over 50 years in the roofing industry with experience in all these matters, will help you save a lot of time and probably money in the long run.
"Warning! Read Before You Design Your Next Housing Project"
"Condensation After Cavity Wall Insulation"
"Is Polyurethane Foam Insulation Safe"