DIY Attic Insulation - Installing ROCKWOOL in our Ceiling & Attic

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Our upper bodies were FEELING it after all this overhead work 😂 but holy smokes did it make a difference for keeping the upstairs comfortable. Got some insulation coming up? Use our spreadsheet to make calculating ROCKWOOL quantities way easier: www.masondixonacres.com/products/insulation-calculator

[@joemartino6976]

For some reason, my wife loved installing rockwool during our extensive home renovation. I didn't have to touch it....she did it all. Rockwool cuts and fits beautifully and somewhere, in the back of her head, I think installing rockwool was like cutting a perfect slice of chocolate cake. In any event, I knew I married the right woman when I saw her gleefully embrace this part of the job. Rockwool is really great (so is my wife).

[@MasonDixonAcres]

This is amazing. Your wife is amazing. 😄

[@RJ-cc1fz]

Man how doing something hard like this makes you feel so good for many reasons. Good job bud. Certainly ended up with a better job than if anyone else would have done it..

[@generessler6282]

Haha. You triggered a great memory. When my dad built our house, there were several "lasts" I was present for: the last brick laid. The last hardwood floor board laid. The last circuit wired. The last kitchen cabinet (which he had built) hung. It always felt good going home with dad after those milestones. We didn't do a happy dance. This was the 60's. Dudes just shook hands and smiled a little. 🙂

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Hahah that is fantastic, that is almost certainly the same experience Elaina's dad had while helping his dad build their family home in the early 70s! Still a great house to this day

[@Mrs-Sigouin]

You guys inspire me literally every video, I always wanted an ancient farmhouse as old as they come and my husband wanted a new build, well he won and now we are gonna build our home just like you guys and I promise you guys have been the convincing factor we got married october 15 2023 waiting on our 1st anniversary and now we're waiting to build our forever home

[@MasonDixonAcres]

That's awesome! All the best to you guys, you can do anything you set your mind to. Keep us updated!

[@petryjkcr]

Great job on the attention to detail with your insulation project. That's a lot of work! This is one of the reasons I designed the house I'm building next year to be all I-joist roofing with blown-in below the roof deck and board insulation above the deck, 2x4 furring strips to run my wires behind as needed. A lot easier to install, although it's a bit more expensive on the material side. The 2/12 roof pitch helps quite a bit to keep the material cost lower. You've got to be proud of what you've accomplished; I know I am.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Nice! Assuming that's an unvented roof or a top side ventilation cavity above the board insulation? We considered I-joist rafters until seeing the bill for the floor platform material, it was almost $6/lf if I recall!

[@petryjkcr]

@@MasonDixonAcres Yes, it includes a vented over-roof, which is between the roof deck and the metal roof above it, separated by strapping. Costs are so high I had to cancel my full basement here in Maine and settle for a stem wall. At least that let me change the staircase to an exercise room. 😁

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Ah that's a shame to give up the basement especially in your climate where your stem walls probably had to be 4 ft anyway! Glad you made the most of it

[@markpriceful]

Wow that was an impressive amount of insulating! great job

[@MasonDixonAcres]

It was quite a job, thank you 😅

[@KrisFulford]

One thing I like using for cutting Rockwool is an electric carving knife. I have one just for cutting things other than food, I tried on the Rockwool when I was working with it and it was awesome. It made for effortless, clean cuts.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Heard the turkey knives do well! Definitely would want to get a cordless one though, ours is a corded from the 90s haha

[@thtadthtshldntbe]

Nice job! Recommendation. I don't see if you did or didn't but while the walls are still mostly open run some lighting up in the dark crawlspaceish area. It's a cheap addition and if you ever have to poke around up there you will be glad you did it

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Yep we have a switch above the hatch and 3 bulb sockets up there! Wiring wasn't connected at the panel so unfortunately couldn't use it for insulating 😅

[@tcan603]

According to my Rockwool Rep the reason they no longer make blow in , is because the demand has been to high for the batts. So to keep up with production they only produce the batts in the states. Europe can still get blow in . So when I need blow in I purchase though American Rockwool in Nolanville Tx. You must purchase at least 1/2 a semi trailer. I have to ship it aproximatly 1,700 miles. If you need more info let me know. Take care.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Yep that sounds about right! We've heard that blow in will be coming to the states eventually.. eventually 😆

[@lotusgardener]

Next time your marking things on the floor, you can use marker, then spray it with clear coat. Won't rub off.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

I've heard hairspray over chalklines is helpful for framing, I'm not sure if the drywall dust would still totally coat it though

[@generessler6282]

Yeah sprinklers and cold don't mix. My old office ended up with 8 inches of water throughout. The back entrance was a hundred-year-old oak door. It was removed for restoration in October and replaced with a drop cloth. Work was delayed for parts. The vestibule had a sprinkler head. Came February and ka-blam! nb Yeah my dad started saying the thing about two people being more than twice as fast when I reached the age I was able to help him. Not insulation, but ceiling tile, hardwood flooring, wiring... Good memories.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Yikes 😬 hopefully insurance helped a little with that one!

[@matithiahwhite62]

I watch a couple on KZbin building a house in Canada. And they have a vapor barrier and pre-made. Lightreceptacle pouches pre-made with the type of product they use. For The same reason

[@MasonDixonAcres]

oh interesting! Do you remember the product name?

[@firesprk]

Do you have a video on the fire sprinkler install?

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Two actually, with the third one about the riser setup in the pipeline

[@reg11756]

Curious if you did a cost comparison to SPF (open or closed cell) vs DIY Rockwool and pro installed Rockwool. Also total man hours this way??

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Not a fan of spray foam for a number of reasons, but I did a basic estimate early on from some rough sqft numbers I saw online and it was higher than DIY Rockwool for sure. I can't remember the numbers. Never got a quote to hire out insulation, it's a DIY job to us despite the physical labor and time. Probably spent 7 full days doing the attic/ceilings with filming

[@generessler6282]

Is it really desirable to have the soffit 100% sealed? Just musing, seems like that makes a micro-climate that includes the extra cool AC duct. Is unintended condensation possible? Probably not, but maybe venting into the house is worth considering.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

My thought is the risk of condensation is actually higher with it open though from letting hot/moist air into the garage when coming and going during summer. I've noticed on hot & humid days there's condensation on our water filter housing, so I feel like having the soffit sealed will prevent that moist air from coming into contact with a potentially cold duct in the soffit and condensing, even though all the ductwork is wrapped.

[@MikeRev-w3h]

How long did it take for your DYI build? I know you said you took a hiatus?

[@Mostviews111]

They make blown in Rockwool

[@Mostviews111]

Where did you get the Siga I don't have anyone that sells it near me can you order it online?

[@MasonDixonAcres]

You can get it right off their website

[@MichaelNichols-ec9pt]

The key to productivity is specialization...Peters

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Agreed!

[@howardrfrank]

Good video. How long ago was this recorded? Winter jackets, hats no wedding ring. LOL

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Haha this past winter!

[@BrianJense]

ROCKWOOL insulation granulate is the name of their blown in product. The machine needed is a heavy duty one, so can't just rent a normal blown in insulation machine.

[@MasonDixonAcres]

Unfortunately it's not available in North America (yet) but when it does become a thing that would definitely be a faster and less labor intensive option