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Insulating knee walls and attic floor above unconditioned garage

Manny76 | Posted in General Questions on

A vented garage attic shares a living space and the unconditioned garage underneath. A bedroom partially above the garage and partially above the living space has knee walls in this attic. The attic floor above the living space currently has cellulose and nothing above the garage. The knee walls have fiberglass insulation and a vapor barrier on the outside. There is an empty space where the knee walls meet the attic floor and hot air gets in between the bedroom and attic floors. I saw fiberglass batts inside this subfloor. I am trying to find the best way to insulate the bedroom and the living space. Area is Northern Virginia.

One contractor offered to use 2″ foam board to close the space where the knee walls meet the attic floor, a radiant barrier to cover the existing fiberglass insulation and air seal after. R-49 cellulose will go on the portion of the attic floor above the living space and I asked for R-21 cellulose on top of the unconditioned garage that has insulated doors. Baffles will be added all around.

The option I was considering was to use R-21 open cell spray foam (5.5″) on the knee walls after closing the space where they meet the attic floor with 2″ foam board. Then, apply R-49 cellulose insulation to the attic floor over the living area and R-21 over the garage. Does it make sense?

Any other option? Your advice is appreciated.

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