Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - exterior wall (add on) insulation?... plus desert/heat insulation advice?
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ARIZONAdesert
04-21-08, 09:47 AM
hello
this is my first post to this forum and hope am posting in the right place for the content of this inquirey... i am a handy type of person and have in the past (long time ago) done roofing/home remodeling/construction... have a lot of quests and perhaps hope to be able to add some constructive input as well to others postings.
we live in a 1290 sq ft home in the desert in arizona.
faces north so as sun rises it hits the eastern side of our home (bedroom/bathroom/office)... then as it sets in the pm on western side of the house (living room garage) our front room really gets hot even w/ the central air running.
the garage heats up like a sauna
its on the other side of the living room wall so it really adds heat into our living room which also sits on the western side of the house so its also heating up from the rising and setting sun each day
was interested in finding out about more ways our home can be weatherproofed/insulated against the desert heat...
thought there was a type of add on insulation
that could be applied right onto exterior walls (thinking for the east/west sides house)... some type of foam sheets??? then painted to match house etc
few other quests
adding roof vents? -
the round type that turn in the wind... are they the best thing to add to keep the attic area cooled or would getting some type of fan that is thermostatically controlled be the ((best)) or better then these roof vents.
attic insulation? -
is there a 'best' way or type of attic insulation (that i can add myself)
although this is perhaps way outside of this posting thought would throw this in there also for anyone who might have some input...
enclosing the inner 5-6ft of garage w/ wall/door ???
basically at the front of our garage as walk out from the house (against the living room wall) is where our washer dryer is located and sits above the garage floor about 2-3" (concreted)... was thinking that if i enclosed this area w/ a wall (framed - sheetrock/2x4 insulation)... that it would keep our living room/inside house much cooler in the summer bec it would provide a 'buffer zone' betw the inner house and the extremely hot (and unweatherproofed) garage.
thanks.
regards.
this is my first post to this forum and hope am posting in the right place for the content of this inquirey... i am a handy type of person and have in the past (long time ago) done roofing/home remodeling/construction... have a lot of quests and perhaps hope to be able to add some constructive input as well to others postings.
we live in a 1290 sq ft home in the desert in arizona.
faces north so as sun rises it hits the eastern side of our home (bedroom/bathroom/office)... then as it sets in the pm on western side of the house (living room garage) our front room really gets hot even w/ the central air running.
the garage heats up like a sauna
its on the other side of the living room wall so it really adds heat into our living room which also sits on the western side of the house so its also heating up from the rising and setting sun each day
was interested in finding out about more ways our home can be weatherproofed/insulated against the desert heat...
thought there was a type of add on insulation
that could be applied right onto exterior walls (thinking for the east/west sides house)... some type of foam sheets??? then painted to match house etc
few other quests
adding roof vents? -
the round type that turn in the wind... are they the best thing to add to keep the attic area cooled or would getting some type of fan that is thermostatically controlled be the ((best)) or better then these roof vents.
attic insulation? -
is there a 'best' way or type of attic insulation (that i can add myself)
although this is perhaps way outside of this posting thought would throw this in there also for anyone who might have some input...
enclosing the inner 5-6ft of garage w/ wall/door ???
basically at the front of our garage as walk out from the house (against the living room wall) is where our washer dryer is located and sits above the garage floor about 2-3" (concreted)... was thinking that if i enclosed this area w/ a wall (framed - sheetrock/2x4 insulation)... that it would keep our living room/inside house much cooler in the summer bec it would provide a 'buffer zone' betw the inner house and the extremely hot (and unweatherproofed) garage.
thanks.
regards.