Bob: ...of the attic, and was it a stunner! I never even looked up here while we were considering buying the house. Now, it's MY attic, and I'm sure I'll be in here before long. By the looks of things, there's plenty to be done.
Nan: Don't ask me why we didn't explore the attic before purchase. But as it turned out, other than being messy, it was intact and not leaking, not full of roaches, rats or rhinos.
It sure does look like it could hide just about anything, though, doesn't it?
Bob: So, let me describe what I found up here: when a new roof was installed (probably 1995-2000), those wonderful roofers didn't bother to cart off all the loose bits of old sheathing and shingle, they just swept them into the attic, on top of the insulation. Now, it's clear to me that they hauled off all the really big trash, because this is all just so much dust and fluff compared to a whole roof, but nevertheless a sore sight.
As you can see, the attic is woefully underinsulated as well, maybe only three inches of blow-in cardboard at best. This really needs an upgrade.
Nan: It is wonderful that it's not my battleground. Heck, I wouldn't even stick my
head up there; after all, there could be S P I D E R S!
Bob: This house has gone through several rewirings/added wirings during its life. There are at least four different colors of wires up here, and that doesn't include the original knob-and-tube/asbestos circuitry which, fortunately, seems to be entirely absent up here (the same can't be said for the crawlspace underneath the house). There doesn't seem to be a lot of forethought in the laying of the lines up here, either.
That window frame in the foreground is actually the transom for the kitchen door into the dining room! Why someone put it up here, I have no idea.
Nan: Snakes Alive! I mentioned roaches, rats and rhinos, but I never ever thought about
snakes living in my attic. I'm glad Bob will scare them away.
Bob: All new sheathing of OSB board proves that the roof was replaced not so long ago. I actually rather like this space; the high angle of the roof feels nice here. Also means that snow will fall off faster in the winter. All the rafters, joists and plates are sound.
Nan: Someday, maybe we'll make a cathedral bedroom suite up here. How 'bout it, Bob?
Bob: It'll have to wait, Nan, but I like the idea...
Bob: Now, it's nearly 15 months later, and time to get this space in shape. I basicly ignored the attic for the last year, because other things were more pressing, but I had the time finally to make some progress on this project.
This is a junction box over the upstairs bathroom. Some of those wires were added by Jim Smith Electric when they came and upgraded circuits for the second floor last March. I have some ideas about adding a few more, too, but not on this box! Also, if I'm gonna really insulate this attic, I'll not only have to top off the blown-in cardboard between the joists, but also add some more rolls of fiberglass insulation on top of them, which means all these wires will have to be organized and mapped, so that if anything ever goes wrong, or more circuits have to be added, I'll be able to find them again.
Nan: With the junk removed, the wires should be easy to contain, right, Bob?
Bob: I've got my work cut out for me, Nan...
Bob: And that's yucch with a capital UCCH! In order to add more insulation, I'll have to clean up this mess first. And, contrary to popular opinion, I can't afford to just throw all this insulation out. Too expensive to replace it all. Heck, it'll be plenty expensive to add the additional insulation I need to get this place up to snuff.
Still, not as bad as it could be, because:
1. Nothing ever got wet.
2. The attic was insulated (if you can call it that) before the new roof was installed.
Consequently, all that roofing trash is setting on top of the insulation. Mostly, the
insulation is undisturbed, except for places where electrical work has been done since.
3. No insects, bees, spiders, fungus or mold. Just lots of dust.
Nan: I'm glad this is not part of my housecleaning responsiblities.
Bob: Time to get to work on this mess...