Overlapping of a cold attic on wooden beams. Insulation of the attic floor with an unheated attic. cold attic pie on wooden beams, construction, floor insulation, how to properly insulate

vapor barrier attic floor cold attic protects wooden structures ceilings and insulation from getting into them steam from the premises of the house. Steam condensing on the beams can contribute to the damage of wood by fungi and mold, thereby reducing the life of the structure. Condensing in the thickness of the insulation - increases heat loss in the house, because. water itself is a good conductor heat. In addition, water, freezing in the thickness of the insulation in the cold season, destroys the polymer bonds of the fibers and reduces the service life of the material.

Cold attic vapor barrier, when using foil materials, in addition to its main function, it allows to reduce heat loss and, accordingly, heating costs due to the creation of a heat-reflecting screen.

Attic vapor barrier materials There are 2 main types on the market:

  1. Film vapor barrier- does not pass steam (only vapor barrier).
  2. foil vapor barrier— does not pass steam and reflects thermal radiation (steam and thermal insulation). Such a vapor barrier is mounted with a foil side to the premises.

Vapor barrier of attic floors with foil materials due to its characteristics, it is the most preferred in the construction of a reliable and heat-efficient house made of aerated concrete, brick or monolith.

Vapor barrier for the attic "pie":

  1. Attic floor (ladders) - necessary for maintenance, repair of the roof and attic space. In order to get to the attic, provide an attic staircase with an insulated hatch (Thermo). To exit from the attic to the roof, we recommend installing deaf or glazed exit hatches on the roof (Velux, Vilpe, etc.)
  2. Para- or super-diffusion waterproof membrane - for efficient removal steam from the heater.
  3. Insulation - mineral wool boards. The recommended thickness for the Moscow and Leningrad regions is 300mm. 200mm are laid in the interbeam space, the remaining 100mm are laid perpendicular to the laid layers - counter-warming. For comparison, building codes in Finland determine the thickness of the insulation from 400 to 500 mm. It is recommended to postpone the laying of the insulation as much as possible - not earlier than 6 months after the completion of the construction of the house box. Because for the construction of floors, mainly timber is used natural humidity. The timber must dry properly, otherwise there is a high probability of wood damage by fungi and mold, which entails additional expenses for dismantling / assembly work and wood treatment with bleaches and antiseptics.
  4. Control grille and ventilated gap. For effective ventilation and removal of steam from the surface of the moisture barrier membrane.
  5. Cover beams. As a rule, in private housing construction, a board 50x200mm or a bar of natural moisture 100x200mm is used.
  6. Crate - the basis for laying insulation. As a crate, it is recommended to use a board 100x20 (25) mm and lay it in 70-80 mm increments. The resulting cracks will form an additional air thermal layer under the insulation. That. Insulation plates (mats) will not lie on a vapor barrier film, but on a rigid base, already under which there will be a vapor barrier. This solution eliminates the possibility of accidental damage to the vapor barrier or its punching when laying insulation, during maintenance and repair work roofs and attics. At the same time, you can start interior decoration premises, and laying the insulation as much as possible to postpone (see above).
  7. Attic floor vapor barrier wooden beams - fastened with construction stapler from below to draft ceiling(crate), which allows you to cut off pairs from the entire floor structure. It is necessary to overlap the vapor barrier rolls at least 15-20 cm and carefully glue them with aluminum adhesive tape. Be sure to form laps on the walls of 15-20 cm and carefully glue them (start under plaster and other wall decoration). Carefully seal the places where chimneys pass through the attic floor, ventilation pipes and others engineering communications with special sleeves. best material as a vapor barrier polyethylene film high density from 200g/m² and above.
  8. Close attic - finished ceiling is attached to the vapor barrier. On the crate, guides, the final ceiling is installed (OSB, drywall, etc.). For the best fire protection it is recommended to "sew up" the ceiling with drywall sheets in 2 layers.

Vapor barrier of a cold attic floor (scheme):

Professional opinion: most effective attic floor insulation for Moscow and Leningrad regions- this is attic insulation with mineral plates 300 mm thick with foil vapor barrier.

When building a private house, it comes to the arrangement of the attic last. Because free space always lacking, this room is usually used to organize seasonal storage, equipping a residential attic or installing the necessary equipment.

Depending on the nature of the use of space, an attic floor device is selected, the material from which it is assembled, as well as the bearing capacity. In this article we will tell you how to properly equip the attic of a private house.

Attic device

An attic is a room bounded by the slopes of the roof and the ceiling of the residential floor. This room can be used as a place for seasonal storage or for the purpose of organizing additional living space. Depending on the nature of use, lofts residential buildings divided into the following types:

  • Residential. The living attic of a house is called an attic and can serve as an extra bedroom, living room, bedroom or office. To use the attic as a living space, it must have a ceiling height of at least 2.2 meters, natural lighting, ventilation, thermal insulation of slopes.
  • Non-residential. A non-residential attic can be used to install any technical equipment, organize storage. In this case, the height attic space may be less than 2 meters, natural light may be absent, and the thermal insulation of the slope is replaced by the insulation of the attic floor.

Important! When repairing or reconstructing a house, it is important to immediately decide how the attic will be used in order to correctly calculate and design attic floors. The type, material, distance between the beams will depend on this, which will provide sufficient strength and load-bearing capacity of the structure.

Attic insulation

Functions

The design of the attic floor depends on the size of the house and the nature of the use of the roof space. The attic is kind air gap, separating the heated space of the first floor and the roof and thermally insulating it. Its floor performs the following functions:

  1. Carrier. The ceilings between the upper floor and the attic perform a load-bearing function, so they must be strong enough, reliable, because people move along it, equipment and storage places are installed.
  2. insulating. The unheated attic room has a temperature not much higher than the street temperature. Therefore, the ceilings perform a thermally insulating function, preventing cooling of the heated residential floor. To keep heat in their composition includes a layer of insulation.

Remember that the correctness and quality of work on the arrangement of the attic depends temperature regime, comfort, safety of living in the house. Therefore, it is better to entrust the design, installation or repair of ceilings to professional craftsmen.

Attic floor plan

Floor device

Since the attic floor combines an insulating and load-bearing function, it has a multilayer structure. Its components, complementing each other, are connected in single system providing strength, load-bearing capacity and durability. If you list all the layers of the attic floor, starting from the attic side, then it looks like this:

  • Clean floor. The finishing floor is called decorative flooring, which covers the draft floor of the attic. If the under-roofing is residential, then laminate, treated wood, linoleum, and parquet are used to equip the finished floor. AT non-residential attic there may be no clean floor at all.
  • Draft floor. The rough floor is called the flooring of the boards, which pounces on the logs. For installation use edged board 4-5 cm thick, in order to save money, it can be replaced with unedged.
  • Logs. Lags are called strong, even boards or bars that are laid perpendicular to the floor beams for floor installation. Between the lags, a thermal insulation material is usually laid, protected from below by a layer of vapor barrier, and from above by a layer of waterproofing.
  • Beams. The floor frame consists of strong, thick beams that are installed on ledges in the walls or embedded in them. The beams bear the entire total weight of the structures, so they must have a large bearing capacity.
  • Ceiling lining. From the bottom of the ceiling sheathe finishing material, for example, with wood or drywall to give an aesthetic appearance to the ceiling of a residential floor.

Note! Thermal insulation and vapor barrier are just as important structural components as floor beams or logs, as they protect wood and insulation from weathering, wetting and condensation. If you forget about the insulating layers, then the ceiling will not last long and after 2-3 years it will need repairs.

Attic floor device

Kinds

For the construction of attic floors, you can use different weights, bearing capacity, durability and, of course, the price of materials. The choice of the type of construction depends on the nature of the use of the under-roof space, the total weight of the ceiling and the equipment that will be installed in the attic. There are the following types of attic floors:


Please note that in most cases attic flooring on wooden beams - best option for a private house, cottage and small cottage. It has the best value for money, and with the right calculation and observance of the installation technology, repairs will not be needed soon.

Building requirements

Installation, repair and reconstruction of attic floors require a thoughtful approach, because the safety of using the house depends on them. To determine the maximum possible load that a structure can be subjected to, an engineering calculation is performed, and then, based on the calculations, a project is drawn up. There are a number of requirements for attic floors:

  • Load bearing capacity. This indicator depends on the material from which the beams are made, as well as on the distance between them.
  • Distance between beams. The maximum allowable distance between wooden beams allowed building codes, is 4 meters.
  • Resistant to temperature changes. Beams must withstand temperature fluctuations well, since the difference between the air temperature in the attic and living quarters exceeds 4 degrees.
  • impenetrability. The ceiling must protect against the penetration of cold air and moisture from the attic.

When designing, it is important to take into account all the requirements for attic floor beams so that the structure is strong enough, reliable and durable. The distance between load-bearing elements floors must be calculated in accordance with the loads placed on it.

Mounting technology

If there is a certain building experience it is quite possible to perform the installation and repair of attic floors with your own hands. This operation is performed at the final stage roofing works. Installation of attic floors is carried out in the following sequence:

  1. Installation of beams. For a small private house, wooden floors are used, made of timber with a section of 150x150 mm or 200x200 mm. They are laid on brick or concrete masonry walls.
  2. Lag installation. Perpendicular to the beams, logs are installed on the edge from boards with a section of 150x50 mm in increments of 60 cm.
  3. Laying thermal insulation material. Insulation is laid between the lags to prevent the penetration of cold air from the attic.
  4. Laying a rough and finishing floor.
  5. Sheathing beams from below to decorate the ceiling.

Please note that in order to increase the life of the attic floor, you can use wood treated with an antiseptic. In addition, if you are insulating the attic floor, then you need to provide waterproofing and vapor barrier.

Installation of beams

Floor installation

Video instruction

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cold attic pie on wooden beams, construction, floor insulation, how to properly insulate

A room in the attic of a private household is used for various purposes: storing temporarily unnecessary things, installing equipment or arranging living rooms. Depending on what the free space under the roof is used for, they choose the method of arranging the attic floor.


What is an attic

The attic space is limited by the slopes of the roof and the ceiling of the residential floor. This place is often used for arranging additional living space.

The attic of private households is of two types:

  1. Residential. It is called the attic. It can be equipped with a living room, study, bedroom, library, etc. The height of the room in this case should be at least 220 centimeters. In addition, it is necessary to provide ventilation, natural lighting, and insulate the slopes.
  2. Non-residential. Such an attic space, as a rule, is used to accommodate technical equipment, store old or unnecessary things. In this case, a 2-meter height will be enough, and it is not necessary to equip natural lighting. Instead of insulating the slopes, they make the thermal insulation of the attic floor.


When deciding to repair or rebuild a house, you need to decide in advance for what purposes the attic will be used in order to make a calculation and a floor project. This list depends necessary materials and spacing between beams. They must provide the required strength and bearing capacity.

Functional purpose of floors

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Do-it-yourself attic floor on wooden beams: how to do it yourself

During the construction of the roof, special attention is always paid to the design of the attic. After all, it is important that its overlap is done technologically correctly, does not exert excessive pressure on the walls and is able to withstand the load from things stored under the roof and sometimes a whole set of furniture.

Therefore, in this article we will deal with you in detail how the attic floor should be properly arranged on wooden beams: the features of its installation, calculation of loads and fastening. And our detailed illustrations will help you.

To begin with, we suggest that you watch a short video review of the attic floor device on wooden beams, and then we will analyze the details:

The cover is horizontal power structures, which separate the residential floor from the attic, and at the same time take on the load from the weight of everything that is under the roof.

The cover itself is necessary element rigidity, which also provides stability to the entire structure. Among all the others, today we will single out the attic floor, namely, its specific type. notice, that general rules applies to all types, but some technical features in the arrangement of the attic floor on the beams is still there.

The first of these is rigidity and strength. Those. the cover should be:

  • Able to withstand the calculated loads and at the same time not bend, not collapse. For example, the allowable deflection is only 1 to 250 of the span length.
  • Secondly, the attic floor should not be flimsy, and in no case should it fluctuate when objects are moved on it or the movement of people.
  • And finally, soundproofed to avoid unpleasant squeaks when someone goes up to the attic.

In private construction, two types of floors are mainly used: wooden and reinforced concrete. The former are lined up along solid wooden beams, and the latter - along beams, slabs and in a monolithic version. Also, the beams themselves can be steel if you have to cover large enough spans. But it is in private housing construction that the choice of floor material is most often influenced by the economic factor.

The cost of flooring is usually up to 20% of the estimate for the entire construction of a house, and labor costs as much as 25%. Therefore, the construction of a wooden attic floor is still quite popular - all thanks to its high performance characteristics and good sound insulation.

And one more important point: in the manufacture of wooden attic floors, you will not need heavy lifting equipment, especially a concrete pump.

The whole structure consists of beams and boards, which are called rough. The beams themselves can be load-bearing, located just next to each other, or fixed in a special way, which is much more reliable. Standard sizes beams - 20-40 centimeters high and 15 meters long, plus 8-20 centimeters wide.

Unlike reinforced concrete attic floors, wooden ones are mounted dry. By weight, it comes out much easier, so in private construction it is better to use just such an overlap. On the other hand, wooden floors are the most soundproof, so you will have to spend money on additional measures.

Beams are located at a distance of 60 centimeters to 1.5 meters. Of course, the more often you install them, the greater the load the attic will be able to withstand in the future, but the foundation of the house will also have to endure a greater load.

On a wooden attic floor, light partitions are usually mounted - most often frame partitions, to which the attic rafters are attached directly. They must be installed perpendicular to the beams or edge.

But if internal walls for some reason, the attic has to be placed parallel to the ribs or beams, which is not at all according to the rules, then the structures in these places must be strengthened. Most often, fragments of boards are used as such elements, which are attached perpendicular to the edges of the floor.

Many people ask themselves: where is the right place to install wooden floor beams? In walls, on walls, or even bring them outside a little? It depends on what kind of attic you will have and whether you will use it as a living space in the future. Attic today is very popular!

So, here is an economical option that allows you to convert the attic into an attic in the future without any problems. True, very close:

And therefore, if you have such plans and you are not even now sure if there is another place in the project for Personal Area or a billiard room, then make the walls higher to set the floor beams lower.

What will it give? In such an attic there will be much more usable space, less sharp corners and it will be much warmer:

But if in your project the attic was originally planned as a separate and spacious room, as if built on top of the house, then the attic beams must be installed as strong as in interfloor overlap, also fasten them to the anchors in the armored belt:

Here is a great step by step example how such attics are built and how strong such an overlap should be:

In total, there are several types of attic floors on wooden beams. Each of them has its purpose and its pros and cons.

Platform: for a cold attic

Concerning frame houses, overlappings in them are recommended according to the "platform" system. That is, after the walls are installed, beams are laid and a platform is created, as it were, and a working base for the future attic floor at the same time. It is important here not to put too much pressure on the fragile walls, so the attic flooring will also not be designed for the piano in the corner.

In this case, the beams are installed on the strapping beam, which is used as a Mauerlat:

Rigid shield: for uniform shrinkage

But in a house with walls made of logs or timber, as an attic floor, according to the rules, a rigid shield is equipped, which, when the walls shrink, will smoothly fall along with them, and always evenly.

Economy flooring: to save time

As separate species attic floors, prefabricated wooden floors should be distinguished. Their main feature is the use of special fasteners, which are made of galvanized steel. Their thickness and quality is calculated depending on the level of future loads on the floor.

Standard attic floors on beams with timber and wooden lags appeared at the end of the 20th century, and after them wide board ceilings became more fashionable.

Finished farms: for a residential attic

Today, special ready-made companies for arranging attic floors are also in fashion. In fact, this is not a novelty of the construction market; such firms appeared at the end of the 16th century and found their second birth at the end of the 20th. Canadian construction companies developed special calculation programs for such firms and their exact forms with assembly lines.

Ribbed-beam ceiling: for private housing construction

In our country, new types of wooden floors are beginning to appear, which until that time were popular only abroad. These are light wooden floors. They are relevant for private construction, when enough is used as a system light wooden frame.

The essence of the overlap is that the "ribs" are installed every 30-60 centimeters, and they are covered with sheathing. Wooden beams are taken as "ribs" about 20 and 28 centimeters high, and 45 centimeters thick, and up to 5 meters long. They are made from natural wood and connected with special bundles of boards, covered with sheathing from chipboard or fiberboard.

Therefore, we single out the main advantages of a ribbed attic floor for quick and easy installation. Of the minuses: the need for flame retardant treatment, lower strength and low soundproofing properties. And, of course, such boards are more sensitive to sudden fluctuations in humidity and temperature. And also, if a fungus or some kind of insect decides to eat such an overlap in a few years, then it will eat it much faster than thick beams.

From below, this design is sewn up with a suspended ceiling made of plasterboard. Between the ribs on top fit mineral wool. It is she who will provide fire resistance and sound insulation to the entire wooden floor.

Ribbed attic floors are much cheaper than beamed ones - this is quite reasonable and rational if you do not insulate non-residential premises and make a residential attic out of it. Then you can not worry about the bearing capacity of such a foundation. The only negative is that the beams are more familiar to Russian houses, and the ribbed ceiling almost does not differ in appearance from monolithic. Therefore, in Russian houses ribbed-beam attic floors are more often arranged.

A beam for the device of such an attic floor must be taken rectangular shape, and strictly, not a rhombus. And be sure to take the most common school ruler with you when buying such a beam, because it often happens that many are going to build a ceiling from a 15x15 cm beam, and as a result they are built from a 14x14 cm beam. And then, on your site, be sure to prepare a storage space such timber and its processing.

By the way, today many even put ordinary timber in a wooden ceiling on the edge. The fact is that even a ruler, no matter what material it is, easily bends along its entire length, but if you put it on an edge, it will be almost impossible to bend it:

And on draft floor already lay a finishing floor from the boards, and mount from below suspended ceiling. But often the wooden floor of the attic is left without additional finishing on purpose, in view of the interior design concept, but then all its details are done very carefully and even with a decorative slope:

The suspended ceiling itself gives a certain rigidity to the ribbed ceiling.

Today, there are several ways to attach attic beams. Basically, it is necessary to install a perpendicular support beam, which is equal to maximum length floor beams. If the project does not provide for additional stiffening beams, then the beams of the attic floor should lie along the axes of the racks bearing walls. According to the standards, floor beams must be supported by top harness walls and attached to it with two nails 3.5x100 millimeters on each side.

But often also in construction it is necessary to use special fastening methods, and in order for you to better understand them, we have prepared high-quality workshops for you.

It is necessary to design a wooden attic floor based on the loads that will affect it. But keep this in mind. Often residential buildings built with the expectation that they will be enough for the whole family. And such loads are divided into distributed and concentrated.

When designing an attic floor, you need to take into account distributed loads, and you can learn more about them from modern SNiPs. Concentrated loads should be taken into account only if you are definitely going to install some objects with a large mass in the attic.

For example, today it has become fashionable to arrange SPA-salons, a billiard room, dance floors and rooms for musical training under the roof. But in practice, it often turns out that even 10 rooms in a house are not enough. And under the roof - wonderful ventilation, beautiful space and quiet to equip your personal office there.

The need to use special fasteners depends on which technology for arranging the attic floor you have chosen in general. So the most reliable way- this is to support the beams on the bearing surfaces of the walls or on the floor beams. Then there is no need and no point at all to use metal elements - the beams are fastened with self-tapping screws or nails. In all other cases, it is imperative to fix the attic floor.

Therefore, we advise you to initially make such a strong attic floor that in a couple of years, with a clear conscience, rebuild it into an attic. And special calculations will help you make our special tables and computer programs. Your task is to correctly select the optimal section of the beams and their step. Everything else is details.

Is a reinforced belt required?

First of all, decide if you need an armored belt to install attic floor beams. Armopoyas is reinforced belt, which is a closed structure around the entire contour of the building. The task of such an element is the distribution of loads.

When installing wooden beams of the attic floor, it is necessary to install an armored belt only if:

  1. The walls of your house are built of gas block or foam block. After all, such material has a rather fragile structure, and wooden beam ceiling at the same time it has a lot of weight. Due to its design, it always creates a point pressure on the blocks. And our task is to distribute this pressure and make it linear. So that the Mauerlat takes over the entire load.
  2. Also, whether there are FBS prefabricated blocks as the foundation for your house, or the foundation itself is shallow, it is also important to correctly distribute the load from the attic over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe foundation of the house.

In all other cases, you can safely do without an armored belt.

Fastening beams to beams or log cabins

When floor beams are attached to a log house or logs, it is easiest to use the frying pan technology. In simple terms, simply insert the beams into the walls, as part of the designer.

Please note that the floor beams are fastened together with metal brackets:

Fastening to a metal I-beam

If you have to break the floor beams along the length, then their parts should be overlapped or with special overlays, and spacers will also be needed between the beams themselves.

And if we are talking about planning a large area, then it is better to use a steel I-beam or an especially strong one made of glued wood as a support for the beams. In this case, be sure to leave a gap of 10 millimeters between the attic beams and the steel I-beam. It is important that the steel beam does not touch the ceiling lining. And so that in the future the floor beams do not creak, lay an additional soundproof material or make the ceiling crate quite dense:

If you use auxiliary beams, they do not have to be placed inside the floor at all. These can be easily built into the wall or even used on their own. And the beams themselves must be mounted on the so-called beam shoes:

The first step for such beams is to make a strapping. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to attach the harness itself to the walls of the first floor, as many people think.

The main thing is to properly prepare such beams for installation. And for this, they must be treated with an antiseptic (and at a temperature not lower than 5 degrees Celsius). Then leave them to soak for a day. Now cut and lay such boards and a supporting beam on a wooden Mauerlat, previously impregnated with its fire and biological protection. It remains only to fix all the floor beams on the shoes.

And, when the ceiling of the beams is ready, make a subfloor, at least to make it convenient to move around.

Fixing to brick walls

If we are talking about fastening a wooden beam to a brick wall, then it is necessary to create a nest in that one, and even at the stage of erecting the walls themselves. The nest should be 160 mm inside the wall (this is the minimum), and on a special board.

When inserting a beam into a wall, you need to pour it cement mortar or leave it open - everything here depends on the thickness of the wall:

  • So, closed version necessary for a wall thickness of two bricks.
  • Open - with a wall thickness of two and a half bricks.

In addition, the beam ceiling of the attic with brick walls must be reinforced with anchors in every third beam. Anchors should cover it from below and on the sides, and go into the wall by 30-50 millimeters. It is also possible to connect the beams to each other and on the internal walls.

Attach beams to brick wall follows this technology:

Fastening to fragile block walls

If you are attaching wooden beams to block wall, then you need to build a reinforced concrete jumper. This is the same reinforced belt that we talked about earlier. You need to arrange it under the beam, specifically under the wooden box that goes into the wall. The beam itself will need to be installed on a reinforced belt in the wall, also at a minimum of 160 mm. And don't forget this one too. important point, as a heater on the side of the block and a gap on the side of the beam, which will ensure the release of moisture.

Therefore, in order for modern lightweight blocks to withstand the wooden beams of the attic floor, follow this pattern:

If the blocks are quite strong and are close to brick in their physical qualities, then use the following installation scheme:

If you have now smoothly approached the issue of an attic floor, the first problem that you will have to face is finding boards good quality. It is very important that neither the beams nor the flooring have any flaw, are not weakened and certainly do not hurt any mold. Otherwise, such overlaps are life-threatening for the life of households.

Option # 1 - beams from ordinary boards

Let's separately note which beams should be used when constructing an attic floor. The best option- boards 20-30 centimeters wide. Pine or larch is taken as a material, which work well for deflection. It is this wood that is durable in terms of deformation and is less prone to cracks. According to official estimates, when using such material, it is possible to reduce the consumption of all wood by as much as 20%.

Option # 2 - beams from glued beams

As beams, glued beams are also often used today, the strength of which is several times higher than the strength of ordinary wood. The thing is that any glued wooden crafts stronger. The whole secret is that the glue that is used gets into the pores of the two parts being glued and forms many strong threads between them - much stronger than the fibers of the wood itself. And therefore, glued laminated timber as beams is a completely normal option.

In appearance, they do not differ from solid wood, especially when, for the purpose of aesthetics, wood is used in their outer layers. the best variety. Such beams are made from lamella boards, which are cleaned of defects and glued together. The main advantage of this method is that the total length of the beams can now be up to 12 meters, and it will be much stronger, just with a wooden beam at the same parameters.

Option #3 - OSB beams

To make strong beams from OSB boards, they are cut into strips different widths and milling. Next, the blanks are glued together, and they form a long endless strip, from which templates of a certain length are made. The main advantage of using such beams for attic flooring is their low weight and excellent strength and bending resistance.

Option #4 - I-beams

Another popular type of beams in Russia is I-beams. This is one of the most durable types of beams, and any flooring can be arranged on top of them, not just plywood. And drywall is hemmed from below. These beams are so strong that it makes more sense to install them as interfloor overlap for fully living rooms, and not only for the attic, and even more so for the cold attic.

The so-called Canadian I-beams are also popular. They are manufactured in the factory from wooden blocks, OSB boards, special moisture-resistant boards, glued laminated timber or softwood.

Option # 5 - beams from finished trusses

For example, one of the most recent developments is ready-made attic trusses. Their height is 350 millimeters. They are made of dry wood with a section of 100x50 mm. In the factory, on a special press with metal plates, such elements are combined into one structure. Moreover, in the process of manufacturing such farms, engineering communications are even placed inside them.

Option #6 - LVL Beams

It should be noted that, comparatively new material in the domestic market - LVL beams. These are high-strength homogeneous materials that are made by gluing under special pressure. Several layers of veneer are taken into consumption, and in the process of manufacturing the beams, the fibers are arranged strictly parallel.

The characteristics of such beams are special. The main advantage is that which beams have a large selection of sizes. The material itself lends itself perfectly to processing by almost any cutting tools. But given the price of LVL timber, we advise you to purchase it only if your attic floor will be located over a large span and your priority is quality and safety.

Option #7 - HTS Beams

Another the new kind attic beams - German HTS. They are also an I-beam, where the top and bottom layers are made of wood, but the middle layer is made of OSB boards.

Between these layers, a profiled steel sheet with a thickness of 0.5 millimeters can also be inserted with a special polymer coated. At the same time, the steel itself has a wavy shape, due to which the beam has high bearing characteristics. And there may not even be one, but two such walls, which is even better for bending resistance. And so that the HTS-beam does not bend or twist, hidden transverse braces are installed between the layers with a certain step.

Majority pitched roofs in our country have in their design cold attic. This name is due to the air temperature in the attic, which should not differ much from the air temperature outside the house. With such an arrangement of the attic, a sufficiently large buffer air zone is formed, which allows you to effectively control the temperature in the attic with its proper arrangement.

Cold loft design

When building the roof of a house, many people think about making a cold attic or attic under it? The easiest way to organize a roof with a cold attic. The construction of an attic will cost several times more and will require more costs labor. Although, it is undeniable that the attic will significantly expand the living space.

Cold loft roofs have the following main ingredients in their pie:

  1. roofing;
  2. attic exterior walls (applicable for gable roofs with gables);
  3. insulated ceiling between living space and attic.

Ventilation is provided by eaves and ridge ducts. The air passing through the cornice openings is called supply air, and the air exiting through the ridge is called exhaust air. Additionally, you can make ventilation through dormer windows on gables or roof slopes. Windows are equipped with louvered grilles for the possibility of adjusting the intensity of ventilation.

Dormer windows are located on opposite roof slopes so that there are no unventilated areas.

Dormer windows can be rectangular, triangular and semicircular. Their lower part should be at a height of no more than 0.8-1.0 m from the ceiling floor in the attic, and top part no lower than 1.75 m from the floor in the attic. They can also serve as an exit to the roof of the house to inspect the roof, ventilation and chimney elements.

Steam and thermal insulation of a cold attic

For a roof with a cold attic, it is most important to minimize heat loss through the attic floor. For both wooden and reinforced concrete floors vapor barrier is mandatory. It is laid on the ceiling itself and protects the insulation from vapors that can condense in the heat insulator, passing through the ceiling of the living room. As a heater, plate and bulk materials can be used. The ceiling pie consists of a vapor barrier, floor beams and insulation.


The following types of heat insulators are often used in ceiling ceilings:

  • polystyrene and foam boards;
  • or mats;
  • expanded clay granules;
  • fuel or granulated slag;
  • sawdust with lime or clay;
  • pumice.

The thickness of the required insulation layer is selected depending on the calculated winter temperature using the table below.


Winter temperature is calculated according to SNiP 2.01.01-82 (construction climatology and geophysics) or is selected by regions of the Russian Federation from the corresponding climate maps.

The insulation is placed between the lags or beams of the ceiling, and on top they make boardwalk for attic passages. Logs are usually 50 mm thick, and deck boards are 25-35 mm thick.

For ventilated attic spaces, soft or semi-solid heat-insulating materials are considered the most optimal.

Attic waterproofing device

Waterproofing roofs with a cold attic, according to many experts, controversial issue. Some say that waterproofing must be present under the roofing material, and someone categorically recommends abandoning it. Much here depends on the type of roofing material and the angle of inclination of the roof slopes.

Metal roofs are most susceptible to corrosion that occurs with possible small leaks or from condensation. Therefore, once again we draw your attention to the fact that ventilation plays one of the main roles in the fight against condensate.

For gentle metal roofs experts recommend mandatory installation of superdiffusion membranes. It will prevent moisture from entering the outside of the roof when blowing snow or rain. No matter how well the roof is laid, there is always the possibility of minimal leaks. That is why, by paying a little more, you get additional protection from moisture on the insulation in the ceiling of a cold attic.


Possible leaks or condensate when it gets into hydrophobic heaters significantly reduce their heat-insulating properties.

If, for example, slate is used as a roofing material, then waterproofing can be abandoned. There is also a corrugated board with an anti-condensation coating on the market, which can hold up to 1 liter of water per 1 m 2. For our part, we recommend that you always use waterproofing membranes, because it is the cheapest and easiest additional way protect your roof from possible leaks.

When installing waterproofing membranes use a counter-lattice. It performs the function of a fixing rail and, due to its height, provides the necessary clearance for ventilation of the under-roof space. The device of the crate of a cold attic is no different from insulated roofs. The dimensions of the crate and its step determines the type of installed roofing.

For this it is necessary all heat sources, outgoing from the house, block heat insulator - attic floor insulation - wear a fur coat keeping heat in the house, rather than give it to the attic.

The attic must be cold - have a tighter air temperature inside as outside.

Then snow will not melt on the roof, gathering in snowdrifts, and icicles won't fall on the head.

ATTENTION! Need to remember Golden Rule: if you do not want to once again climb onto the roof clean it off the snow and knock down icicles- necessary properly insulate it.

After all, the appointment house roofs - act as an "umbrella" over the house (in any case not "hot-water bottles"!). The role of "hot-water bottle" is performed by heating in the house. And the most the main task - separate the "heater" from the "umbrella".

Generally delete or close all sources of heat on the roof of the house- because She needs to prove her "rank" - cold roof.

In houses with cold attic roofs insulated only attic floor being the floor of the attic above the ceiling of living quarters.

Cold attic roofs, which are considered in this section of the site, contain:

  • attic covering with a roof
  • outer attic walls perform with holes- for ventilation with outside air through holes in the walls;
  • insulated attic floor top floor.

Before starting work - space in the attic should definitely ventilate.

natural ventilation(ventilation) attic performed through under-eaves and ridge vents. Lower (under-eaves) vents serve as a supply, a upper (podkonkovye) vents serve exhaust ventilation - thereby creating necessary draft.

ATTENTION! Application in cold attics solid structures, separating sections of the building(long support panels, high purlins or ribs, etc.) are NOT ALLOWED.

floor insulation for attic space can serve coatings (see table 1 below):

  • polystyrene foam boards, foam plastic boards PSB-25, fiberboard, foam silicate(foam concrete is not an insulating material);
  • building felt, mineral slabs, rolled mineral wool;
  • expanded clay gravel, fuel slag and pumice.

Before work attic floor insulation need:

  1. Pass and check all roof and floor joints for cracks (to protect against leaks).
  2. All gaps must be filled (tow).
  3. All wooden structures must be covered with flame retardant and anti-rotting solutions.

When repairing asbestos-cement sheets need to PAY ATTENTION on openings (slits) formed by waves of asbestos-cement sheets. If there are, then THEY SHOULD BE FILLED lime mortar with an admixture of fibrous substances.

For sealing junctions asbestos-cement sheets to walls and parapets necessary check for protective aprons, a to the pipes - collars made of galvanized steel roofing. Overlay of dissimilar elements coverings for aprons it should be at least 15 cm.

There are two types of attic space - a cold attic and a combined attic or attic. In a cold attic, insulation is laid horizontally on the floor of the attic, and the temperature inside the cold attic is about the same as outside.

The temperature inside the cold attic should not exceed 4 ° C outside temperature (rules and regulations technical operation housing stock, Decree of September 27, 2003 No. 170, clause 3.3.2), i.e. if the temperature outside is -15 °C, then in the attic it should be no more than -11 °C. If this difference is greater, then, for example, at an outdoor temperature of -5 ° C, the slope will heat up, the snow on the roof will melt and drain onto the eaves. The cornice will not heat up, because. there is no under it warm room, and the water on it will turn into ice, forming icicles. How more ice will form on the eaves, the greater the chance of leakage, the higher the load on the roof and the higher the risk of ice breaking, which can lead to tragic consequences. All this reduces the service life of both the roofing and the roof as a whole.

Rice. 1 Cold attic ventilation.

To ensure normal temperature conditions in a cold attic, it is necessary, first of all, to insulate the ceiling between the attic and the living space. The thickness of the insulation is calculated based on several parameters, the main of which is the location of the house. The second most important criterion for observing the temperature regime of the attic space is under-roof ventilation.

In addition to insulation and ventilation, the temperature regime of the attic space is affected by: uninsulated manhole covers for access to the attic, the outlet of ventilation pipes to the attic space (kitchen, bathroom), non-insulated hot water distribution located in the attic, and so on.

roofing cake for a cold attic can be divided into two parts. The first part is on the floor between the attic and the living quarters. The second part is on the slope.

The first part of the roofing pie, depending on the type of flooring, looks like this:

Rice. 2 Pie on a concrete floor.

Rice. 3 Pie on a hardwood floor.

Vapor barrier is used to prevent the entry of moist air from the room into the insulation. By concrete base it is best to use bituminous roll material, with overlay welding. On the logs, a film vapor barrier is used with the obligatory gluing of overlaps with sealing tapes. Use as a vapor barrier vapor barrier films D-Folie B, D-Folie B 90 or D-Folie BR.

The insulation is laid in several layers with a spacing of joints to eliminate cold bridges.

The hydrowindproof membrane protects from a weathering of heat and hit of moisture. Moisture can form due to condensation, due to snow blown into the attic space, as well as due to possible leaks. D-Folie A 150 or D-Folie A 100 superdiffusion membranes must be used as hydrowind protection.

In any case, regardless of the type of overlap, it is not recommended to cover the insulation from above entirely with plywood or boards. If you need to occasionally walk on attic space, it is better to provide paths from the boards, without covering the entire insulation.

The second part of the roofing pie using shingles in a cold attic looks like this:

Rice. 4 Roof cake for a cold attic.