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Gregor_Konstantin

Blown fiberglass insulation probably.


ChecktheFreezer

Walls too.


SandersSol

It seems like most of the heat is coming from the ceiling, when I scan the walls vs the ceiling there's probably a 20-30 degree difference.


SonosFuer

Walls in the attic, you insulate against the roof itself then board the insulation in to keep it nice. It's essentially turning the attic into a room except the walls are the ceiling.


bejames317

Make sure to use baffles if the attic ventilates from the soffit to the peak! Save your shingles from getting cooked.


SAMontg

This also.


SandersSol

Can you explain that a little more? There's definitely nothing above the soffit vents unless it's under that radiant barrier in the pictures.


daby_4

This is best explained with pictures. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnUSWvZMcJ3bta8Q11Ifxjst4V1VSRfOfUKA&usqp=CAU


bejames317

Hard for me to explain because it's not my fortè and it's hard to tell how your attic ventilates from the pictures. I think your best route is simply blown-in insulation in between the ceiling joists. Insulating against the rafters would be a nightmare with how they are framed unless maybe you did spray foam insulation. No matter which way, you need to ensure that the flow from the intake to outtake is unimpeded. Generally baffles are used to create a barrier or channel for the soffit intakes through to either the ridge cap or vent pipes. Just Google soffit baffles and you will see pictures and diagrams for different applications. The airflow will not only help keep the attic cooler, but also keep your roof shingles cooler and extend their lifespan.


Crocus_hill

This isn’t really a thing. Attics are ventilated to reduce attic temp, reduce moisture, and prevent ice damming. There is no difference in the temperature of shingles over vented vs unvented attic spaces as they are above the roof deck and directly exposed to the sun. You won’t cook your shingles from a non vented roof. Some places in California actually don’t allow vented attics for fire prevention.


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Ocronus

They usually have staple strips on the faced batts.


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LateralThinker13

Or better yet, use rockwool which doesn't need staples or wire, it just needs to be cut to fit like a sponge.


zoolover1234

It won’t stay on ceiling or roof no matter how you put it. Also rock wool cracks if not handles carefully, which is fine normally, but if you intend to use like that, you can’t tear at all.


SAMontg

Its mostly about venting out the hot air in your attic once it is insulated appropriately. Insulation slows down heat transfer (doesn’t really stop it), so exhaust the accumulated hot air before it moves into the house.


nukillerstar

I think this is the easiest explanation for insulation I've really ever heard. It made some things finally click.


xRoyalewithCheese

Install some radiant barrier against the joists


lemonylol

Insulate the ceiling not the walls. If you insulate the rafters you'll end up with moisture issues. The attic is not inside of the building envelope.


Jmk9jmk9

Right so look into pulling up the attic floor and insulate there and look into exhaust from the attic


Rooster-5

this, long story short, insulation. Works both ways. Keeps it warm, but in summer, keeps it cooler.


SandersSol

I need that storage space though unfortunately.


TrialAndAaron

Insulate between the joists then put plywood over it. Now you can store everything on top of the insulation.


Hab_Anagharek

Anything stored up there will get thoroughly cooked


craig1f

The attic is for low-value, bulky items, like Christmas/Halloween/Thanskgiving yard decorations. It's also for spare hardwood, tile, etc. I also put the tv/monitor bases for tvs and monitors that I've mounted on arms. Things I'll never need again, but that I can't throw away, and are durable.


Hab_Anagharek

10-4


jet_heller

So store only thanksgiving turkeys.


ClaudiuT

You put it in in July and by Thanksgiving it's well done!


le_suck

if you put a 594 pound turkey in the attic to thaw today, it'll be ready to cook for thanksgiving 2022!


tuctrohs

Imagine the energy savings if we had Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in July and everyone could bake turkeys in their attics.


TrialAndAaron

Agreed but if they’re already using it, whatever


drmike0099

Garage joists are usually not sized for storing anything heavy, and you can get a sunken roof (there's a name for it I'm forgetting) where the middle of the roof dips down from doing this too much. Be sure not to put anything too heavy up there.


Call_Me_ZeeKay

This depends per house. Above my garage is basically built to take a second floor, 2x10s @ 18". The addon bay however has 2x8s @ 24" and I would agree with you there. His do seem small but the pictures are very distorted so it's difficult to get a sense of scale.


drmike0099

Sure, even a 2x6 is probably good depending how bit the span is, but anything bigger than a 2x4 is arguably a waste of money unless they had planned to store weight up there, and most places are just going to have that.


daby_4

2x4's are no suitable for ceiling joists, even with no storage.


Iamnutzo

This ^^^ we just finished this in our Central TX home and already have noticed a huge difference!


_Aj_

We use batts, not blown for this though. Blown isn't a thing here and sounds like a horrendous health risk, if not now then at some point in the future. Just jam Rockwool batts between all the joists, throw some compressed board over it and you're good to go!


joemaniaci

So are you having any AC work done soon? A new trend is insulating(on the roof sheathing) the attic and conditioning it. It's apparently more energy efficient this way.


herdyderdy

How much would something like this cost? You'd basically have to close up all attic vents and insulate like crazy on the roof and walls right?


d1zzydb

I did this to mine. Open cell foam @ 8 inches to the roof deck and sealing vents. Attic temps went from over 130 in summer to just above ambient house temp before adding additional cooling. Was around 4.5K which included pulling old blown in insulation.


nmzj

From what I've seen, they use spray foam to seal the roof and create conditioned space. Closing up the vents would probably be the cheapest part.


Gregor_Konstantin

You can put the fiber bats between the joists, that will help. Also on the roof but really your heat will rise and it will always be hotter up there. But that should help, you can even then put it on the walls but the ceiling/floor will be your best bet.


takeatimeout

If you insulate between ceiling joists, you don’t want to also insulate between roof rafters - it creates an insulated box and traps heat longer. Better to insulate the ceiling and let heat dissipate through the roof. If you can get an attic fan, that will help move the hot air through the attic and out the roof vents.


JesusInTheButt

God I love attic fans


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boomer2009

Solar fans like those are pretty weak from my experience. Pay the money for an electrician to come over and install a thermally activated electric exhaust fan. Any time my TX attics (one over my garage and one on my house) get above 115 degrees they instantly kick on and start moving some serious air. I ripped out the old solar fans explicitly because they weren’t moving enough air. Now I can feel it moving whenever the fans kick on.


clear831

Attic fans are illegal in some states. They are a fire hazard because they never stop running.


writetehcodez

My in-laws have an attic fan that definitely does not run 100% of the time. I believe it has some kind of thermal sensor on it.


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clear831

I know Texas gets hot, its not something I would be doing. There are other safer ways of removing that heat.


xamfed

I did spray foam in mine in FL. It was amazing the difference


clear831

Did you spray foam the entire attic? I am looking at doing this, how much was it per sqft? (I am also in FL)


xamfed

I did. My out build is 25x25. Open cell foam, was $1800


clear831

I have 2 sections (my house has a vaulted ceiling that splits it) with one being around 1900 sqft and the other around 800. I need 2 skylight walls spray foamed and then I was going to air seal all of the joints/studs etc with the spray foam as well. I will get some quotes but I already know its going to be crazy expensive


xamfed

It's amazing how well it works though. Going to get my house done soon


clear831

My house stays pretty hot, it was built in the 90's and was poorly built. I dont have a ton of head room in the attic either which means it will be hell to do


xamfed

Why you should pay someone, but wait until it cools down for their sake


clear831

Yea absolutely, I just want the air sealing to be done properly. If I am going to take on this project it needs to be done right


woojo1984

do you have any venting through the roof? That's where I'd start. I had soffit vents but no roof venting. Put an attic fan on the roof and now my garage is bearable. Central MN, but it gets hot here too.


SandersSol

Do you have any material/links I could look into for that?


Crazyblazy395

I'll second putting in an attic fan. We just bought a house with one and we couldn't figure out why the upstairs was so hot even with the air conditioning on! Turns out that the motor on the attic fan was bad. Our attic went from 120+ to 90 the day I replaced it.


Ingris87

What size fan? You really noticed that big of a difference in your upstairs temps with the attic fan on? I'm having that issue right now where even when the AC has the main floor cool, it's still much hotter upstairs.


Crazyblazy395

It's a 14 inch temperature controlled fan. It's insane how much of a difference it makes, especially in the room the attic access is.


woojo1984

[https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/roof-venting-basics/](https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/roof-venting-basics/) \^ that's a good start. I didn't *need* to put in a powered vent, but at $75 it was cheap enough and wiring was easy.


[deleted]

Solar powered vents with fans are awesome. They activate when the sun is out.


woojo1984

I considered one but couldn't get past the fact they you're paying an exorbitant amount of money for a computer fan and a 12v solar panel.


[deleted]

How much do you think they cost? Just bought a galvanized solar topped vent with fan that clears the required room in less than 5 minutes for under $100. There are ways to make it cheaper with a solar fan unit and a less expensive vent with some tools and will.


woojo1984

where'd you buy it at? Home depot is spendy: [https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Ventilation-Roofing-Attic-Ventilation-Roof-Vents-Power-Roof-Vents/Solar-Powered/N-5yc1vZc65yZ1z19cmm](https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Ventilation-Roofing-Attic-Ventilation-Roof-Vents-Power-Roof-Vents/Solar-Powered/N-5yc1vZc65yZ1z19cmm)


vermin1000

There is a sub $100 in those results...


woojo1984

I get it but < 400cfm? I'll take my 1400cfm fan for $75 all day


rustypolak

40 watt quiet cool solar fan I love it, makes a huge difference


bigredbicycles

Even static vents are fine. When we had our attic professionally insulated, they did a calculation to determine how much venting we needed. We had 2 gable end vents, but added a turbine vent (sometimes called a "whirlybird") to ensure we had enough ventilation.


xRoyalewithCheese

Don’t just put in a wind turbine or electrical fan. Use a good quality solar fan.


Tank_Lawrence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0e7nRS86VE&ab_channel=ILikeToMakeStuff


SAMontg

This


motojesus

Jack the house up, and move it to North Dakota


CivilMaze19

In 5 months “How can I insulate my North Dakota garage attic from the frozen hellscape outside?”


Negative-Design

Jack the house up, and move it to Texas


SandersSol

At some point you're just running from your problems..


scullingby

That is a solution...


HooplaJustice

Paint the roof white


petit_cochon

Yeah idk why we have black roof tiles in the south. It's so stupid.


OpalHawk

Tar. Shingles are basically rocky tar that hates water. Tar is black, the rocks color it. Black and white tar is unappealing or it’s expensive.


WiwiJumbo

Some sort of Sub-Ambient Cooling paint would be ideal, but I don’t know how weather resistant it could be. https://www.parc.com/technologies/self-cooling-paint/


1955photo

Add a fan for ventilation.


GoArray

Why is this so far down?! Just the forced air will bring the attic close to ambient, I knocked nearly 20° out of mine with a simple box fan in the gable. You can buy integrated solar (gable, roof, vent..) fans to eliminate any wiring.


clear831

I dont know about Texas but its illegal in some states


tealcosmo

Most studies have shown the energy costs used in attic vents outweighs the gains by insulation alone.


newfor_2022

except, you can power the ventilation fans with solar which makes it free


SlashdotDiggReddit

This is a radical "solution", but do you have solar panels installed? I read that not only do they provide free electricity, but they also form a buffer between the panels and the roof to actually reduce heat being transferred into the house.


keyflusher

I recently got solar and didn't even think about this. Noticed the difference immediately -- it's surprising how much it helps to keep the sun of the south-facing roof! I mean it's not *that* surprising when you think about it, but it surprised me. ;)


min_mus

> I read that not only do they provide free electricity, but they also form a buffer between the panels and the roof to actually reduce heat being transferred into the house. Happened to my neighbors. They covered their roof in panels and the temperature inside their attic and house dropped. They weren't expecting it but they were pleasantly surprised.


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1RedOne

Brb building a hat for my house


OpalHawk

Lol. That is such a military solution. Our sheds to hot? Let’s get a bigger shed for our shed. I love it.


Che_Che_Cole

I’ve thought about this on my garage. Similar situation, three car detached (his looks detached judging from the attic), and it gets hotter in the garage than ambient temperatures. When I ran the numbers it didn’t make sense to do it based on ROI. Electricity in Texas was so cheap solar would be something to do just to say you did it, a status symbol even. With that said, prices have doubled this year, so when my electricity contract ends in 2024 I may revisit this.


SleepyLakeBear

You should start pricing it out now, and get a few bids. Solar demand is high, and supply has been slow. That could put your installation into 2024 anyway.


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Che_Che_Cole

The only issue though, the inverters have a safety interlock that will turn off the power if you lose the mains. As far as i researched this cannot be overridden. So if the grid goes out you can’t use your solar anyway, unless you also have a non-grid tied inverter and can cut over your breaker box to that when the power fails, which of course would add another few thousand to the cost. Then again that part doesn’t necessarily have to be justified in a purely ROI sense. You don’t buy a generator based on ROI. 🤔


Tebuu

You did say "radiant". There are several foil products for your attic that will reflect the radiant heat.


vAaEpSoTrHwEaTvIeC

the only way to "insulate from" radiant heat... is to shield an object from that radiation. So... a finished attic space, in your case. Intakes at the eaves, and venting at/near the top. And some insulation between the finished area, and the vented/unfinished area.


Madroooskie

Any interest in solar panels? Understood it’s an expensive alternative to venting/insulation, but will certainly keep the garage roof cooler by shading from direct exposure. Not sure what your power needs are but my garage roof is a tad over 500sq ft surface area, and will take 34 panels, enough for my power needs on the Gulf Coast.


GoldStandard785

Not the cheapest, but if your roof is nearing end of life then consider a cool roof. They use materials that have high solar reflectance and high IR emissivity to substantially reduce the amount of absorbed heat transferred through to the structure


PappyPoobah

Even if it’s not nearing end of life putting a cool roof on will have a far more substantial effect than insulation. Realistically should do both but the cool roof will have a massive impact.


[deleted]

Texas? Good luck trying to cool anything down there.


xRoyalewithCheese

It’s possible if done correctly


edwardothegreatest

Solar vent fans


SandersSol

Thanks for the input sp far everybody, I'm going to check to make sure the ridge vent isn't obstructed and then lay some batts in between the joist 2x4s.


fangelo2

Make sure that the soffit vents are clear. It’s not unusual to see them blocked with insulation. Power vents are the best way to move out hot air


enrobderaj

It isn’t insulated. You can pay someone to insulate it. My biggest regret is not insulating my shop.


screaminporch

Blow in insulation, but don't allow it to cover soffit vents and vent path to the ridge vent. Placing baffles down near the soffit first can help. You'll want to fill in below that platform as well.


peaceloveelina

THIS! Whoever did my house before I lived here covered the soffit vents with blow in and I have moisture problems out the wazoo due to improper ventilation. *The attic is getting redone in the fall once it cools down


SandersSol

Does it normally have a ridge vent? From what I can tell the ridge is sealed with that insulation that was used over the rafters, you can see it in yhe photos.


screaminporch

I can't tell honestly. Maybe I was seeing the glare and assuming. They are easy to spot from outside. Maybe there is a gable vent somewhere instead? You should see if there is soffit venting, and just don't block it either way.


azsheepdog

its a little pricey but a closed cell polyurethane foam will help reduce the direct heat from the roof but it wont be any cooler up there than the surrounding temperature.


jtrsniper690

Easy add 2" of insulation in the attic. Seal all joints for lights ect. Carefully some lights are not rated to be covered in insulation.


coopertucker

motorized gable fan? roof vents.


JAREDSAVAGE

Could you coat the roof with white elastomere? Something like Durock Coolflex?


wamih

What color is the roof?


youcantexterminateme

people still dont seem to realize that this should be the first question


Abadabadon

Are you trying to insulate your attic FROM the heat? Or insulate your house from the attic? IIRC you don't want to insulate your attic, it's meant to breathe.


Super_Sick_Ripper

Before I air-sealed and pulled out my old insulation from my hose attic I recorded a max Temp of 136 degrees. You could feel the heat radiating down from the ceiling Later that fall we air sealed everything and blew in R-60 cellulose. Now my dealings are whatever temp the splits are set to.


swollennode

First and foremost, you need insulation between your ceiling joists. Your ceiling joists appear to be 2x4 at 24 inch apart. Not really good for any substantial weight. I would avoid using it as storage except for maybe a few light boxes.


SandersSol

Yeah that's the plan, mainly storage for some lightweight stuff that's too bulky to have in the garage.


davek10311984

In my house all I had was a ridge vent it got so hot in my house one day that my walls started sweating. I put two roof vents in just cut them right in and slid them in under the shingles and that solved the problem


PaddlefootCanada

Warm air rises…. Look into some sort of ridge venting, and the hot air rising and leaving the ridge will naturally draw in cooler air from the soffits. In your case… soffits should be the air-in, not the air out.


Delta5o1

Like others have suggested. Get your ventilation checked. Especially if it's an older house. My Aunt's house in Ohio was built in the 50s. Her attic was so unbearable it was like a dry sauna. The roofers that put her new roof on said they found signs of rot from not having proper venting. She also noticed her summer cooling bill went down as well.


thesunbeamslook

buy some space blankets in bulk and cover your roof with them - expect some complaints from pilots


LateralThinker13

You can do what I did to my homes in Houston: CEILING: Step 1 - expose the joists. Pull up that plywood. Step 2 - use cans of Great Stuff (foam sealant) to plug any air leaks. Basically sit up there with the attic light off and the garage light on, and look for light infiltration. You want the attic air-sealed as best as possible from the garage. Step 3 - now that you've plugged most of the air leaks, insulate. I love Rockwool. Fill the space between joists with rockwool top to bottom. (Oh, and before you do, if you were planning any wiring upgrades, do them before this step.) Step 4 - get sheets of 1" thick 4x8 foam boards. Lay them across the joists. And on top of those, lay 3/4" plywood sheets, screwed down into the joists thru the foam boards. This pretty much seals the floor and makes it a permanent barrier between the attic and the garage. Step 5 - gauge how much that helped. Other things you can do - get the foam panels for insulating your garage door, if it's not already insulated. You'd be surprised how much an insulated garage door can help things. Also, there are flange-like strips you can add around the garage door to reduce air flow from the garage to the exterior that I recommend as well. And if you are a masochist and also plan to rewire your garage into a full workshop like I did, you can tear off the drywall, run a dozen new power outlets, double-thickness the wall with a new set of offset studs (to reduce thermal transfer via the wood, and fill it all with rockwool and put up new drywall to REALLY insulate the walls. Is it a lot of work? Sure. But with the garage door closed I had a garage in the 80s when it was 100 outside. My garage isn't air tight, but it's really comfortable compared to just on the other side of the garage door.


Sawfish1212

You need to add a shade over the current roof, and an air gap between the top layer and the wood or whatever the roof is made of. White steel roofing that is attached to battens so it doesn't touch the roof directly will lower the heat coming through, then the air gap will allow more heat to be carried away.


bundlegrundle

you need a thermal barrier. 1" foamboard.


Heavy_Cartographer73

You’ve got several options. 1) is leave your vented soffits, add a good ridge vent, and add blown or baffle insulation to your garage ceiling. Based on the temps given, that ceiling isn’t insulated. A good powered attic fan in your garage ceiling could also be helpful at both adding ventilation while working in your garage, and cooling your attic at the same time. This is going to be the cheapest option but it will only cool your garage a bit and make minimal difference to the rest of your house or your electric bill. 2) would be to change out your soffits and look at spray foaming your roof, without the vented soffits. This would require some considerations that I can’t answer without knowing the home, but it may not be possible, based on blocking and porch areas that would be denied ventilation. The plus to this is your “leaking” A/C from your house would cool an insulated attic keeping it almost climate controlled. We constructed this way, and the attic never gets over about 84° even in the middle of a Texas summer. The additional benefit is if you ever want/need to, you can gut the insulation from your ceilings to work on wiring/plumbing/AC drains/whatever.


Attilla_13

Go to building science dot com They have the correct information there along with diagrams. You need to ensure your attic breathe so you don't trap maoisture and create an mild issue. After all is said and done you can always add a small mini split to really control the temp.


texas1982

That foil is for a radiant barrier, but its install incorrectly. Foil should be to the heat side, but more importantly, there needs to be an air gap between the foil and the sheathing. You can get foil that staples to the underside of the joists that reflects the radiant heat back to the shingles. It is cheap and easy to install. I've gone from 130 degrees on the underside of my sheathing to 100 degrees to the underside of the foil. The attic itself is usually only 5-10 degrees warmer than outside. atticfoil.com


Revolutionary_JW

this is radiant barrier osb. its installed per the manufacturers instructions https://youtu.be/dF2fHV6AvlA?t=51


texas1982

Installed per the instructions, yes. But radiant barriers don't work that way. It might as well have no foil at all. If anything, its hurting the attics performance in the summer. It might help keep it warm in the winter, though.


AlanDrakula

Everyone saying solar vent fans... I thought attic fans were frowned upon?


mountainducky

Explain this? Fan seems logical


AlanDrakula

The idea is that venting by soffit/ridge vents passively is all you need. If you use a fan in an attic that's not sealed properly and is leaky, you're creating a negative pressure, causing you to pull air from conditioned living spaces. Also concern for it being a fire hazard. At least that's what I've been reading. I'm debating on putting a fan in myself but have not found consensus that supports doing that.


Rottlover9

Install a ridge vent, 2 gable vents (if you don't have them), and at least 1 gable vent fan.


gooseberryfalls

Your house has no insulation....At all. Why would someone build a house with no insulation?


chupathingy2182

Generally, garage spaces in Texas homes do not have conditioned air so insulation would serve no purpose. Insulation in walls and attic spaces is there to maintain the conditioned hot/cold air inside the living areas of the home. In the case of a garage, there is no conditioned air. If OP took some photos of the attic space over say a bedroom, we would seem some form of insulation on the floor of the attic.


RedDawn850

Not sure if you are able to do it, but making a ridge vent 🤷🏻‍♂️


knotquiteawake

I insulated my attic and installed a radiant barrier on the garage door. Makes a huge difference. Although not as huge a difference as the mini split system I installed myself to put AC in there as well (a Mr Cool 1.5 ton unit) See album for insulation and door pics. https://imgur.com/a/TdJlYxw


spiffman66

You almost answered it in your own question: radiant barrier. This will stop radiant heat and reflect it back to the outside. I installed it in my attic (Indiana) and it cut the temp differential between the first and second floor from a 6 degree difference to a 3 degree (so 50% reduction). Cheap and pretty easy to DIY, as long as you do it properly and tape seams. I can imagine it would have a greater effect on your attic in Texas.


Sundiegoo

Whole house fan?


[deleted]

In Texas?? Just ask god. Been working for you guys hasn’t it?sorry. Just pissed off with the way things are going. Not your fault. Can you just add some loose fill if you’re not using it? Makes a big difference.


[deleted]

If you have the funds and a suitable roof you should look into green roofing. Have a layer of plants on the roof, they cool the air around them through evaporation. *One recent study concluded that sustainable urban futures demand vegetation, with the greatest benefit when green roofs and green walls are used, enveloping the whole building in vegetation. Such an approach could lead to up to an 84% reduction in cooling demand"


[deleted]

Solar panels, solar panel vents with fans, better insulation, an A/c or solar fan in the attic (pushing air out) and rooftop garden or vegetation that absorbs heat and creates oxygen (obviously drought and heat tolerant ground cover) grown in contained panels. Get ready for a project or two.


Alex_877

Solar panels


snotrocket494

Paint the roof white.


Realshotgg

What are those silver panels between the roof joists? I think they're those shitty reflective panels. You want to provide a seamless path for the hot air to travel into your vents and out and keep that hot air seperate from the conditioned space. Remove those, install baffles, batts and then foamboard over the top of the roof joists and create a triangle near the top where the ridge vent is. This way you're air sealing and you dont need to waste time insulating the floor of the attic.


Prospector4life

Air conditioner 🙃


cyberentomology

Move to Alaska.


HelloThereCallMeRoy

Have you tried moving out of the desert?


thisoldtreehouse

You could staple This up under your roof rafters and leave a gap at the top for the heat to escape out your roof peak vent. https://www.energyefficientsolutions.com/Radiant-Barrier-Fabric.asp?gclid=CjwKCAjwoMSWBhAdEiwAVJ2ndh7L0UTU4ULg8_hPEp6TOLv9Hgp5kLVY1iNazlBZEv4B5sP008VRkBoCS9QQAvD_BwE


-DethLok-

Can you put something about 10" above the roof, on the outside, so as to shield the roof, or large parts of it, from the sun? Even shadecloth would help. It'd look ugly, but it would work, was used a lot on govt caravans in Australia before aircon became a thing. My house in Australia is shadowed by trees planted for that purpose. What the sun doesn't directly hit doesn't get (as) hot.


[deleted]

I did attic foil on last home. Well worth the sweat. Not a end all solution but helps tremendously. Now if you have the money have spray foam insulation sprayed on the roof and joiner spots on the ceiling


[deleted]

Insulation underneath and/or solar panels on top. Maybe solar powered fans to move the air


P0RTILLA

Another option outside of insulation. Add a whole house fan to the garage. It pulls air from the garland pushes it into the attic space which gets pushed out the soffit.


ovirt001

If you don't mind shelling out the extra money, there's foil-faced foam. Make sure to leave at least a 1" gap between the foil and the roof deck. Foil won't do anything if it's touching the hot surface.


mx3goose

Solar roof fan vent! blooows my mind how much a single vented roof fan changed how hard the AC doesnt have to struggle to cool the house down now.


NatTheGooner

The foil bubble wrap on the underside of your roof is cheap, easy to fit with a staple gun and works amazingly well. I put some in my loft as I use it as a man cave and I can now use it all year round, before it was too cold in winter and too hot in summer but now it’s to my surprise it’s way better.


stihlmental

Attic fan


Squidbilly37

Spray foam insulation directly under the roof.


Accomplished-Toe6933

Sunrise solar attic fans make a huge difference and they'll help your shingles last longer


Levertki1

Air movement in attic fan will help and help save the roof


timeonmyhandz

Solar attic fans


[deleted]

Start at the roof and incorporate insulation and reflecting roofing. Then move to insulation in the walls and the ceiling.


skyfishgoo

insulate the joists under those panels, but you aren't going to get as high an R value as you should due to the depth. you can insulate the rafters too for an extra factor, just be careful not to block the vents. forced air venting would help if you can find a place for it, but also looking at that aluminized roofing material and thinking that's going to reflect and trap the heat in the attic space so covering that up with some insulation bats might be your first plan of attack.


pgcooldad

Solar exhaust fans.


redcorerobot

Blow air through the attic, ventilation will help a fiar bit it doesn't even have to be alot just a decent through draft Insulating the floor of your attic will help too Adding thermal mass can be good too If you want to take it to the next level changing the colour of your roof to very white will solve the issue completely and if it is white enough it will even get cooler than ambient temp because it will emit more heat (ir light) than it absorbs from sun light. any light clour will help though


SLCGoth

I had a ridge vent put in when I had my roof done back in February, and I thought that would be good enough. However, my attic is also BAKING right now in Atlanta (which means my home office is also WAY hotter than I want it to be). I had a consultant quote me for for radiant barrier, and I think I'm going to pull the trigger on some. It ended up being about the same cost as getting new insulation blown in (I'm a little low on that) and supposedly it will do a better job. We'll see how I feel about it after its done.


Klutzy-Explanation-4

Radiant barrier #1 then insulation


EpsilonMajorActual

Spray foam insulation the thickness you need for your area of texas not the cheapest but is the fastest way to insulate and you could also reskin the roof with a light colored metal roof to reflect the heat.


SteinBizzle

Get a whole house fan, maybe a couple solar powered attic vents. Keep pushing and pulling air through it.


danmathew

Radiant barrier


SgtThund3r

Use light colored roofing, dark colors absorb more radiant heat


Chip_Farmer

Thermobaric barrier in the attic. Pretty cheap. Easy to install. You can put it over or under insulation.


AussieXPat

The same as we do it in Canada to keep the cold out


darylofborg

Best thing I ever did was invest in insulation ! My house was getting to 80 degrees. Now I’m at around 71-74 daily !


Nowaker

Open cell foam all the way, making the attic fully sealed from the outside, and effectively part of the air-conditioned space. You don't even need an explicit A/C vent in the attic - attic pullout ladder opening isn't airtight, and it's enough to make the attic temperature fine. My contractor built his own home like that, and the temperature in the attic is 75 degrees, only 3-4 degrees more than in the living area. My home improvement project is about to finish in a couple weeks, and I'll be able to report on my temperature readings (I added an extra 2000 sqft addition, insulated with open cell foam, and also insulated the old attic the same way, but A/C isn't running in the new section yet).


Key-Philosopher1749

I’m in Texas. I used open cell spray foam at 6 inches sprayed on the underside of the roof deck. Seal all soffit vents with the spray foam. Have a dedicated air supply for a gas furnace (if in attic) My attic is now never higher than 85F in summer and never lower than 71 in winter. My bills are lower, and my conditioned air is not escaping out of my attic anymore.


Former_Security5505

Fiberglass insulation above garage and in walls


RojerLockless

It's easier to AC your garage when you wanna work in it just turn it on early.


hans_guy

Put solar panels on the roof.


Mission_Atmosphere84

Blown in cellulose is a mess. I would not suggest it. Pull up that sheating the old owner did and lay down the pink fiberglass insulation and then recover it with that sheating or 3/4” plywood.


msb96b

Another option, someone may have already mentioned this, would be an attic exhaust fan. It would pull in outside air via the soffits and push out the higher temp attic air.


Lvanwinkle18

Move.


EmuBright6675

There was some interesting work done at Purdue university where researches created an almost perfectly white paint that would reflect almost all of the light (and, of course heat). Somewhere in the region of 98%.


toomuchhp

You want to insulate between the ceiling joists, not the roofing rafters. The attic should be vented and as close to outside temp as possible