Here’s a money-saving idea for insulating a cathedral ceiling. Although we’re not required to put blocking between rafters along the plate line, we usually do so to keep the insulation from pushing down into the vented eave. On a recent job, we were short on 2x material. So I scrounged the housewrap scraps left over from our window cutouts and cut them into 10-in. by 30-in. strips for insulation supports.
As shown in the drawing, I folded the housewrap into a three-sided cradle and stapled the sides to the rafters and to the top plate. This setup created a sort of hammock to keep the insulation in place and took only a few seconds per rafter bay.
Bob Swinburne, Brattleboro, VT
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #106
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The title gave me a good idea for using housewrap to hold up the R19 in my floor/crawlspace. Joists are 14" TJIs so getting the 6" fiber batts up against the bottom of the floor has proven tedious. This would allow me to push it up and hold it at minimal cost. A white membrane would increase the light in the crawl. Moisture and air would be lessened and vapor could still escape. Which 'brand' would you recommend?