For fiberglass batts insulation, lay the batts in place by unrolling them between the joists, pressing them down without compressing them too tightly. If you lay one batt on one side of the attic and another batt on the other side, you will likely have a space in the middle that you will need to cut a batt to fit. Since you are working from the walls in, you will be measuring and cutting in the area with the highest roof clearance, which should make things easier.
When working with fiberglass batts insulation, the way to cut it is to compress the batt with a straight edge. After you got the straight edge, cut through the compressed material against the edge with a utility knife. The ends of batts should be joined by butting them up against each other firmly, so that there is no space between them.
While laying out insulation over your attic, it’s equally important that you do not miss to weather-strip the attic hatch. Running a length of self-adhesive foam weather stripping around the top of the attic opening will create a good seal when the hatch is placed over the opening.
If you attic already has insulation in place, you could install the new fiberglass insulation batts over the top of the existing layer of batts filling the joists. You could lay the new batts (which must not have a vapor barrier) perpendicular to the old ones. Insulation batts can be cut around cross bracing between joists, but remember to keep it 3 inches away from any heat source such as electrical fixtures or chimney flues. Unless the electrical fixtures are rated IC, only then insulation can be installed near them.
Look out for any vents in the attic while you are installing attic insulation. Make sure your insulation do not block them. If you are using loose-fill insulation, you can nail wooden frames together to fit around vents or heat-producing elements to keep the insulation away from these things.
In conclusion, increasing your attic insulation while making sure that the attic is properly ventilated can be very rewarding when you start noticing savings on your utility bills, particularly if you have started with an insulation value that’s well below what’s recommended for your area.
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After you got the straight edge, cut through the compressed material against the edge with a utility knife. The ends of batts should be joined by butting them up against each other firmly, so that there is no space between them.