Adventures in Air Sealing and Insulation

So I finished a tiny part of the insulation in the gable over my entrance porch. It is hard to convey how difficult it is to crawl into that area.

Here is a photo showing the path to that gable end.

I haven't used a measuring tape to see what the distance is from the plywood covering the joists to the ridge beam, but I've measured it with my body. It is shorter than my torso. That's my foot to give you perspective. I actually think I have splinter in my scalp from this adventure.

This is the porch area caulked for air sealing. I used some fire-rated caulk because that is what I had on hand. That's why it's red.

My favorite caulking gun is show below. It's the Siga Primur Applicator Gun for tubular bags.
It's what I used most of the time at John's house. I use it with Prosoco Joint and Seam sealer, another product I also love for air sealing.

My tools for sealing the rainscreen gap. You really aren't supposed to seal the rainscreen gap. The idea is that with this gap behind the siding, it can dry out easily, be less prone to causing rot, and paint will adhere better. But this area was not detailed correctly (I really don't think any of it was detailed correctly) because it goes directly into an area that should be insulated. It should either have a gap at the top of the siding or go above the insulation. So I decided to close off this area. There are gaps between the siding anyway so I think it can dry effectively anyway. 

Same area after small pieces of foam were caulked in place.

Whew! The insulated porch ceiling is shown below. About 11 inches of UltraTouch Denim Insulation for an R-value of ~38. Hey, I met code there. 

This was a painful task. The other side of the gable is a little easier because it doesn't step down like the ceiling on the porch does, but it is almost as challenging. I don't think there are any gaps I have to air seal though. I'll have to explore and make sure. 

That was quite enough of an adventure for one day. My neck, elbows (from the army crawl), abs are recovering. I hope to finish the other side of the gable tomorrow.