ATTIC INSULATION..QUESTION

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ditrina

ditrina

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I just finished an hour with a Dog and Pony show from the Home Depot " Insulation Department..

Bottom line is I need to add to the insulation already in the attic..
Has anyone else been down this road.. ?? The quote that came back seemed awful high.. $1900.00 for about 1950 sq. ft. for the equivalent of adding an additional R19 layer over the current one..

I'm waiting for an independent installer to send his quote, but what say you folks??

Thanks
 
Get MULTIPLE quotes. People are HUNGRY for work right now. Someone will get "right" with their price.
Make sure the are licensed and INSURED.

When my FIL was building his house, he did a lot of the work himelf. The insulation was cheaper INSTALLED than he could buy material at the Big Box store.

Best of luck.
 
I would suggest you talk to a contractor that specializes in insulation. There are a lot of myths out there. Maybe talk to several and then decide. I live in a house that was built in 1936 and my house is cheaper to heat and cool than some friends houses that were built recently. Sometimes "a lot" isn't always the way to go. Good luck.
 
Would you consider doing it yourself? Insulating is possibly the easiest/simplest task in building/remodeling, and eliminating the labor charge would be significant.

Blow-in insulation is also a possibility which could save you a good bit, but you would need a helper and may have to rent a blower.

Best wishes with the project.
Andy
 
:) If you like you can get a blower from Loews or Home Depo and blow the insulation yourself. It takes two people one in the attic blowing and one outside feeding the hopper. You might find some teenagers who would like to make some extra money. Of coarse you should supervise. Don

PS The blower used to be free if you bought the insulation from them. Do it now while it's cool.
 
Check with your electric company. I have progress energy over here and they have a program and will reimburse you for a substantial part of the cost.
 
This is definately a good prospect for do-it-yourself project, especially if you're using the pink fiberglass rolls. Additional insulation doesn't need the vapor barrier that the first level does, so it should be cheaper than the product which includes a vapor barrier. Basically, you're cutting the tape that holds the roll in shape and unrolling it where you want it to go.

Depending upon the age of your home and what insultaion is already in place, you might do well to pull the original out and go with all new insulation plus an additional layer. This is what I did 30 odd years ago to the house I owned at the time. One winters savings on heating costs paid for the insulation.
 
35Rem said:
Get MULTIPLE quotes. People are HUNGRY for work right now. Someone will get "right" with their price.
Make sure the are licensed and INSURED.

When my FIL was building his house, he did a lot of the work himelf. The insulation was cheaper INSTALLED than he could buy material at the Big Box store.

Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Yes and most of the time take the "middle" quote price.

--------------------------------- Roll Tide '09 and '11 Champs :D
 
An untrained/unskilled "blower" can cost you a lot of money in un-needed material. There is a right and a wrong way to blow stuff into your attic.

I use to blow insulation as a part time job many many moons ago.

Agreed on not letting an uninsured person in your attic. One mis-step and a big foot through your ceiling wipes out any savings pretty quick.
 
I can tell you from experience that you DON"T want to do it yourself! I did mine and I would NEVER do it again! Very uncomfortable job, health hazard, itchy, lot's of time on your knees, NOT FUN!!!!!

Just get a few estimates and select the best one that has the credentials and recommendations.

Chief38
 
Really?

I posted a reasonable question about the serial number on a S&W model 59 I just obtained and no one has answered. This guy ask about his Attic Insulation and gets in one day 11 post so far...I apparently joined the incorrect forum.

My apologies.
 
kormiadmin said:
I posted a reasonable question about the serial number on a S&W model 59 I just obtained and no one has answered. This guy ask about his Attic Insulation and gets in one day 11 post so far...I apparently joined the incorrect forum.

My apologies.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the fourm .. your gonna like it here I promise:D

A17XXXX falls between 1973-1974

The "A" serial numbers started in 1970 with # A115001

As Mr. Jinks would say

I hope this helps
 
If you are going to DIY, make sure you get the baffles ( styrofoam or cardboard and very cheap ) and install them so that you do not block or cover up your soffitt vents when you install the insulation. Your attic needs to breath; very important!
 
Sal, there is an adage in building envelope management that you would do well to heed.

"When you Insulate, you must Ventillate...."

In Florida with your humidity, failure to heed this could result in mold, bugs, premature building structure decay and other unhealthy things...

Be sure your gable vents can breathe, and that your soffit vents are not blocked by new insulation.

If it were me, I'd have this job done by a recognized professional who was bonded and insured. If you have trouble 5 years down the road, you'll have to have somebodies head on a platter.

Just sayin'. Good Luck!

Drew
 
Does it get that coold way up north there?

I'm betting you don't want to pay so much for A/C this summer.

Venting as said is very important.

Go ahead and vent, We're here for you.
 
I'm in the same area that you are, and I have insulation that is more than sufficient, but the angle of the sun here can really heat up the attic space, and even with the "power company" package, it was an oven. I looked at some different approaches and ended up puting a whole house fan out in my attached garage, which has a side door that I can keep open to allow outside air into the garage, that is then blown through the entire roof system-and out the ridge vents. If you don't have ridge vents, you can add them, or some large gable end vents. Of course, you can add a fan directly in the roof, or in a gable, but I wanted something that would pull fresh air through the garage, because I spend quite a bit of time out there. Another added benefit is how this system cools a hot car when you come home and put it in the garage-and that keeps the car from "baking" as well. The whole thing is exhausted in a few minutes. I ran the fans wiring into the house a short distance to a hall just inside, and hooked it to a hall ceiling light that was by itself on the circuit, and put a low watt colored bulb in the fixture so I would know when the fan was on, and this allowed me to opperate it from a wall switch just inside from the garage. When it is cooler, or there is a need to clear out the house, I simply close up the garage, open windows/doors in the farthest rooms of the house, and the door from the house to the garage, and turn that bad boy on, making sure to wedge that door out to the garage, because there will be a wind tunnel going throuh there 5700 CFM's worth. I have used this syetem for quite a while now-probably close to 10 years, and it really addresses my needs well. When deciding where to put the fan in the garage ceiling, it is important to site it under the highest part of the attic ceiling above it, not necessarily the center of your garage ceiling.
 
It would depend upon how is the existing insulation is applied. If blown-in insulation then go to a professional. If fiberglass (batts) then install it yourself. Make sure there's no exposed skin and wear a respirator. At the soffit vents, cut back about 2". While you are up there, make sure vents are screened.

You don't need a vapor barrier between layers. Vapor barriers are for the exterior - between sheathing and siding/roofing.
 
You should have at least R30 in your attic. As others mentioned blowing it in can be a problem if you clog the soffit vents.

Depending on your attic space and trusses it can be a nightmare to install roll or bats of insulation. Most homes in Fl do not have the large attic space as those up North. I would not consider doing mine here in Fl. I have hip trusses and its brutally hot up there even in the morning or night.

As much as a do it myself person that I am, I would call a Pro for this one.

I have done it years ago and also stayed in a Holiday Inn Express!:)
 
insulation

In 2003 we built our house . Just a little over 2000 square feet. Cost us $700 to have the insulation blown in by a professional local company that has been in buisness many years. It was cheaper to have this company do it than it was for me to go to lowes and buy the insulation and use their machine for free. It took them just a little over a hour and did alot better job then I could have. Plus the insulation they used seemed to be of better quality.
 
Yes to fiberglass (blown-in), Yes to the importance of ventilation, and Yes to having a qualified professional do the work. Ask for references, look for a company with a good history and properly insured. I did it myself 25 years ago, fiberglass batts, but wouldn't do it again.
 
Attic Insul

Just finished 1420 square feet. Hired a carpenter and helped. We blew in 22" cellulose. Four hours total including cleanup. Cost almost exactly $1000.
Lots of rebates out there. Read the fine print before doing the job. Many utilities require a free home inspection before doing the job.
$1800 does not sound out of line.
 
o3rugby1 said:
Have it Blown in.
Click to expand...

Definitely. Have it blown in and do not use fiberglass. I forget the name of the stuff now, but it is recycled material BETTER than glass and it works GREAT just blowing it OVER what is there, and you do not have to sorry about breathing it.

This is what they are doing in the high end newer houses. It's great stuff.

Here you go. You can find more on your own. I'm not a tree hugger but this seems the way to go.
http://spraytechfoaminsulation.com/cellulose_insulation.php

And BTW.... I insulated a 30x40 garage...albeit ten years ago.... with R-30 in walls and R-35 in ceiling for 1250 dollars cash to the company that did it. ( that was glass rolls)
 
Having done blow in stuff in the past and rolled, I would do rolled again before having to go around and staple up baffles again. Rolled was so much less work.
 
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