Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Adding insulation to attic

I recently had a home-energy audit done, because our electric bills are astronomical.

Among several recommendations, was the information that our insulation was currently at "R-21" and they would like to blow insulation to get us to "R-38" and install a "tent" above the attic access door that is above our hallway --

Now, more insulation is clearly better than less.. but I don't really know the contractor -- how do I know a) what our current rating is, and b) whether or not they really achieve the new rating?

Also, how do I evaluate the cost they have in for that portion of the job? We have an 1847 sq ft house, and the charge is around $2,600 -- is that excessive?

Thanks for any input!

Linda

you can compute your own r-value, based on the type, thickness and condition (thick and thin areas, compressed vs fluffed, etc) of the insulation you have now. I'm sure there are charts on the net somewhere. Some places even have little carboard rulers you can measure your insulation with and read right on it your approx r-value.

As to the value after they blow it in, same thing. Each bag of insulation says right on it, the depth req'd to achieve a certain value.

As to the tent? Weatherstripping the access panel and glueing a cut piece of faced insulation to it would be a huge improvement. 30 min and $15 in parts.

As to the cost, best to just compare diff contractors with same specs in your area.

Also, before adding all that insulation, invest in sealing all the attic penetrations with expanding foam and caulk.

Also, before adding all that insulation, invest in sealing all the attic penetrations with expanding foam and caulk.

Thanks for the info!

To be fair... they said they would seal all penetrations as well as blow in insulation - that was part of their package.

My goodness, how much sq footage of attic space do you have? Where are you located? Is it hard to access areas of your attic? My house is about the same size but when I wanted to get someone to blow some insulation for me in the attic I got quoted around a grand going from R11 to R49. I ended up doing it myself plus alot of airsealing for $250. Your quote seems excessive and I would get some more estimates. Are they doing all the walls too? My quotes for that were around 3k for the whole house but im doing that myself as well.

My goodness, how much sq footage of attic space do you have? Where are you located? Is it hard to access areas of your attic? My house is about the same size but when I wanted to get someone to blow some insulation for me in the attic I got quoted around a grand going from R11 to R49. I ended up doing it myself plus alot of airsealing for $250. Your quote seems excessive and I would get some more estimates. Are they doing all the walls too? My quotes for that were around 3k for the whole house but im doing that myself as well.

Our house is 1847 sqft, but it is roughly shaped like a squared-off U. That does make sections of the attic somewhat difficult to reach. This quote was for sealing wire/pipe penetrations, blowing insulation to reach R38, and installing a "tent" over the attic access stairway in the hallway.

Personally,

I would seal the penetrations myself. Unfortunately, most installers are just trying to get in and out and their work (or lack thereof) is ultimately buried under insulation.

If it all possible, don't use the attic for storage, so no need for a tent. Seal attic access like this http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11400

Get more quotes, I recently paid $700 to go from R-19 to R-49 with ~1400 sqft of attic space in the midwest. Energy use has been down 25-30% with much better overall comfort. Combined with other basic improvements over the last two yrs, I'm using about 40% less energy for climate control.

Personally,

I would seal the penetrations myself. Unfortunately, most installers are just trying to get in and out and their work (or lack thereof) is ultimately buried under insulation.

If it all possible, don't use the attic for storage, so no need for a tent. Seal attic access like this http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11400

Get more quotes, I recently paid $700 to go from R-19 to R-49 with ~1400 sqft of attic space in the midwest. Energy use has been down 25-30% with much better overall comfort. Combined with other basic improvements over the last two yrs, I'm using about 40% less energy for climate control.

Thanks for the link! Nice, detailed information there!

2600$$$$$$$$$$$ HOLY HELL!!!!!!!! I did my attic and ext. walls w/ blown cellulose myself for just under 550!!! That is renting the machine myself from lowes and doing it!! It worked great!!!!! House is much warmer now. I got a quote like that from one contractor and it was about 2200 for them to come do the walls!! Trust me a monkey can do this!!! GOOD LUCK

2600$$$$$$$$$$$ HOLY HELL!!!!!!!! I did my attic and ext. walls w/ blown cellulose myself for just under 550!!! That is renting the machine myself from lowes and doing it!! It worked great!!!!! House is much warmer now. I got a quote like that from one contractor and it was about 2200 for them to come do the walls!! Trust me a monkey can do this!!! GOOD LUCK

Heh, I get the feeling you find that price excessive! :)

Trust me a monkey can do this!!! GOOD LUCK

Well now, that's a relief! Cause my hubby says he'll pay someone to do it and I say no way am I handing over money for something I can do just as well (better) myself. I am so sick of being burned by contractors who do cheap sloppy work, take shortcuts by skipping some of the work entirely, and then charge for premium service. The heck with that!

I am sooo thankful for the good folks that take the time to post tips and advice here. With the wealth of info on this board, you gave me the guts to go up in my attic and do my own work.

Linda, are they including sealing all the air pentrations in that quote? Even with that, 2600 is still way too much. If it was me, I'd call and get them to explain how they came up with that price and what *exactly* they are going to do for that money. And see if they're willing to put every little detail of their planned work on the written quote. Good luck with that.

At the very least, if you don't want to do it yourself, get no less than 3 quotes for this work. And don't take the lowest one either.

Home depot and Lowes both have the cellulose blow mach you can rent. Id go that way for sure

Well now, that's a relief! Cause my hubby says he'll pay someone to do it and I say no way am I handing over money for something I can do just as well (better) myself. I am so sick of being burned by contractors who do cheap sloppy work, take shortcuts by skipping some of the work entirely, and then charge for premium service. The heck with that!

I am sooo thankful for the good folks that take the time to post tips and advice here. With the wealth of info on this board, you gave me the guts to go up in my attic and do my own work.

Linda, are they including sealing all the air pentrations in that quote? Even with that, 2600 is still way too much. If it was me, I'd call and get them to explain how they came up with that price and what *exactly* they are going to do for that money. And see if they're willing to put every little detail of their planned work on the written quote. Good luck with that.

At the very least, if you don't want to do it yourself, get no less than 3 quotes for this work. And don't take the lowest one either.


You know, they were including sealing penetrations as well as putting a "tent" over the attic stairway access...

But, it is also part of a larger quote:

The deal is, they did a whole house energy audit and identified these findings:

R-21 insulation, can raise to R-38 (we have about 8 inches or so of insulation up there); as well as seal penetrations & put in the tent

Replace, reengineer all ductwork for HVAC to be straight runs, metal Y joins, metal supply boxes, etc.

Install new HVAC 14 seer heat pump, blower, air handler, etc..

Their individual prices seem high:

$2600 - insulation package
$3570 - ductwork
$8625 - heat pump equipment

But then there's an overall $2000 off, so the total for everything if we did it would be $12,800.. and that's actually not that bad to the market, I think...

So I dunno... we went with a competing HVAC heatpump only quote, hoping that is sufficient for right now... but who knows the right thing to do.

Pay me I'll do it!! Do you live in PA!? I need the extra cash!! Just had another little boy! :) Some days I wish I went to school for home renovations/improvements!! (Carpentry) I love doing this stuff!! I did take a carpentry course, but it was online and never got a chance to do my hands on b/c we started our family to soon!!! But I am thankful for the 2 extra additions!! Good luck w/ the project. It realy isn't hard to do!! Make sure your husband buys a very very good face mask and to wear glasses. That stuff isn't fun to breath in!!

I agree that quote sounds high. As you research, make sure you are accounting for air flow through the space. You need roof vents at the very minimum-- and don't pack in the insulation so tight that air can't move around. Good luck! Here's a link that might help with your research.


http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/10169.shtml