Blew in our own insulation!

[zolotiyeruki]

Over the past 13 years, I've tromped all over our attic, mostly to add lighting.  Add nearly 20 years of settling, and the insulation in our attic was looking pretty pitiful.  I got a quote from a contractor to add more, and it came back at $2700.

So we DIYed it.  I rented a Uhaul truck to bring the 100 bags of cellulose home from Menards, and we made a family work project out of it.  It being our first time ever blowing insulation into the house, it...didn't go exactly smoothly.  A couple bags' worth of insulation ended up in our flower beds and grass, DW got all frustrated at one point, and my teenage son applied the fluff rather unevenly (30% of the attic got next to nothing, a couple areas got a couple feet of the stuff), but we did it.  At least I know the kids' bedrooms are well-insulated for this winter...

Our total cost (so far): about $1500 all in.  We'll get about $500 of that back from the federal government and the Menards rebates.  I expect we'll need to do a Round 2 to add another 50 bags, with me running the hose this time so that we get the insulation better distributed.

Payback period?  We'll see.  This project was less about the financial returns, and more about increasing the comfort level in our home.  Our kids' bedrooms get hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and I'm hoping this will help.

[uniwelder]

Good for you! 15 years ago, pricing to have insulation professionally blown in was the same as for me to buy material, but in the last five years or Covid, quotes have been double the retail material cost. I ended up blowing in cellulose, and with all the time required to run the underpowered machine and the trips to the store, and loading my truck, I think I’d rather just have paid to get it done. Somewhere on this forum I have a complete breakdown of my pricing and hours.

[bacchi]

We blew in insulation a few years ago and the electricity savings were noticeable.

We also had some mishaps. At one point, one of the walkies went out as I was crawling in a corner near the eave with the hose bunched behind me. As the corner filled up, I radioed down to hold off for a minute while I moved positions. The insulation kept coming. As it piled up around me, I was trying to quickly crawl backwards while screaming "Turn off the machine! Turn off the fucking machine!" Good times.

[index]

So you're going to spend $2250 - $850 in menards gift cards and tax credits versus $2700 - $810 in rebates? So you saved $490 for 30ish hours of labor over a day and a half for three people? Insulation is tough to make the $/hr work for DIY because the installers buy it for a fraction of retail. Last time I added insulation, it was $250 more to have it installed than to buy the materials retail.

[zolotiyeruki]

So you're going to spend $2250 - $850 in menards gift cards and tax credits versus $2700 - $810 in rebates? So you saved $490 for 30ish hours of labor over a day and a half for three people? Insulation is tough to make the $/hr work for DIY because the installers buy it for a fraction of retail. Last time I added insulation, it was $250 more to have it installed than to buy the materials retail.

The net cost to us will be about $1,000, after the various rebates.  Paying someone to do it for us would cost $2,700, of which we *might* be able to get the 30% federal credit on the materials, which would reduce the cost by ~$400, so a net cost of $2,300.  So we save $1,300 in return for about 8 hours of my time and 6 hours of my teenage son's time (because, let's be honest, the younger kids' work didn't actually speed up the process much).  And that $1,300 is after taxes, so it comes out to be a pretty handsome rate.

Of course, we still have to see how long it takes for the energy savings to pay for the $1000 out of pocket cost.

Things have changed since I last checked as well (several years ago).  Illinois has a similar insulation rebate, but it has to be done by a registered contractor, so the rebate is cancelled out by the cost of hiring the contractor.

[Frugal Lizard]

YMMV - Our experience adding insulation in the attic was that it made a huge difference in comfort. Most noticeable in the summer because we didn't have AC.

[malacca]

FYI - you should Air Seal your attic before adding insulation. Air Sealing alone will save you more than insulating in most houses. Of course, once you air seal you can add insulation.

Air sealing may or may not be difficult depending on your attic. Mine was hell as you have to squat and lay down a lot. I hired it out. I did try but after 20 minutes of squatting and walking around my legs we hurting.

You go around and seal up and opening in your ceiling - wires, holes, down lights, etc. Most use spray foam. They also put insulated pots over the can lights.

If you are up to it, by all means do it yourself. It is not rocket science at all - it is just physically difficult.

[zolotiyeruki]

Good point about air sealing.  I actually did it several years ago, so I think we'll be ok on that front.

[nereo]

Regarding insulated pots over (unsealed) can lights, it’s more efficient and just as economical to replace them with low profile sealed LEDs. You can use two pieces of rigid foam on the attic side - the bottom one with the same size hole as the can light and the top one glued to it as a lid. This creates a better air seal and allows more blown-in insulation to cover the top of each light.

[Just Joe]

Our upstairs bedrooms have interior doors that open into the front and rear attics. All around these storage areas are the outside of the stud walls. Bare studs, roll insulation between them. When the wind blows, the attic gets breezy.

Curious what upgrades we should consider. Sealing the attic doesn't seem wise b/c we live in a hot and humid part of the country. The general belief here is that is how to ruin the asphalt shingles - no attic ventilation.

Should we cover the insulation with 1/4" plywood just to cut the effects of wind?   

Am planning to get an estimate of more blown insulation at minimum. I don't think we are up to DIY that.

[JimDogRock]

Our upstairs bedrooms have interior doors that open into the front and rear attics. All around these storage areas are the outside of the stud walls. Bare studs, roll insulation between them. When the wind blows, the attic gets breezy.

Curious what upgrades we should consider. Sealing the attic doesn't seem wise b/c we live in a hot and humid part of the country. The general belief here is that is how to ruin the asphalt shingles - no attic ventilation.

Should we cover the insulation with 1/4" plywood just to cut the effects of wind?   

Am planning to get an estimate of more blown insulation at minimum. I don't think we are up to DIY that.

You're correct about not wanting to seal the attic. Attic air should not be stagnant in order to prevent moisture and mold issues.

For the shared wall between the livable space and the attic you could use a plastic vapor barrier instead of plywood like you mentioned. It's probably cheaper & easier to work with, and the added R value of 1/4" plywood or OSB would not be much.
Your goal, in my opinion, is to reduce the wind wash that is hitting the insulation rolls. So, a vapor barrier would do that.

[Just Joe]

Thank you @JimDogRock