So we dragged it all up there and got busy covering all that empty flooring.
This is the east side of the house you're looking at. And here is the other side that has all our crap stored in it....do you like my mini Case pedal tractor?
Most of the insulation up here already was either an old rolled-up kind, or even older blown-in stuff - so anything we added was going to be an improvement. We made sure to overlap the old pink stuff.
To put the cherry on top, I sprang for some radiant barrier foil to lay on top of the insulation. It is supposed to create an extra layer of protection against heat and cold when added to fiberglass insulation.
It is so easy to lay it down, no special tools needed - except a pole or broom to help push the edges down. There is supposed to be an inch or two in between the insulation and the foil, without that gap the barrier won't work. Sounds good to me!
It looks like a big pan of leftovers up here now.
Even with all this, we still don't have the 'recommended' R value for WI. That is somewhere around 50-60. I estimate we have about 40 up here, but I'm not about to add more now. Ah, things you wish you knew before a project starts!
Now all our stuff lives just to the right of the attic ladder where no bedrooms are. Who needs insulation above a hallway, right?
The foil was $130 and the insulation rolls were just $88 after a mail-in rebate. Now, if only I had a foolproof way to tell if it was helping!
Yay for attic insulation! You'll be saving money and being green...it's a no brainer. I know it's not pretty but from the savings we saw after insulating ours it will probably pay for itself in the first couple months. We went from an R-11 to an R-49 (http://threeacres.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/saving-money-on-our-heating-bills/). I'm not sure about how well that foil stuff works though. I'd suggest adding a second layer going in the other direction. With your tall attic it would be so easy!
ReplyDeleteLooks toasty!
ReplyDeleteWe really need to do this in our attic. Sadly, our insulation is the old cotton batt kind that had been crapped on my about a million birds. Thanks original owner for not fixing those broken windows for a couple of years! So we have to get that bio-hazard out before we can re-insulate. :(
ReplyDeleteOur house is Energy Star rated so it came with Radiant Barrier and it's supposedly super helpful. Apparently like 60% of the homes (or some such) in the US are under insulated because most homes built before the 70s or so don't have proper insulation.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know, I'm a wealth of information!
Nice job! Before our first winter in our house we added new insulation to our attic - we went from an R7 to like an R45 (or something like that!), and we could actually tell an immediate difference in how the house stayed cooler/warmer and our AC/Heater didn't stay on all the time. We also noticed an immense difference in our bills - the cost to add insulation definitely paid for itself!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you'll be much toastier this winter!
~Chelsea
Mmmm... leftovers...
ReplyDeletewhen we bought our house in 2007, the seller told us they had to put insulation in the walls when they purchased it in 1970 because the previous owners who built it in 1968 didn't insulate it. They had to make small holes in the walls and blow insulation in. The house was definitely well insulated. We also had storm windows, and sealed any leaks from the windows. Wishing you a warmer winter. It has gotten really cold in WI the last few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel the difference this winter! 3/4 of our attic is insulated (in TN we used R30 for the ceiling and R13 for the walls) and I would love to be able to blow insulation into our walls downstairs.
ReplyDeleteGlad you posted this, we need to do the same in our crawl space and attic, I think we have to figure out how to get some in our walls too, will have to call someone for that though. Does anyone know who you would even call for something like that?
ReplyDeleteYou got all that insulation for $88?!?! We need to add to ours (obviously not as thick down here!), but I assumed it would be a huge undertaking and expense?!?! Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel, I just insulated my attic and I wish there was some instant way to know if it is working/saving me money! I guess I will have to wait and see on my heating bills this winter!
ReplyDeleteWow. That's not such a bad price for all the insulation you got! Hope it helps! It got really cold in Iowa this week, too!
ReplyDeleteI should probably check out our insulation situation too. Hope this means you'll have a warmer winter!
ReplyDeleteI hope you see a difference on your heating bill - we did. And it totally does look like a plate of leftovers. Crackin' me up.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you guys are unstoppable. Where do you find the energy?????? I always feel exhausted just looking at your pictures hahaha.
ReplyDeleteA very timely project! I'm sure it will make quite a difference, considering how little insulation there was to begin with. We need to add more insulation to our attic as well; I'm pretty sure the builders really skimped on that. So this was informative and a good reminder! (Even though we probably won't get around to it for awhile.)
ReplyDeleteI would say....that sure will keep you toasty this winter:)
ReplyDeleteLooks great and it's going to save you $$ too!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is a project we should take on... we had it estimated and the price came back over $3,000! Our R-Value is 14.... we're supposed to have 55...
My house is 20 years old so I'm sure there is not nearly enough insulation up there. Can 1 person do this by themselves? Or is it a 2-person job?
ReplyDeleteKate, one person could definitely do this! I was mostly taking pictures anyway :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that will help keep you warm and toasty this winter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info! Now I just wish my attic was a tall as yours.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! When we had to replace our HVAC this summer one of the quotes we got included tons of additional insulation. But it was also the highest quote and no one else mentioned it and instead went with the ostrich philosophy of putting our head in the sand and ignoring it. Maybe that was not the greatest idea...
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ReplyDelete(repeated myself in that last comment - sorry)
ReplyDeleteThis is so not a project you want to spend your time and creative energy on it, but it's SO worthwhile! You'll know if it's working. Or shall I say, you'll know if it's NOT working! Good for you!
That's awesome! Now that it's winter I'm thinking the more insulation the merrier. :)
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