I recently moved and the home inspector suggested I add 8-10" of blown-in insulation in the attic. The house is a ranch, built in 1998, currently has the pink rolled insulation. I was hoping to get this done before winter to hopefully save a little on heating. Any suggestions or tips? I'm reasonably handy and my brother can come over to help. The inspector mentioned adding vent extensions for the fascia vents (or whatever they are called) but that is all he said. The attic is split in two sections so I'd have to do it from the garage entry as well as the one in my closet (so the tube would be ran through the house). Should I do it myself or pay someone? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Definitely do it yourself, super easy job. 1 guy on the ground loading the machine and 1 guy in the attic. The vent extensions are easy too, just staple them to the sheathing then let the insulation flow.

Extremely easy to do...but is a bit dirty.  Takes two people.  

I would probably use cellulose.

The vent extensions are critical for proper airflow, don't stuff or blow insulation all the way into the edges if you have soffit vents. Blown in is very easy and takes two people. I recently did it. Use the fiberglass, it's a little more expensive but not as messy. Use walkie talkies to talk to the guy on the ground feeding the machine. This was suggested to me and I realized how useful it was. These are cheap, $25 on amazon. Also get a head light, a decent one that puts out good light. This was also suggested to me and it's very helpful.


It took me and my dad (was helping my parents insulate their attic) four hours, including going to Home Depot and buying the material and renting the machine (free with purchase of enough bags), doing the job, and returning the machine. Very easy and worth doing yourself especially if the weather isn't too hot.

If you use FG get a disposable jump suit to put over your clothes.
You do NOT want to run a bunch of FG covered things through your washer.
The next few loads will end up with FG on them.

Remove the jump suit in the attic and bag it when completed.

And wear a good dust mask or you will be coughing for days.
An exhale valve would be a good idea.
It keeps the mask dryer so insulation dust not not tend to stick to it as much.

Super easy to do. Like stated one person feeding and one up top. I did my buddies house over winter and just wore glasses and was fine. The fiberglass type is very low dust and cleaner than cellulose. Took a few hours all together but did 11 bricks and had a solid 12-14 in throughout.

Easy, and like another poster stated, machine rental is free with purchase of a relatively small amount of material, so MUCH cheaper than paying to have it done.



Cellulose is going to be cheaper and wont irritate your skin like fiberglass, but it is dusty and will haze up the area you are blowing the insulation in, and possibly seep through any cracks, so some cleaning up may be needed.

Blown in fiberglass is the same stuff that's been used for years, just in a different form. Not very dusty, but is makes some most people itch like crazy.



Cellulose, being cheaper, and having better r-value for a given thickness, buy it cheap, pack it deep.



As far as blowing it in, the place you get insulation at might have some plastic rules you can tack onto the joists so you can gauge how much your piling up. Wear a respirator, the air gets a bit thick after a while.

Some of the best money I have spent on my house. I added about 14-18 inches to my attic area. Instantly made a difference in my house. I was able to raise the thermostat by 4 degrees last winter and it would hold that temp. for about 20-30 minutes longer than it had before I added insulation. Like the others said it takes two people. I rented a blower from Lowes. Took about 2 hours to blow in 35 bags. Very dusty so make sure you get a dust mask. The borax doesn't taste very good

After reading this thread I think I want to do this before winter.

Is it an expensive project?  Ballpark cost for an attic like the one pictured?

Not really expensive. My parents home is about 1100 sqft and we blew in about 8-10 inches for their's. Keep in mind this is in Los Angeles so it doesn't get THAT cold or even THAT hot and 20 inches isn't necessary (though it won't hurt). My dad bought I think 13 bags of the fiberglass insulation and with tax it came out to about $450. Machine rental didn't cost anything since he bought more than 10 bags.

If you have recessed lights, make sure to buy (expensive) or make covers for them to keep the insulation from making direct contact with the housing. We found what was basically metalized bubble wrap in the same isle at Home Depot and made our own overs for the cans. Keeps the insulation far enough away and keeps the heat from escaping through the cans.

Again, it's a really simple and relatively inexpensive project to do yourself. You'll notice instant results.

Here is the thread I started (in archives)

Rent the machine...

Don't try to use a leaf blower.  






The leaf blower actually worked, but the mess was epic and the savings was not worth it.  (I think I only needed 3 bags)


I watched a crew of 2 put in 5500 cubic feet in 4 1/2 hours.  On super large jobs (agricultural) there are companies the specialize in that type of work and they can get the price way down to where DIY is not a good option.

I don't remember the exact amount. The bags cost like $6.xx each and I bought 40 total. My house is 1100 square feet. I blew in extra over the bedrooms which are in the far side of those pictures I posted. Where I stood to take that picture is the attic access in my garage. Directly in front is the living room and a little to the right is the kitchen. They each got a nice layer but not nearly as much as the bedrooms/bathroom. All total I think I spent about $300 to do it. Lowes requires a security deposit, I think its $250, for the blower for 24 hours. But if you know somebody there well enough they might wave it. I was concerned with getting it back on time but they didn't seem to care that I was 10 minutes late. If you need it longer just call and see if you can get a few more hours from it.

I have a bunch of blown-in.

I keep hoping somebody will make aerogel in cheap quantities I can use to redo it, soon.  

I would at least get a quote to have a pro install it.  I can get blown or batt insulation installed cheaper than I could do it myself.

I've been spending a lot of time working in the attic recently and I'm finding way too much stuff that needs to be done, including more insulation.

You might want to consider these things before adding insulation:
* Look for air leaks that need to be sealed, e.g., areas around vent pipes or any other holes in ceiling.
* If you have any recessed lighting, check the rating on the housings to see if they are rated to be in contact with insulation.
* Clearly identify areas that do *not* need insulation, e.g., porch overhangs, and consider putting up some sort of "dam" like blocking between joists to act as a border.

I'm in the process of putting some catwalks in place so I can get to hard to reach areas of the attic more safely. If you are putting a bunch of insulation in that would obscure footing in areas that might need to be accessible for putting in fixtures or wiring, you might want to do the same. I am using 1 ft. wide 3/4" plywood with 1" by 2" furring strips on edges to give tactile feel.

That wiring looks like a nightmare!

I like the insulation, though.

Did you put in baffles to keep the insulation away from the roof rafters?

If you do use fiberglass and blow it in yourself and find that it is so dry with the fiberglass sticking to everything, you might want to add a small amount of water with the fiberglass when putting it into the hopper.

Just a little...
The flickering light was when I tried putting fluorescent bulbs in. When I turned the switch on it would flicker. Regular bulbs would work correctly though. Touching the wire for cable internet would shock you. Internet guy said "It's not supposed do that, you might want to have your electrical looked at". Luckily none of my electronics got fried. It is all redone now with new wiring/panel/feed from the meter.
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No I blew it straight in. I have a metal roof with no vents other than the soffit vents and no shingles to burn up with the trapped heat. I was told by my former construction boss and the foreman to just blow it in since I didn't need ventilation due to not having shingles. I didn't have any issues this past summer. My utility bills(electric, water/sewer, and trash) have been anywhere from $88-$140 since blowing it in. Family that lived her before me had the lowest bill of I think $300 something in october 2012.

I put in 80 bags of the "green" type last year between adding to the house and insulating my workshop.  Took about 3 hours with two people.

Things I learned.

get a good respirator for both people.
Tape a broom handle to the end of the hose as it will help you get into the hard to reach areas without having to crawl.
Guy feeding the hopper will likely get more crap on him than the guy in the attic (unless the unit I had was defective).
Best flashlight you have because visibility quickly goes to crap.
Overbuy what you think you will need and return if not used (will be going back to return the unit anyway)
Check for current rebates on your taxes for energy saving.
Start at the farthest point and work your way out.
I put my truck facing the garage where the unit was at and if I needed it to be shut off I simply honked the horn with my remote control and the lights flash also.
try to reserve the unit if they will let you.
Mark any items that you may need access to in the future.  Florescent spray-paint on the rafters will work for a base coat and a good permanent marker indicating the item.
If you plan to add any outside flood lights, ceiling fixtures, or speakers do it before you insulate.
Figure out how many bags you will need and if you can haul that much at once with the rental unit.  If not buy some ahead of time but leave enough to get the day of the rental as it is usually free if you purchase enough.

While you are at it buy some of the ridged Styrofoam sheets of insulation and make a cover for the attic access because you loose a lot of heat right there.  I have steps to the attic so I just made the cover tall enough to clear the ladder when it is closed.