Attic insulation

[chiluvr1228]

Thank you so much; you have no idea how you have helped me.

[chiluvr1228]

Originally Posted by TrapperL

Sounds like you've run into some scam artists. The insulation price is way too much. That's way over a dollar sq ft. Assuming all it needs is an R-30 and that might be too much. The first question you need to ask is what are the ceiling joists spacing. If it's 24" on center, drywall will only hold 1 lb per sq ft of weight. If you blow too much insulation up there, you'll be fixing sagging drywall in a few years as the humidity in Florida will weaken the drywall and the weight of the insulation will be pushing it off of the ceiling. The big box stores here are famous for installing too much insulation and we're having to go in and make the interior ceiling look like it has beams to fix the issue. Pretty much have it down to a science now. But be aware, the weight of the insulation can push the drywall off of the ceiling. But I recommend an insulation company to get pricing and weight evaluation. Avoid the contractor that will have it done or the box stores that send out clueless people.



So it has copper pipes. So what? There are millions of homes with copper pipes. Copper piping is the standard here with the plastic PEX coming in second. There's no reason to replace it unless it is leaking due to pin holes, which I doubt.

By the way, the house was built in 1970, but according to the county property info available online, "plumbing" was done in 1995. It doesn't say what was done however. I've spent some time today researching copper piping and apparently it is not the devil plumbing companies make it out to be. Apparently it can last up to 100 years in some cases depending on how well the joints were welded together. There are obviously no leaks as the water bill has been small since nobody is living there yet.


I have a 2nd plumber coming on Tuesday to look at things, without telling them that the first plumber suggested repiping the whole house. The proposal came in the mail yesterday and it's anywhere from $2300 to $3050 depending on if I want them to fix the drywall and repaint. I just spent $5600 to have the inside & outside painted. The articles I was reading were saying that nobody knows if somewhere down the road the EPA will determine that PVC and plastic PEX are unsafe.


Will call some insulation companies also. I made a note of things to ask them. Thank you again for your advice.

[CptnRn]

Insulation 6-15-2011 $1,700 R-38

In 2011 I had R-38 fiberglass insulation blown into the attic, joists are 16" o.c., insulation included burying all of the heating/a.c. ducts so they are well insulated also. Cost $1,700 in a 2300 SF house. That price was probably towards the high end as I went through a City energy efficiency improvement program.

[claymoore]

Years and years ago I worked for an insulation company in South Florida.

At the time I was the helper on a job doing blown in fiberglass insulation.

The house was a Mansion, under construction and close to the beach.

The attic in this house was enormous!
You could have built a normal sized house in the attic itself!

Picture this: The owner wanted this monstrously huge attic to be Completely filled with insulation!

My boss (A very greedy man) did what I never expected. He argued against doing it!

Didn't matter, the guy wanted it done!

It took three days and a near tractor-trailer full of the bags of insulation to complete the job!

I guess that I was the lucky one because my job was to work the hopper (open the bags of fiberglass and feed them into the shredder) while my coworker blew the attic while suffering in 98-degree heat and 100% humidity.

In Florida, as you are blowing in the insulation, the more you blow in the hotter the attic gets!
My co-worker had to be dragged out of the place .. Every Day!

I have no clue if the ceiling ever caved in but it was still in one piece when we left!

[chiluvr1228]

The second plumber also suggested repiping. He's a good old country boy and has done work for my sister for the last 15 years. His price was $3500 and that didn't include the drywall or paint repair. The first plumber, who I know from my former church, wanted $3050 and that included the drywall repair & repainting. Meanwhile, the painters are finishing up this week. Nothing is leaking and I may hold off until next year.

[Coldjensens]

Costs more, but if you use open cell foam sprayed on the underside of the sheeting, you can lay plywood down for the whole attic and have a nice storage area and plenty of access for wiring, ducting etc. Plus it insulates better.

[teqp]

Originally Posted by chiluvr1228

The second plumber also suggested repiping. He's a good old country boy and has done work for my sister for the last 15 years. His price was $3500 and that didn't include the drywall or paint repair. The first plumber, who I know from my former church, wanted $3050 and that included the drywall repair & repainting. Meanwhile, the painters are finishing up this week. Nothing is leaking and I may hold off until next year.

If there are no leaks, why do they want to replace the copper plumbing with PEX pipes? I would love to hear their reasons. If there are no leaks and you are having no issues with your plumbing, then I would tell the plumbers to take a hike. Without knowing their reasons for the suggestion, it sounds like they are trying to take advantage of you. Don't let them.

Good luck.