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Guys I have a 1950s 950 sq foot ranch. Is it worth getting blow-in insulation ? I'm concerned that the insulation might just fall into the walls in an uneven manner & not do me any good. Has anyone had experience insulating an older home like mine ? Thanks in advance.
The quick answer is yes.
You do not say weather you want this for the attic or the sidewalls. If blown in properly with uniform density, especially on a ranch, it will be fine.
It would be more helpful if you posted what you have in the Attic now, what you have in the exterior sidewalls now, what type of exterior siding you have, and about where you are...(Florida or Maine??).
In short, it is not too difficult to install blown in Cellulose yourself......your return on investment would usually be very quick.
Basically, what you pay to do this will be returned to you in lower utility bills...then after you have recouped your cost the money keeps going into your pocket for as long as you own your house. A small energy efficient home like yours can be a joy to live in.
Generally adding insulation to the space between the roof and ceilings is THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY to reduce heating and cooling costs. The way that pretty much all homes have been framed includes a "top plate" for all wall cavities -- it is not really possible for insulation in the "attic" to fall down the walls...
If you do have the exterior walls "blown" with insulation the skill of the installers and the specifics of the framing will determine with the insulation even distributed. Many energy audit firms will be able to do "before and after" IR imaging to validate that the insulation ends up where it does the most good...
The "return on investment" for the attic space is FAR QUICKER than that for walls -- some would say that it only makes sense to do the walls after all the other easier efforts at insulation / weather sealing / HVAC efficiency are tackled. I tend to agree...
The best thing you could do is get an energy audit. They will test the energy efficiency of your house and tell you what is the most cost-justified approach to increasing energy efficiency.
I received $950 for my attic insulation project after my audit. I removed (long story) the cellulose and then sealed everything tight. Then blew in R-50 fiberglass. Cost me $1100 after the rebate for 1400 sq feet.
Insulation wont help much if you have infiltration. And its cheaper to hire someone but make sure he doesn't hire crackheads.
Thanks everyone The house is in New Hampshire. I have a small, typical attic space above the ranch house. The house has vinyl siding. From what I gather the side-walls can be difficult, but doing the attic space is the most practical way to go. There is no insulation in the attic space at all right now. Thanks for the info. I'll do the attic now, and think about the side-walls in the future.
Last edited by Brave Stranger; 10-30-2011 at 12:37 PM..
You may want to add ventilation if there isnt. The easiest are gable vents but the best is soffit and ridge. All of the above if you can. A unventilated attic will add A/C load in the summer. Hard on shingles and will create ice damns in the winter. Seal up all wire holes and light fixtures.
When I remodeled a home in New Orleans, we found there was no insulation in the outer walls. In some rooms we were down to the studs anyway, so those were insulated before closing them up. In my bedroom (north side), they cut a strip in the sheetrock about 5-6 ft up along the length of the wall and blew in insulation. My rooms were much more comfortable after that and my energy bills dropped. Oh, and they blew some more in small center attic (house had cathedral celings).
You may want to add ventilation if there isnt. The easiest are gable vents but the best is soffit and ridge. All of the above if you can. A unventilated attic will add A/C load in the summer. Hard on shingles and will create ice damns in the winter. Seal up all wire holes and light fixtures.
Good points There is a vent that I see on one side of the attic space. I'll have to get up there & look around. I'm working with a handyman right now doing various jobs around the house so I can run the vent situation by him before I insulate.
Last edited by Brave Stranger; 10-30-2011 at 02:21 PM..
The best thing you could do is get an energy audit. They will test the energy efficiency of your house and tell you what is the most cost-justified approach to increasing energy efficiency.
Totally agree with this. I have a 1960's home and did the energy audit. It tells you where the leaks and such are. Oh and the best part is that they might be free in your area. We have the NW Energy Trust out here in Oregon that does them for free. See if you have one in your area. Our energy trust also gives rebates. We did blown in insulation in our attic for $300 after our rebates.
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The house is in New Hampshire. I have a small, typical attic space above the ranch house. The house has vinyl siding. From what I gather the side-walls can be difficult, but doing the attic space is the most practical way to go. There is no insulation in the attic space at all right now. Thanks for the info. I'll do the attic now, and think about the side-walls in the future.
