Is R49 worth the added expense (hardwood floors, how much, heating, paint)

[SmartMoney]

I live in a TH built in the late 70's. Wide hallways and staircases, the original hardwood floors, cinderblock and brick. Solid home, not so solid insulation. Moved in 3 years ago and became the home for a colony of bats. Endangered little critters. We had to trap and block their re-entry, I wanted them gone, dead or alive didn't matter, to me, but the law saw differently. Relocation, it was. ALL of the insulation must be removed and replaced. Removing is a hazmat ordeal, like lead paint.

After we priced everything out, with the contractor taking care of the bats and insulation removal, my son priced out how much it would run him to rent the equipment and blow the insulation for me. Having it professionally done only cost me about $450 more. (No way was I going to have him remove it). So, after weighing savings vs family inconvenience and ensuring peace was far more important. Had it been twice that, I may have taken him up on his offer.

Sorry, but the back story is important. The price difference for them to blow in R49 vs R 38 is $290 (727 sq ft I believe). Looks like $0.40 per sq ft. (Had to put the 0 in there it looked like $40). I live in Northern VA, just outside of DC). Serious seasonal swings are hit or miss, but we do see extremes. It seemed reasonable.

So I hop on the web, expecting to pat myself on the back, but am rather surprised to read it's not that great of a benefit."The Declining Benefit of increasing R Value" or another thread for Texas, similar question (30 vs 38 in Texas) and the opinion of the expert, "overkill.".

Any thoughts on this? Am I nuts for bumping it up?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by SmartMoney

I live in a TH built in the late 70's. Wide hallways and staircases, the original hardwood floors, cinderblock and brick. Solid home, not so solid insulation.
Any thoughts on this? Am I nuts for bumping it up?

You need to start with some objective measurements.

Call the power company for a survey (with FLIR)
and find someone with a door fan blower test too. Linky <-- Hit it

KNOW where your heat loss is and where it's bad.
THEN do something about it.

[davebarnes]

Wait a minute.
You own a house.
And, you are obsessing over $290?

[K'ledgeBldr]

Zone 4 (Va) is R-38 to R-60 for attic insulation.

But, there are circumstances that will restrict the amount and/or any benefit. As previously mentioned, stopping air infiltration can have a greater benefit than just "more insulation".

[SmartMoney]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Wait a minute.
You own a house.
And, you are obsessing over $290?

Lol, no, not obsessing. If you would have read my post I opted for a contractor instead of a DIY for $500 savings. My point was I was taken aback by the number of articles on the web about higher R Value may not be much benefit. That was what I was seeking feedback on, but thanks for playing.

[btuhack]

The bump only relieves the equipment of about 100 btus per hour during extremes (about 100 extreme hours per year for heating and less for cooling). Smart money says there's better investments.