Calculating blown-in insulation prices: DIY or name a professional? 

Create a extra energy-efficient dwelling with blown-in insulation. It’s a easy, inexpensive choice that retains your house heat through the winter and funky in the summertime. 

Examine the associated fee distinction between putting in blown-in insulation your self and counting on a professional. Price knowledge is courtesy of HomeAdvisor, Dwelling Consolation Insulation, and The Dwelling Depot.

What’s blown-in insulation? 

Blown-in, or loose-fill, is a dense number of insulation. This thick insulation makes your house extra snug. There are three varieties of blown-in insulation:

Fiberglass blown-in insulation is made small spun fibers of glass. The fibers bind collectively to create batts, which seem like cotton sweet. This can be a good insulator for crawl areas, attic flooring, and different areas.

Cellulose blown-in insulation is usually made from recycled materials, like newspaper. The crumbly materials is roofed in a fire-retardant chemical that makes the paper delicate and helps it insulate nicely.

Rock wool, or mineral wool, insulation is constituted of volcanic rock. The rock is melted and spun right into a thick materials much like fiberglass. Mineral wool is basically unaffected by moisture, is of course fireplace retardant, and acts as a pest deterrent.

✅ Professionals of blown-in insulation

• Reduces noise ranges all through your house 
• Traps in warmth, selling decrease utility payments
• Some varieties are fire-repellant, defending your house from structural injury 
• Insulates areas that foam and fiberglass insulation don’t attain

❌ Cons of blown-in insulation

• Difficult DIY mission except you’re skilled with insulation
• Weight of blown-in cellulose may cause ceiling sag
• Materials is troublesome to take away if it will get moist
• Insulation settling can go away some unprotected spots within the partitions

The place is blown-in insulation put in?

Blown-in insulation is put in within the partitions of your house and the attic. Consider putting in blown-in insulation like flossing your gums. Blown-in insulation fills within the gaps between the planks, the place warmth is most probably to flee.

Listed below are just a few spots the place blown-in insulation is put in:

• Inside and exterior wall cavities: the area between the planks that give your partitions help and construction. These planks are generally known as studs.
• Ceiling joist cavities: the area between the horizontal beams that help your ceiling.
• Attic ground: Blown-in insulation on the attic ground can forestall conditioned air from escaping out the highest of your house.

Blown-in insulation doesn’t maintain up nicely in basis or masonry partitions. Inflexible board foam and spray foam are higher choices, as they provide higher moisture management.

Calculate the price of blown-in insulation

The whole price of putting in blown-in insulation will depend on quite a lot of elements. Consider fiberglass, cellulose, and rock wool blown-in insulation as a superb, higher, finest tier. Fiberglass is the least costly, whereas cellulose is middle-of-the-pack, and rock wool is the priciest.

Unfastened-fill fiberglass insulation price

Unfastened-fill fiberglass prices $0.40 to $1.10 per sq. foot, on common. Pricing may differ significantly relying in your area. Labor price for attic insulation ranges from $40 to $70+ per hour.

Cellulose insulation price

Cellulose insulation prices $0.60 to $2.30 per sq. foot, relying on model and high quality. Once more, pricing might differ to your area. Plus, insulation corporations will cost by the hour to maneuver gadgets in your attic to finish the job. It’s a superb money-saving choice to take away something within the attic forward of insulation time.

Rock wool insulation price

Rock wool insulation prices $1.40 to $2.10 per sq. foot, on common. Whereas rock wool is the least used kind, it’s extremely flame-retardant. We suggest it for areas the place fireplace code necessities needs to be adopted, just like the partitions connecting your own home to the storage.

Find out how to calculate blown-in attic insulation price

Attics needs to be crammed with dense insulation. Some states implement a authorized minimal R-value for attic insulation. 

We recommend Googling “[your state or city] attic insulation compliance information” earlier than shopping for any supplies. In case your metropolis or state has no authorized minimal R-value, this free information from EnergyStar.gov lists the instructed R-value to your local weather.  

In case you’re putting in attic insulation your self, first calculate the sq. footage of the attic area that wants insulation.

Divide the sq. footage of your ceiling joist cavities by the sq. footage lined per bag of insulation. Spherical as much as the closest complete quantity. The result’s the variety of luggage of insulation it is advisable to purchase.

Let’s take a look at the estimated price of supplies to pad your attic with fiberglass vs. cellulose blown-in insulation. In case you rent knowledgeable, they may provide the correct quantity of insulation.

Price of fiberglass supplies

Fiberglass prices about $33 per 25-pound bag, on common. The price of supplies to insulate 1,000 sq. toes of attic area varies from $429 to $1,056, relying on the R-value and model of insulation.

Price of cellulose supplies

A 25-pound bag of cellulose insulation prices wherever from $15 to $30. The price of supplies to insulate a 1,000-square foot attic ranges from $641 to $2,256.

Find out how to calculate blown-in wall insulation price

Blown-in wall insulation isn’t as thick or heat-resistant as attic insulation. Often, wall insulation has an R-value between R-13 and R-24.

We suggest hiring a professional for the set up (extra on that under). The professional will resolve what number of luggage of insulation you want.

Price of blown-in wall insulation supplies

Right here’s a breakdown of the estimated price of supplies for 1,000 sq. toes of wall area. Pricing displays nationwide averages and excludes labor prices. 

• Fiberglass: $400 – 1,100
• Cellulose: $600 – 2,300
• Rock wool: $1,400 – 2,100 

Labor prices of blown-in insulation

Hiring knowledgeable to put in the insulation provides labor charges to the entire price. Labor prices vary from $40 to $70 per hour, relying in your location and the time of 12 months.

The charts under present the common labor time and price by R-value. Relying in your attic or wall’s sq. footage, your ultimate labor prices might differ.

Labor price of attic insulation

Putting in blown-in attic insulation is usually a DIY mission. It’s additionally comparatively cheap to rent knowledgeable for a job. Set up takes a half-day to a full day, relying in your sq. footage.

Labor prices common $160 to $560 within the U.S. In comparison with wall insulation, attic insulation is much less invasive and time-consuming to put in.

Labor price of wall insulation

Wall insulation is costlier and time-consuming to put in. Reducing a gap within the wall runs the chance of hitting a pipe or electrical wire, so a talented skilled is your finest guess.

The labor price of putting in blown-in wall insulation averages $800 to $2,100. This vary doesn’t embody the price of supplies and different service charges.

Discovering knowledgeable doesn’t must be a problem. Listed below are our ideas for getting a top quality job completed at an inexpensive worth:

• Get 3-5 quotes from native HVAC contractors earlier than selecting one.
• In case you can, wait till the low season in late fall or early winter. This season is mostly a sluggish time for contractors, providing you with the very best likelihood of low wait occasions and labor prices.
• Finances for about 15% greater than our highest estimate. The HVAC market fluctuates, and costs change typically.

Must you set up blown-in insulation your self?

Putting in blown-in attic insulation is usually a weekend DIY mission for somebody acquainted with the work. In any other case, rent knowledgeable.

We don’t suggest putting in blown-in wall insulation your self. The pipes and electrical wiring behind the drywall are a security hazard for inexperienced drillers. Go together with a licensed and insured skilled. 

Blown-in insulation machine rental price

Dwelling enchancment shops often hire out insulation blowers in 24-hour time slots. Nationally, every day rental prices $100 to $200.

Seasonal reductions and offers can scale back the machine rental price. Some corporations provide free 24-hour blower leases whenever you purchase insulation in bulk.

Set up toolkit

Putting in blown-in attic insulation your self? You’ll want these inexpensive, easy-to-find security supplies.

Take a look at our attic insulation information for extra DIY ideas and tips.