How Much Attic Insulation Should I Have

If your insulation doesn t measure up and you need more installation can be done as a weekend diy project or you can call a professional installer to handle the job.

How much attic insulation should i have.

Existing 3 4 inches of insulation. Where do you live. Measure your attic s square footage. For homes in the boise idaho area the insulation r value climate zone is 5.

Recommended insulation levels for retrofitting existing wood framed buildings. But how much insulation is enough for the attic. See typical tasks and time to insulate an attic along with per unit costs and material requirements. Get fair costs for your specific project requirements.

See professionally prepared estimates for attic insulation work. Fiberglass and cellulose insulation have r values of 2 9 to 3 8 per inch while sprayed foam insulation can go as high as 8 0 per inch. There are two factors to consider when planning to insulate your attic. Your attic should have a certain amount of insulation in it and the recommended level of insulation for your attic is dependent on where you live.

Add the right kind of insulation when adding additional insulation you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic. If you look at the chart above you can see that the attic should achieve an r value between r38 and r60 depending on the current insulation levels. According to the u s. Learn more about insulation r values.

Department of energy it s recommended that attics have an r 38 to r 49 or about 12 to 15 of fiberglass or cellulose insulation. Blown in insulation is the least expensive option and ideal for older attics. The short answer is as much as you can get and a good rule of thumb is to have a r value of 38 in your attic. Spray foam while the most expensive is best for noise reduction and new construction.

For batts or rolls calculate the number based on the width and length of the product you re using. Add insulation to attic. To prevent heat loss the attic space should be well insulated. Twelve inches is often plenty when one or more of these situations is true you re going to need more insulation.

When you can see the joists you definitely need more insulation. It can cost anywhere from 1 700 to 2 100 or between 1 50 and 3 50 per foot to insulate an attic depending on what insulation material you choose. The cost to insulate an attic starts at 1 68 3 25 per square foot but can vary significantly with site conditions and options. However the real answer is a bit more complex.

Each bag lists the required depths for a range of r values and the number of bags needed to cover 1 000 square feet at those depths.