How Much Does Blown In Attic Insulation Cost – Many homes are under-insulated or could use additional insulation to make them more efficient, according to Energy.gov. Lack of insulation leads to higher energy bills and less comfortable living spaces. Although insulation is the easiest to add to a new home, there are ways to add insulation to existing spaces. One of the most common methods is blow-in insulation.
Blow-in insulation uses loose material that can be blown into cavities, such as walls or attics. It is cheaper and more invasive than spray foam insulation and can often reach tighter areas than batt insulation. It comes in various materials and can be added in different thicknesses and densities, resulting in a wide range of costs.
How Much Does Blown In Attic Insulation Cost
The national average cost for adding blown-in insulation to a home is $3,000 to $7,000. Most people pay about $5,000 to fill wall cavities and the attic with cellulose insulation in a 2,000 sq.ft. house with a 2-car garage. This project’s low cost is $900 for just blown-in cellulose in garage walls. The high cost is $9,000 for different types of insulation in the wall cavities, area around the ductwork, attic, garage and crawl space in a 3,000 sq.ft. at home.
Fast Home Insulation Installation In Miami, Fl
The construction industry, like many others, has been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Labor shortages, supply chain problems and a housing boom led to an overall increase in construction costs from 4% to 7%. Insulation in particular has also been affected by supply chain issues and shortages, causing the cost of insulation to rise by 17% over the past year. Blow-in insulation is a popular material for those building new homes and those remodeling to lower energy costs. This means that at the current rate of new construction, you may see further increases in costs and delays as time goes on. So, if you are considering adding insulation to your home, it is recommended that you do so soon to help fix costs before they rise again.
Blown-in insulation is a loose-fill material that is blown into otherwise uninsulated cavities by a machine. Blow-in is one of the many materials that can be used to insulate a house. It comes in three basic types – fiberglass, cellulose and rockwool. Cellulose can be further broken down into two categories – wet spray and dense pack. Wet spray cellulose is the only material you can use when blowing it into your walls. The other materials can be used in attics, crawl spaces, basements, ducts and other difficult to insulate areas.
Inhalation is quite quick and easy to apply. It can be added to existing homes more easily than batt or spray foam. It’s more difficult to use in new construction, but fiberglass, rockwool, and close-packed cellulose work in areas like attics.
This type is attractive because it fills existing cavities and hard-to-reach areas. You can fill the walls in an existing house by drilling small holes in the exterior walls and inserting the insulation. It is much less invasive than other types, making it cheaper and faster. It can be added to many depths, so you can get a range of different insulation values depending on where you apply it.
Blown In Insulation: What You Need To Know
Most blown-in insulation is added to existing homes. The material means it’s easier to blow it into existing spaces, and add it to places bat or spray foam has a hard time reaching. You can use it in some areas of new construction. While the labor cost does not change radically for different installations, the type of material does. Existing walls can only be filled with wet-sprayed cellulose, while other areas use fiberglass, dense-pack cellulose or rockwool – whether in a new home or another area of an existing home. So, your costs vary by installation type because the materials you choose vary more.
The cost of using blown-in insulation in new home construction ranges from $1.65 to $3.80 per square foot. It is not usually used everywhere in a new home. This is because it is faster and easier to insulate with different types to the walls before the walls are closed. The cavity must first be sealed to add blown in to a wall cavity. However, you can add different types of vents to attics, crawl spaces and other areas in new construction. This also means that you are not so limited in options, and you can mix types in different spaces in new construction for the best results.
The cost of adding blown-in insulation to existing walls is $1.75 to $3.30 per square foot. The only type of blow-in that works in existing wall cavities is wet spray cellulose. It is the only type that can be applied to a vertical cavity because the dampened cellulose sticks and fills the cavities evenly. Small holes are drilled on the outside of the walls to add the material. The material is blown in, and the holes are filled. You can match the filled holes with most types of siding color to disguise their appearance.
The cost of blown-in insulation averages $1.65 to $3.80 per square foot. Total cost varies due to how many inches of insulation, material and where it goes. Typically, interior walls can only use about 5 inches of material at a time, but you can use up to 18 inches of material on an attic floor. So, the total cost of an attic floor installation in a new home is greater than the cost of an exterior wall in an existing home.
Cellulose Vs Fiberglass Insulation: Which Is Best?
Three materials create blown-in insulation – fiberglass, rockwool and cellulose. Cellulose can be broken down into two types – wet spray, which is used in vertical applications and exterior walls, and dense pack, which can be used in attics, crawl spaces and other open areas. Each material has costs, pros and cons to consider.
The cost of blown fiberglass ranges from $0.50 to $1.10 per square foot. Fiberglass is made from spun fibers covered with glass. The material creates many air pockets to achieve good insulation. Fiberglass is inexpensive, but is most commonly used in bat form. It can be blown into attic floors, crawl spaces and other semi-open areas. It is naturally flame retardant and does not require additional chemicals. It is not affected by moisture like other materials.
The cost of wet spray blown cellulose is $0.60 to $1.80 per square foot. It is cellulose that can be blown into wall cavities or used in vertical applications. It is slightly damped, adhesive and sits better in vertical applications than other types. Cellulose contains a high concentration of recycled material, making it an attractive green option. The material is treated to resist insects and make it flame retardant, but the chemical treatments can emit VOCs. Cellulose also becomes very heavy if you have a water leak because it absorbs moisture.
The cost of blown stone wool ranges from $1.40 to $2.10 per square foot. Rock wool or mineral wool is made from spun silica. It is tougher and denser than cellulose or fiberglass, is naturally flame retardant and does not need to be treated. It is also more resistant to moisture than cellulose. It has a higher R-value or insulating value per inch than fiberglass, but not as high as cellulose. It is a good material for use in areas such as crawl spaces and some attic floors.
How Much Does Blown In Insulation Cost To Install? (2023)
The cost of dense pack blown cellulose averages $2 to $2.30 per square foot. It is a much thicker and heavier cellulose type than the type in wall cavities. It is not damped before being blown, so it cannot be used in vertical applications. It is made from plant-based materials, including recycled paper, and treated to resist insects and make it flame retardant. It has a better insulation value than other blown-in types. It makes a good choice for attics and attic floors.
All blown insulation is sold in bags. The number of bags needed to complete a job varies depending on the square feet you need to cover and the depth. The deeper, the higher the material’s R-value or insulation factor.
The depths of blown-in insulation vary by area. The number of bags you need also varies by area. Below is the approximate number of bags you will need to cover a 1,000 sq.ft. area at different depths. Several things affect the number of bags needed, from the material to the space’s layout.
R-value measures how well a material resists thermal transfer. The higher the number, the better it works with insulation. Most materials get an R-value at 1 inch of thickness. The thicker the amount of material, the better the overall R-value. Below are the R-values for each type of cellulose when measured at 1 inch in depth.
How Much Does It Cost To Install Blow In Wall Insulation?
The average R-value of fiberglass insulation is 2.5 to 3.5 per inch. Blown fiberglass has a lower R-value than rock wool and cellulose. However, fiberglass has other benefits to consider. It naturally resists insect activity and is flame retardant, meaning it is not treated with other chemicals and counts as a healthy home material. Fiberglass is also one of the cheapest materials. It does not shift as much as heavier materials or become saturated with them
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