Insulation and radiant barrier question

[Dinger]

I'm thinking of redoing/adding insulation in our attic. Last year we had some people do the free door seals and windows seals and they checked the attic and said we were really low for insulation.

I don't recall exact numbers but I think he said we should have something like 12" of R-60 and we only have 3-4 max. And Last summer I could feel a lot of heat coming through the ceilings so I think we need to do it before it gets to hot and gets more expensive. (Probably to late)

I have known a few people who have gotten that radiant barrier stuff and receive free insulation as a promotion but I cant seem to find anything like that.

I guess my questions are..

Does any one on the site do this line of work/know someone who does?

Is the radiant barrier worth it? is it a scam? (Just looks like silver spray paint to me)

Also my house is an older house and just has pipes to exhaust the heat from the attic.. Do those electric vents help?

Any recommendations for companies?

[Tx Redneck]

Garland Insulating is a good company. The best radiant barrier is the double foil coated, perforated, Mylar, but it *can hinder cell service. The spray on types are effective and tend to be less expensive.

You can also purchase some at Lowes that's similar to the windshield sunshades(bubble wrap covered in reflective material) that adds an R-value as well, thus increasing the overall insulation value. Home Depot has it too.

[BMCSean]

More insulation, soffet vents, and ridge cap vents will make a bigger difference. There is no real need to get the electric vents.

[KBScobravert]

We had some people come in a blow in more insulation. The added stuff put us around 22"-26" throughout. Also added about 11 more soffet vents and replaced the small ridge vents with 2 large solar powered units. It is much cooler up there and we use a lot less electricity.

[dcs13]

The blow in stuff is EASY. I did our house a few years back. If you buy the insulation at Home Depot of Lowes the machine rental is free. I got inthe attic, the wife fed the machine, we were done in a couple hours. EASY.
Radiant barrier I want to hear more about. Still not convinced.

[Vertnut]

The "radiant barrier" is a lot more effective if the decking is used on a new build. There are a lot of things (some already mentioned) that are a lot more cost effective. 16"-18" (R45 or so) is one of the most effective. Be sure you have enough Soffet vents (I've noticed a lot of older homes have very few). Have a couple of "whirly birds" added with the soffet vents to create an air flow through the attic.

[ceyko]

The blow in stuff is EASY. I did our house a few years back. If you buy the insulation at Home Depot of Lowes the machine rental is free. I got inthe attic, the wife fed the machine, we were done in a couple hours. EASY.
Radiant barrier I want to hear more about. Still not convinced.

X2, this dude ain't kidding. My Dad and I knocked it out in about 3 hours - including picking up the insulation/blower.

I think it was less than 150 total too. The more time that passes, the less I can remember - it was simple though.

[Chuck_Finley]

Definitely blow in more insulation on your own first. It's cheap to do and will bring the fastest return on your investment.

Does your home have a ridge vent? If not, you can install an electric exhaust fan on the roof. I did this on mine (I have an older home also) but just make sure you have plenty of soffit vents which are clear so that airflow will not be impeded.

[stangin4lyfe]

Going tonight and buying 25 bags of Atticat and renting the blowing machine to blow in early in the morning.
I looked up in our house(which is older) and there is maybe 1" of packed down 40+ yr old insulation.
No wonder our electric bills were outrageous.
Hoping this should really help out!

Whenever we get our roof replaced, I will be added in a ridge vent, couple of whirly birds(house has NONE!), and some soffit vents.

[Vertnut]

Adding 16" or so and venting that attic will make a huge difference. That heat has to go somewhere.

[Baron Von Crowder]

I need to check my house and see if/how many whilybirds we have up there. I may blow some unsulation, its cheap, quick and generally pretty easy.

[stangin4lyfe]

Ended up only blowing about 17 bags in the attic.
Insulated the garage as well.
Made it look like Christmas!

Before:



After:

[fordracing19]

That will definitely make a difference.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

[Vertnut]

What was your total cost? You'll probably make it back in a year.

[mustang1200]

Make sure you didn't end up blocking your soffit vents in the process. You have have considered installing soffit vent chutes.

Edit: Just saw you said you might not have soffit vents. That's crazy. Proper ventilation is critical.