Frequently Asked Questions

The R-value of a material is a measure of its thermal resistance – you can think of it as the “insulating power” of the material. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power!

We recommend a minimum attic insulation R-value of R-49. This is achieved by a minimum final insulation depth of 16.75″ with the material that we typically install when insulating attics (Owens Corning PROPINK L77 Loosefill Fiberglass).

This recommendation is based off of the International Residential Construction Code (IRCC) recommendation for our climate zone here in the Boise area. We’ve found that an R-49 is the best balance of upfront cost and long-term efficiency and comfort for most homeowners we work with (and the building science data backs this up). If you’re planning on living in your home for more than 7-10 years it’s worth considering bringing your attic insulation up to R-60, which is going to yield the best long-term savings in energy efficiency and is a sure way to keep your home comfortable & efficient year-round.

The minimum R-value required by most local building codes in the Boise area is R-38. This lower requirement is due to builders having a heavy influence over which new building codes get adopted each year, and if you know how most builders operate then you know they’re always looking to cut costs wherever possible. While you can usually get by with R-38 attic insulation, it’s likely that your AC & furnace will struggle to keep your home comfortable and your energy bills will be higher than necessary year-round.

R-Value! Insulation depth means nothing without knowing the R-value of the material.

For example, when installed to manufacturer’s specifications blown-in fiberglass insulation produced by CertainTeed requires a minimum installed depth of 18.25 inches to achieve an R-49 while Owens Corning’s blown-in fiberglass only requires a minimum depth of 16.75 inches.

Blown-in fiberglass insulation is a much better choice than cellulose for attic insulation in terms of both upfront cost and long-term performance.

This is a long-standing debate in the insulation industry that takes a lot more than a couple of lines to fully explain, but the short answer is that improvements in the material science of fiberglass insulation production and the deterioration of the source material quality for cellulose insulation (recycled newsprint) means that modern fiberglass insulation is a much better choice than cellulose in the vast majority of cases.

We install blown-in fiberglass and fiberglass batt insulation.

Blown-in insulation is almost always a much better choice than batts when insulating an attic for two main reasons:

1. More Even Coverage – batt insulation leaves gaps around attic framing, pipes, and wires, leading to thermal bridging and resulting in a lower effective R-value than the even, consistent coverage achieved by blown-in insulation
2. Lower Labor Cost To Install – properly installing batt insulation requires a lot of time spent cutting material around framing, wiring, pipes, and vents while blowing in insulation is a much more routine process

In most cases we can complete an attic insulation project in 4-6 hours. The time it takes to insulate an attic ultimately depends on the size and complexity of the space, but you can typically expect us to be working in your home for about half a day.

If your home was built in the 70s or later, your exterior walls are almost certainly insulated. Whether or not your interior walls are insulated is entirely up to the discretion of your builder – most good builders will insulate bathroom and bedroom walls for soundproofing.

Garage walls are rarely insulated, even in brand new homes. (If building code doesn’t require something a builder probably isn’t going to spend the money to do it, even if it would be useful).

The only way to be 100% sure if a wall in your home is insulated is to check for yourself. The easiest & least destructive way to do this is to drill a small hole (3/8″ is usually a good size) in the wall you’d like to check. While drilling your “check hole”, push the drill bit all the way into the wall (aim to go about 2″ deep) and keep the drill running as you pull it out. If the wall is insulated, this should make the drill bit grab a bit of insulation on its way out so you can see what’s in there without trying to peek through that tiny hole.

In most cases we can complete a wall insulation project in 4-6 hours, but this ultimately depends on how many walls we’re insulating and the complexity of the wall’s framing (more complex framing requires more insulation fill holes to be cut and patched).

We can insulate walls with 2×4 framing to R-15 and walls with 2×6 framing to R-21 – the same R-Values that can be reached when installing batt insulation into walls during the initial construction process.

When there’s already insulation in a wall, there’s nothing that we can do to add more. In this case you have two main options:

• Option 1: Injection spray foam
  • – Pro: In theory, injection spray foam can work its way past the existing insulation in your walls then push it out of the way as it expands.
  • – Con: We’ve heard mixed results from people who have had this done, and it is quite expensive.

• Option 2: Remove the drywall and start from scratch
  • – Pro: You can insulate your wall perfectly (how your builder should have done it in the first place).
  • – Con: You’ll have to tear-down the drywall on every wall you want to re-insulate, then install new drywall and re-finish the wall when you’re done.

We install blown-in fiberglass insulation into existing walls (ones that have already been drywalled and finished) and can install either blown-in fiberglass or fiberglass batt insulation into open walls that have not yet had drywall installed.

Blown-in fiberglass insulation is a much better choice than cellulose for attic insulation in terms of both upfront cost and long-term performance.

Cellulose insulation settles up to 20% over time, leaving the top of your walls with a major gap in their insulation after a few years. Modern fiberglass insulation doesn’t settle at all, so your walls will stay just as efficient years down the road as they were the day they were first insulated.

The R-value of a material is a measure of its thermal resistance – you can think of it as the “insulating power” of the material. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power!

Most people don’t need to have their old insulation removed and when upgrading your attic insulation we can simply add more on top of what is already there, but there are a few situations where insulation removal is the best option for your home.

Recovering From Water Damage or Mold in the Attic or Crawlspace:

– Removing your old moldy or water-damaged insulation after a roof leak, burst pipe, or other moisture issue is the only way to prevent recurring mold issues in your attic or crawlspace in the long-term

Maximizing Energy Efficiency in a Home Built Before 2006:

Removing the old insulation in your attic or crawlspace gives us access to your attic floor or subfloor, where we can air-seal all of the gaps in your home’s wall top plates and electrical, plumbing, & duct penetrations. According to the Department of Energy, properly air sealing these places can save you 10-20% or more on your annual energy bills while reducing drafts in your home. See the DOE Air Sealing Report Here.

Improving Indoor Air Quality in a Dusty or Musky Home:

The same air-sealing process that improves the efficiency of your home also improves your indoor air quality by stopping air from passing through these gaps and into your home, carrying the decades of dust, dirt, and funky smells that have built up in your old insulation

From the way we set up to the equipment we use, we do everything possible to keep your home clean during every insulation removal project. All insulation is fully contained as it travels from your attic or crawlspace to our disposal trailer, so you can rest assured that your home will stay clean throughout the process.

In most cases we can complete an attic or crawlspace insulation removal project in one day. The time it takes ultimately depends on the size and complexity of the space, but you can typically expect us to be working in your home for a full day.

Yes, you’re completely safe being in your home while we’re removing your old insulation. The only interruption to your day will be the path from your crawlspace or attic access being covered with canvas to protect your floors while we make trips back and forth to our trailer throughout the day, leaving your front or garage door propped open, and the sound of our removal vacuum outside if we’re removing your old attic insulation.

No, we do not remove asbestos/vermiculite insulation – for our safety and yours.

If you have asbestos insulation in your attic, we recommend contacting a company that specializes in asbestos abatement – they have highly specialized equipment to ensure that the asbestos dust is completely contained throughout the process.

A crawlspace vapor barrier prevents moisture in the ground from evaporating up into your crawlspace. Moisture in your crawlspace can lead to mold growth, damaging your home’s air quality and eventually causing structural damage to your home.

Your crawlspace vapor barrier should be made of 6mil (or thicker) black polyethylene sheeting.

All seams of the vapor barrier should be sealed with a polyethylene tape specifically designed for use in crawlspace vapor barriers. Here’s a link to Blue Summit Supplies Vapor Barrier Tape, the tape we use on every install.

If your vapor barrier completely covers your crawlspace floor, all of its seams are taped, and is free of any splits or tears, you can rest assured that it’s doing its job. If not, it’s likely letting ground moisture evaporate up into your crawlspace.

Our install time for a crawlspace vapor barrier varies based on the size of your home and complexity of your crawlspace, but we can usually install a crawlspace vapor barrier in one day of work or less, typically ranging from 4-8 hours.