What to Do Before Adding Insulation to Attic? 6 Tips To Consider

Before you start adding new insulation, take a close look at the attic floor and you’ll likely see many holes where wires, pipes, hoses, vents and other mechanical components poke up into the attic. The small gaps around these penetrations allow warm air to seep into the attic.

There are seasons of the year when the weather conditions are really harsh, and you need to make some home improvements like attic insulation to make sure that you maintain the ambient temperature in your home.

Whether you need to re-insulate your attic or install attic insulation for new construction, we will help you learn the basics of attic insulation to make your project a success. Otherwise, you can also learn what we do best for attic insulation in New Orleans.

Before You Insulate…

If you are a homeowner who has decided that attic insulation is the best way to go, take note of these things to know before you begin your attic insulation project:

1. Problem Areas in Your Attic

A careful assessment of the general condition of your attic will help you be able to set a specific plan on the best way to carry out your attic insulation.

Look for signs of water damage and determine the possible root cause.

All problem areas in your attic should be dealt with and fixed before you install any insulation. When you aren’t able to fix areas with water damage, your attic will be filled with mold in the near future even when it is insulated.

The beams and other structures holding up your attic can also weaken when water can seep through your attic ceiling and walls. Make sure that the rafters and beams can hold the weight of the new attic insulation that will be installed.

2. Seal All Gaps

Gaps can cause serious problems in your attic if they are not thoroughly filled.

Any area that will cause a transfer of air means that you can lose heat even when your attic is insulated.

Ask for a professional attic insulation contractor to help you locate gaps in your attic that need to be filled before beginning the insulation process.

Learn more about Star Spray Foam’s attic insulation by giving us a call at (504) 291-8445

3. Know the Costs

The cost of attic insulation can range from $1700 to $2100 depending on the following factors:

• Type and material of your insulation. Check out the best types of insulation for home.
• Square footage of your attic
• Contractor or insulation installer’s fee

You may also spend on additional labor costs for an electrician if the insulation needs to be installed around electrical boxes or cables.

Knowing the initial costs of attic insulation will help you better prepare for what to expect to spend.

4. Choose the Insulation Type and Material Best Suited For Your Attic

The insulation type and material that is best for your attic can either be loose-fill or batt for uninsulated attics or if they will be installed over existing insulation material.

Loose-fill attic insulation materials that we install include:

• Fiberglass
• Cellulose
• Mineral Wool

This type of attic insulation is what we install best for:

• Attics with irregular or nonstandard joist spacing
• Attics with many obstructions and penetrations to workaround
• Attics with existing insulation that need to be covered because the gaps and joints are filled well
• Low-clearance attics with limited headroom for maneuvering during installation

The materials we install as batts for attic insulation include:

• Fiberglass
• Cellulose
• Mineral wool
• Cotton

We install the batt materials for:

• Attics with standard joint spacing, especially those with no insulation
• Attics with few obstructions or penetrations to workaround
• Attics with sufficient headroom for maneuvering and installation

Our spray foam insulation technique follows the standards in the industry and we use high-quality spray foam material that will act as both insulation and an air barrier.

Our spray foam material provides the best sealing for gaps and cavities in your attic that will prevent the loss of heat and the penetration of cold air.

5. Know Your Target Insulation Level

It is important that you determine your target insulation level. We are attic insulation experts who can specifically help you with this step. We will make sure that the insulation we install in your attic is the standard for the climate of your location.

We always check the U.S. Department of Energy values for the recommended R-value for your location. Our technicians will install the right attic insulation material that provides the target R-value or the insulation’s thermal performance.

6. Other Key Prep Steps Before You Insulate

We have followed the best process in attic insulation over the years which has provided optimum insulation for many of our clients.

This is because we don’t skip steps in the process. We make sure that your insulation will provide you with what you expect.

Other key prep steps that we carry out before any attic insulation include:

• Fixing roof leaks
• Keeping at least a 3-5 inch gap between insulating materials and light fixtures to prevent them from touching the insulating material
• Ensuring that humin air doesn’t get trapped inside your attic by directing all vents to the outside

Insulating Your Attic

Ecostar can help you get the optimum benefits of an insulated attic with the best insulation techniques and services in the industry.

After carefully assessing your home and the condition of your attic, we will help you understand and determine the right type of insulation material for your attic.

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