Are things feeling a little drafty upstairs? If you’re a homeowner dealing with high energy bills and less than comfortable indoor climates, the answer to your problems may be just above your head. Before investing in high tech services and expensive ventilation systems, it’s essential that you properly seal your attic. Which can easily be done by contacting local insulation contractors.

From finding leaks to choosing materials, these tips will help you find the solutions for all your attic sealing needs. It’s time to cut your heating and cooling costs and finally put an end to your attic issues. Read on to discover how.

Tip #1 Have the Right Tools

Before delving into leaks and gaps, take note of what you’ll need to do the job.

For DIY air sealing, you’ll need the following tools:

• Caulk and caulking gun
• Hammer
• Screwdrivers
• Multitool
• Utility knife
• Coverall Suits
• Gloves
• Headlamp
• Respirator mask
• Expanding Foam

You may also need expanding foam, insulation, garbage bags, and other sealants and adhesives. Your materials depend on your leak situation.

Remember to take safety precautions when engaging in any major home project. When air sealing attic spaces, dust masks, gloves, and eye protection are essential. Stay safe.

This can be an intensive and time- consuming project, so make sure you have the bandwidth to take it on. Ultimately, it may be worthwhile to seek a professional solution. The cost to air seal attic spaces can range from the high hundreds to the low thousands depending on what’s required. 

Tip #2 Know How To Find Your Leaks

The signs of a leaky attic are hard to miss. If you’re dealing with any of the following issues, it’s likely a sign of improper attic air sealing:

• Noticeable air drafts 
• Inconsistent temperatures between rooms
• Heavy dust particles
• Increasing energy bills

While you may know you have a problem, finding the source of your attic leaks is another issue. 

Attic leaks can come from anywhere in your attic, and we’ll take you through the process of sealing each specific area, but before you can seal, you need to discover your leaks.

There are several ways to find air leaks, including:

• Visual inspections – Conduct a thorough visual search of your attic space for potential leaks. Pay close attention to your vent stacks, ductwork, attic hatch, and joists, and note where you see gaps. Additionally, trace the envelope perimeter around your attic for any spaces in the structure.
• Paper test – For doors and windows, this test can determine if additional sealing is required. Open your doors and windows, place a piece of paper below, then close. Now, try to pull the piece of paper out. If it tears, you have a tight seal, but if the paper slides out easily, you’ve found a potential source for air leakage.
• Smoke test – Before conducting a smoke test, it’s essential to turn off your fans and combustible appliances, shut your doors and windows, and wait for a breezy day. After doing so, light an incense stick and move around through your attic. You’ll know you have a leak if the smoke is blown or sucked outside.
• Light test – This test requires two people. Shine a flashlight from the interior of the attic outside and have your partner look for spots where it shines through. Additionally, you can stand in your unlit attic and look for areas on the floor where light is visible.

Tip #3 Seal Major Holes and Gaps Before the Small Ones

After assessing where your leaks are, it’s best to tackle the biggest issues first. It’s no surprise that larger holes have the propensity for letting hot air and cold air in (or out) and drastically affect your home efficiency. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to cool an attic, sealing major holes is an efficient way to keep cool air in your attic and regulate through your entire home.

Here’s where large gaps are often found:

• At the intersection of walls and floor
• In dropped ceiling areas
• Under knee walls

Frequently, homeowners benefit from stuffing open stud cavities with attic insulation. This can be done in several ways, including:

• Stuffing bags – You can cut standard fiberglass insulation into smaller pieces (each roughly 16 inches) and place them into contractor-sized trash bags.¹ These stuffing bags are ideal for squeezing snuggling into the large cavities of your attic, leaving little space for air or moisture to enter.
• Reflective foil insulation – Cover the opened frame area above your dropped ceiling with reflective insulation or a rigid foam board. Cut your material to fit snugly over the frame and use caulk, staples, or nails to connect the piece above the soffit.

Keep an eye out for dirty-looking insulation on your attic floor. Insulation can act as a kind of filter and as air and dust particles move through, some become trapped within the attic insulation. The overall purpose of insulation is to lower your heating and cooling costs, so if you’re seeing signs of dirty insulation, it may be time for a replacement. 

Tip #4 Seal Furnace Flues

The space around your chimney, furnace, or water heater flue is a point of leakage for many households, but flue sealing is more complicated than just filling holes. That’s because most building codes require at least 1 inch of clearance between metal flues and any combustible materials.¹

This can put you in a tricky situation for properly sealing your attic. Fortunately, there is a way to seal up your flue.

• Aluminum flashing – Construct an exterior shield around your flue creates a tight seal. Surround the base of the flue with custom-cut aluminum flashing, and seal the gaps where the flue and flashing meet with specialized heat-resistant caulk.¹
• Aluminum dam – After constructing the flashing, craft an aluminum dam to wrap around the flue itself. The dam will allow you to add further insulation around your flue without any insulation coming in contact with the flue. It’s a safe and effective way to strengthen your air seal.

Tip #5 Seal Areas Around Doors and Windows

Feeling a draft out of your attic window? The process of sealing attic air leaks coming from doors and windows is much different than other aspects of attic sealing. After all, you’ll still need to be able to access and open these fixtures.

Seal door and window air leakage with the following methods:

• Wood, caulk, foam – There are a variety of materials used to properly seal windows, and the choice often comes down to the severity of the air leak and the age of the windows themselves. You may choose to use caulk or foam around the interior frame of the windows or opt to remove and replace wood panels that have been damaged.
• Weatherstrip  – Apply adhesive foam weatherstrip tape around the perimeter of your attic hatch doors. This should tighten the seal while the door is shut. Additionally, consider attaching fasteners to help pull the door tightly against the weather stripping for an improved effect.²

Be careful of lead dust when dealing with older painted windows. A tight seal around your doors and windows is great, but nothing’s more valuable than your health. Take precautions and talk to an expert if you’re unsure of the potential risks.

Tip #6 Seal Ducts 

You’re on double duty with duct sealing. Both the holes where your ducts enter your attic and the ducts themselves should be sealed. Feel along the edges of the duct while your HVAC system is on to determine whether your ducts are leaking.

If you notice unwanted airflow, try these tips for sealing your ducts:

• Mastic foil tape – Wrap specialized duct sealant around the leaking area and ensure a tight seal. While you may be inclined to pick up a normal roll of duct tape, it won’t hold up, and soon you’ll be dealing with the same problem all over again.
• Insulation on top – After sealing your ducts, professionals recommend properly insulating them as well. Not only will the insulation assist with your overall energy efficiency, but high-quality foam spray can protect your ducts against possible attic air leaks for years to come.

Duct sealing can be difficult. Stepping over studs, searching for leaks, and diligently wrapping with duct sealant can be an exhaustive process, but all that work is worth it when you receive a significantly smaller utility bill.

Tip #7 Save Small Holes for Last

Before completing your air sealing project, double-check for smaller holes you have yet to plug. Expanding foam and caulk are your best options for a quick fix to your smaller attic gaps.

Pay special attention to areas like:

• Attic bypasses – Beneath your insulation, the attic electrical bypasses may transfer airflow from your living area to the attic. Lift your insulation and seal the bypass areas with a caulk to plug up any holes.
• Plumbing pipes – Don’t mistake these pipes for ventilation ducts or your flue. Plumbing pipes are typically made from PVC and don’t need specialized insulation, simply spray expanding foam or caulk into the gaps surrounding the pipe’s entrance and call it a day

Attic Construction: For All Your Attic Sealing Needs

Leaks aren’t easy, and plugging holes to control your hot air and cold air efficiency isn’t as simple as it sounds. Scrounging through the attic with a headlamp and a handful of insulation could lead to a tighter seal, but it could also be an ineffective, drawn-out process if you don’t have the time or resources. If you’d prefer to take the professional route and ensure a job well done, Attic Construction is your solution. 

For us, it’s not just about sealing but protecting your attic for the long haul. We offer services like pest-proofing, insulating, and attic cleaning in Orange County, San Diego, or Phoenix. All of our work comes with a 1-year warranty, and we take pictures of your attic to show you exactly where the project starts and where it ends. At Attic Construction, we’re interested in transparency, efficiency, and sustainability. If you’re ready to seal, contact us today.

Sources: 

1. Energy Star. A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Sealing and Insulating With Energy Star. https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/DIY_Guide_May_2008.pdf 
2. Energy Star. Sealing Behind Window & Door Trim Project. https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/sealing_window_door 
3. Energy Star. What to Look For: DIY Checks and Inspections. https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/identify_problems_you_want_fix/diy_checks_inspections 

You likely inspected every corner of every room before you purchased your dream home, ensuring the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms were all up to snuff. But, did you take a peek into your attic before signing on the dotted line? 

If you’re experiencing high energy bills, temperature fluctuations, cold or hot walls, cold or hot spots in some rooms, and little to no sound dampening from room to room, patchwork insulation could be the culprit. 

In this article, we’ll explore each of these signs to help you determine whether you could be living in an under-insulated house and if you should start thinking about removing attic insulation and installing new insulation. 

#1 You Have a High Energy Bill

If you have a higher energy bill than others in your neighborhood, your house might not have adequate home insulation. 

Wall insulation’s key role—preventing heat transfer between the interior and exterior of your home to maintain conditioned air temperatures—is a significant determining factor for energy costs and yields energy efficiency.¹ When your insulation material isn’t keeping cold air inside in the summer or preventing heat loss in the winter, your HVAC system must work even harder to maintain your home’s climate. 

If your energy bill is through the roof, it’s time to look up—poor insulation could be to blame. 

#2 You Have a Hard Time Maintaining Your Home’s Temperature

As discussed in the above section, poor insulation makes it even harder for your HVAC system to maintain your desired temperature. 

Why do temperatures fluctuate? Under-insulation creates an endlessly repeating cycle:

1. Your HVAC system conditions air, warming or cooling your space.
2. That conditioned air escapes via air leak conduction.
3. Your HVAC system turns back on to compensate. 

In an under insulated house, air conditioning can more easily transfer warm air or cold air through walls, floors, and ceilings and into the attic, preventing your HVAC system from maintaining a consistent temperature. 

Another sign that you’re suffering from temperature fluctuations or under insulation is your HVAC system turning off and back on more than usual to compensate for the air leakage and heat transfer. 

#3 Your Walls, Floors, and Ceiling Are Hot/Cold

Most homes feature insulation in the following areas:²

• The walls, sandwiched between layers of drywall, plaster, bricks, or tile
• The floors, including between stories
• The attic floor

Insulation prevents heat transfer, but air conditioning will still try to conduct air through these surfaces. As a result, your walls should normally be slightly cold when you’re running the air conditioner or slightly warm when the heater is running. 

But, if your walls, floors, or ceiling are warm in the summer and cold in the winter, the house insulation could be patchy or failing in these areas which may call for some summer or winter attic maintenance. Not only could this result in conditioned air loss, but it could also make a room feel hotter in the summer and colder in the winter, especially when you’re using furniture placed against the wall. 

If you’ve noticed hot or cold walls, your home may be under-insulated. 

#4 Your Home Has Hot/Cold Spots

Insulation is only effective when installers achieve complete, continuous coverage of a surface area. But even if your insulation was installed well, insulation products degrade over time, and they’re susceptible to water and pest damage just like every material in your home. 

As insulation degrades and coverage decreases, you might notice that some rooms or small areas are colder in the winter and warmer in the summer than the rest of your home. Patchy, degraded insulation could be causing these hot/cold spots, where conditioned air is condensing through your wall or ceiling materials. 

When you replace your insulation, your hot and cold spots will disappear thanks to thorough coverage and improved materials. 

#5 Your Home is Unusually Loud

While foam insulation primarily supports temperature control in your home, it also has a secondary purpose—dampening sounds. 

Rigid foam insulation’s sound-dampening properties make sense. The foam board adds a more dense material to the insides of your walls, preventing sound from escaping or transferring into another room. 

When a home has proper insulation, sounds coming from other rooms should be: 

• Muffled
• Quiet
• Unintelligible

If you find that you can hear every word spoken, every cup placed on a counter, and every toilet flush, you might be living in an under-insulated house. 

So, adding new insulation to your home doesn’t just benefit your HVAC system and energy bill—it will also increase your privacy from room to room and create an overall quieter home. 

Attic Construction: Solving Insulation Problems Since 2011

If your home is under-insulated, your energy bill, climate control, and indoor air quality could all suffer the consequences. Patchy, old, or damaged insulation won’t effectively prevent heat and sound transfer, a problem that can only be solved by replacing your insulation. 

If you’re looking for a professional, expert team to help you diagnose your current insulation issues, recommend material and service solutions, and complete repairs and replacements efficiently, Attic Construction can help with attic insulation in San Diego, Orange County, and Phoenix. 

We’ve been helping families achieve high-quality climate control for over a decade, and our attic solutions will help you keep your home comfortable and safe. If you’re looking for more information about under insulation and potential solutions, drop Attic Construction a line today. 

Sources: 

1. Energy Star. Why Seal and Insulate? https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/why_seal_and_insulate 
2. North American Insulation Manufacturers Association. Insulation installation: Where to Insulate in Your Home. https://insulationinstitute.org/im-a-homeowner/about-insulation/where-to-insulate/ 

Have you noticed a recent increase in your energy bill or changes in your home’s climate? If you’re spending more on electricity, or if you’re having trouble maintaining a consistent temperature throughout your home causing you to conduct more summer or winter attic maintenance than normal, it might be time to take a long-overdue peek into your attic. 

If the insulation coating the floor of your attic is very flat, brittle, or smelly, that indicates old insulation, and it’s time for a replacement. But, how easy is removing attic insulation? 

In this article, we’ll explore every step and tool you’ll need to complete a successful old attic insulation removal and clean up. But, the process of fixing an under insulated house can be intimidating—and, in some cases, even dangerous. If your attic is off-limits for DIY projects, we’ll also provide the steps you’ll need to hire a qualified professional for insulation removal service. 

DIY Attic Insulation Removal

Removing attic insulation is a labor-intensive, multi-step process that’s usually reserved for professionals. If you plan on braving the project alone, make sure to set aside ample time,  prepare to invest in quality tools, and follow our step-by-step guide. 

Step 1: Determine Your Insulation Type

Before you dive headlong into a DIY attic insulation removal project, you’ll need to determine what kind of insulation is in your attic. There are three major home insulation types, and they’re usually easily identifiable:

• Blanket insulation, also called batt or roll insulation, will be dispersed around your attic in one layer. It’s usually affixed with paper or foil backing (which you may have to lift up from the attic floor to see, depending on the product used), and is most commonly made of fiberglass—a fluffy substance that’s usually pink. If you try to pick up a piece of insulation in your attic, and the product comes up off the floor in large, long sheets placed between the joists, you have blanket insulation.
• Loose-fill insulation, or blown-in insulation, can be made from a variety of materials, but you’re most likely to encounter fiberglass, cellulose, or mineral wool. When professionals install loose-fill, they use professional-grade blowing equipment to ensure even, thorough coverage of your attic floor. If you try to pick it up, and you can only pull away small clumps of fiber at a time, you have loose-fill insulation. 
• Spray foam insulation is a relatively new technology that you’re unlikely to encounter in older homes with aging insulation. It’s most commonly used in new construction and extensive renovations, and you won’t be able to pick it up or pull it away from your attic floor. It’s made from a specialized combination of foam and expanding chemicals that adhere to your attic floor, and insulation professionals use specialized equipment for this type of insulation installation.

As these descriptions might indicate, not all insulation material and products are created equal—including their difficulty to remove. 

For DIYers, batt insulation will be the easiest to remove, since it doesn’t require specialized insulation installation or removal equipment. Loose-fill insulation will be more difficult and labor-intensive to remove, and you might need to use more specialized equipment—like a shop vac—to remove it. Spray foam insulation should only be removed by professionals with access to commercial-grade equipment and safety gear. 

Step 2: Gather Materials

Once you’ve determined your insulation type, it’s time to gather the materials you’ll need for removing your attic insulation. These include: 

• Safety gear, including
  • Nitrile, latex, or thick cloth gloves
  • Eye protection, like eyeglasses or lab goggles
  • A facemask rated N95 or higher
• Bags for proper disposal, which you can request from your local waste facility
• Disposable putty knives
• A portable attic fan
• A broom
• Headlamps
• Slipcovers for your shoes
• Clothing with full skin coverage or disposable coveralls
• A shop vac or similar high-powered, wet/dry vacuum
• Pest prevention implements, like
  • Rat poison
  • Rodent and insect traps
  • Roach, ant, and wasp-killing spray

Each item on this list is crucial to successful insulation removal, and you shouldn’t start the process until you secure them all. 

Step 3: Prepare Your Attic—And Your Home

You’ll need to clear your attic of stored items, valuables, and obstructions before you begin removing insulation. 

Clear a space in your home where you can temporarily house anything that you usually store in the attic. While you have everything downstairs, it might be a convenient time to organize these items to lighten your load, decrease the time you’ll spend reloading the items into the attic, and identify any signs of potential pest infestation. 

Once your attic is empty, clear a path from the attic to the front door to prevent trips and falls and create as expeditious a route to the outside as possible. As you complete the removal, you’ll want to frequently relocate your insulation bags to the outdoors to prevent odors and dust buildup inside. 

Step 4: Remove Your Insulation

After donning your safety gear, your foot slipcovers, your coveralls, and your headlamp, it’s time to haul the rest of your supplies to the attic and climb up the ladder. There are three general steps for completing a successful old insulation removal:

1. Gather up the largest, easiest-to-remove pieces first.
2. Scrape tough areas with putty knives to completely free all insulation from the floor.
3. Spot-check, sweep, and vacuum up any additional dust or debris.

While removing the existing insulation, keep the following in mind:

• Begin running the fan before you start to increase airflow and prevent dust inhalation.
• If your gloves tear, replace them—insulation can irritate your skin.
• Watch your head to prevent bumps and other injuries.
• Safely climb up and down the ladder—fall injuries are very common in construction.
• Maintain situational awareness by using your headlamp and working without music.
• Don’t overfill your disposal bags to make them easier to transport outside.

Step 5: Eradicate and Prevent Pests

Unfortunately, insulation is a prime habitat for pests resulting in contaminated insulation. You’re likely to find at least minimal evidence of pest infiltration, so keep your pest control tools at the ready throughout the insulation removal process. 

After you complete the removal, implement pest control safeguards to prevent future infestations. Seal up potential and existing entry points, clean up pest droppings and debris, and leave traps and poison unattended for a few days to round up any straggling unwelcome visitors. 

If you’re squeamish about insects and rodents, DIY attic insulation removal isn’t for you. Instead, bring in insulation service reinforcements. 

Step 6: Prepare for New Insulation

In addition to pest control, you’ll need to complete a few other steps before replacing the insulation in your attic:

• Sweep, dust, and wipe all surfaces in your attic.
• Replace any blown-out light bulbs and complete any necessary HVAC, structural, or electrical repairs while you have access to the attic floor.
• Make an even larger path to move installation materials and equipment up to the attic—the more space, the better.

The type of insulation you want to install will determine whether or not you can complete the process yourself. While batts require careful, precise measurements to ensure full coverage, they’re the only insulation type that doesn’t require specialized equipment to install. 

Seeking Professional Help for Attic Insulation Removal

If a DIY attic insulation removal project isn’t in your wheelhouse, hiring an attic insulation professional will ensure that the project is completed swiftly, safely, and correctly. To find a professional, follow these steps.

Step 1: Gather Estimates

Requesting estimates is a typical step in the process of searching for construction-related professionals. For attic work, most companies will require an in-person consultation before issuing a price estimate, so prepare to host a few house calls in your search for the right team.

Most experts recommend seeking at least three estimates. Gathering a variety of quotes can help you compare:

• Prices
• Customer reviews
• Estimated project timelines
• Companies’ levels of professionalism

Cost is only one element of the quote collection process. The best possible company for your project is one that has a good reputation in the industry, suggests a reasonable timetable, and displays trustworthiness and professionalism. 

Step 2: Prepare for Removal

After you choose an attic professional and sign a contract, it’s time to prepare your attic for insulation removal. Luckily, preparing your attic for professional work is much less labor-intensive than prepping for a DIY removal. Simply make sure to:

• Create a clear, wide path from the attic to the nearest exit door
• Move items stored in your attic to a temporary location
• Ensure that your attic ladder is in safe, operable condition
• Create a plan for keeping your kids and pets out of the way

After following this minimal prep work, you can sit back and relax while a team of qualified professionals transforms your attic. 

Step 3: Clean Up and Enjoy!

While your professional attic insulation removal team should clean up most of the project-related debris, you’ll still have some light attic clean up to do after they complete the removal. 

There’s no way around it—construction is a dusty process. But, with a quick sweep, dust, and surface wipe, your home should be back to normal in no time. 

After cleanup, make a plan for replacing your attic insulation if you haven’t already. Whether you choose to DIY or consult with a professional, the project isn’t really complete until your home is properly insulated. 

Attic Construction: Providing Professional Attic Services for Over a Decade

Removing attic insulation isn’t a DIY project for the faint of heart. But, whether you decide to take on the labor-intensive, dirty process yourself or rely upon the expertise of attic professionals, you’ll be one step closer to an orderly, well-insulated attic space. 

If you’re seeking attic professionals who value safety, timeliness, and excellent value, look no further than Attic Construction. We’ve been providing attic cleaning, rodent-proofing, insulation removal services, and so much more since 2011, and our team’s professionalism and quality of work are second to none. 

Instead of strapping on coveralls and preparing for a dusty DIY project, call Attic Construction for a free consultation. 

Sources: 

1. US Department of Energy. Types of Insulation. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/types-insulation 
2. Insulation Contractors Association of America. Best Practices. https://www.insulate.org/bestpractices.pdf 
3. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fatal and non-fatal falls, slips, and trips in the construction industry. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/fatal-and-nonfatal-falls-slips-and-trips-in-the-construction-industry.htm 
4. Texas Association of Builders. Consumer Information. https://www.texasbuilders.org/about-us/consumer-information.html 

Your winter preparations list is probably already long, which can make adding yet another item to the docket seem daunting. However, winter attic maintenance is crucial to maintaining a comfortable home climate, preventing damage, and ensuring your indoor air quality. 

How do you maintain your attic in the winter? 

In this article, we’ll explore five key ways to keep up with your attic’s health and structural integrity this winter. If your considering a professional for maintenance or attic insulation in San Diego, Orange County, or Phoenix, the investment will be well worth it. 

#1 Prepare Before Winter Weather Hits

Before winter approaches, make sure your attic is adequately prepared for snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. Preparation is key to success. You can take the following steps to make winter attic maintenance even easier:

• Inspect your insulation and repair any damage you observe in your attic space
• Check your pest control methods for signs of unwelcome visitors
• Seal up any wall or roof leaks to prevent cold air infiltration
• Clean up and ensure that you can safely access the attic in an emergency
• Stock up on maintenance items like pest control, sealant, and cleaning supplies

You’ll be much more equipped to maintain your attic throughout the entire winter season if you’re well-prepared before the first snowflakes fall. By investing time on the front end insulation installation for things like new, you can prevent future issues from happening in your under insulated house and the need to brave the chilly attic in the middle of winter. 

#2 Maintain Pest Control Methods

Before winter begins, you should also make sure that the pest control methods in your attic are operable, clean, and ready to foil any pests’ plans to stay warm in your attic this year. 

It’s also important to do an attic cleaning to inspect and maintain those pest control methods regularly. Make sure to:

• Inspect rodent and insect traps and reset them if needed
• Maintain your normal levels of poison powder or spray
• Check pest screens and sealants for signs of wear or entry attempts

Just like you, pests simply want to keep warm when it’s cold. But, by keeping up with your pest control methods, you can keep them from taking up residence in your attic. 

#3 Ensure a Tight Seal Around Your Attic Access

Your attic hatch isn’t just a gateway to your home’s storage space—it’s a doorway to the wintry elements. 

While insulation will help keep your attic temperature during the winter, it won’t stay as warm as the rest of your home. So, to keep the colder air where it belongs—out of your main living spaces—make sure to tightly seal the attic access hatch to prevent an air leak.¹ 

Using weatherstrip or gaskets to seal your attic access point prevents cold air from entering your space and warm air from escaping it. While you’ll more easily maintain a comfortable temperature while the weather outside is frightful, you’ll also improve your home’s energy efficiency. The more you can prevent heat exchange and close up any potential entry points for cold air; the less your HVAC system will have to run to keep your home toasty. 

#4 Add Additional Ventilation

To prevent cold infiltration and mold buildup from steam vents, producing warm moist air, increase your attic’s ventilation during the colder months. Simply add attic ventilation fans to your space by facing away from the attic hatch and toward the vent to the outside, if your attic has one. 

Adding extra ventilation in the winter is good roof maintenance to prevent ice damming, which can damage gutter and roof systems. If your attic is too warm in the winter, snow will melt as it lands on your roof and turns into water. As it drips into the gutters, it could re-freeze into a long slab of ice that could expand and cause cracks.²

#5 Regularly Inspect Your Attic

Throughout the winter, take regular peeks up into your attic to catch any potential problems as soon as possible. While you don’t need to inspect your attic every day, establish a schedule that works for your lifestyle and your home, and add those dates to your calendar ahead of time. 

If you’re in the process of removing attic insulation and replacing it, or just wanting to routinely inspect, here are things to look for:

• Evidence of pests
• Insulation damage
• Water infiltration or leaks
• Mold and mildew
• HVAC and electrical damage

Just like replacing your air filter or descaling the hot water heater, regularly inspecting your attic, along with all attic vents, and even your air conditioner, while performing a quick attic clean up, is a task that will pay off in the long run. 

Seeking Help with Winter Attic Maintenance? Attic Construction Can Help

By investing in preparation, keeping up with your pest control, sealing the access hatch, maintaining optimal ventilation, and regularly inspecting your attic, you’ll continue to protect your family and your home from the elements this winter. 

If you’re seeking additional tips or help with winter attic maintenance, look no further than Attic Construction. We’ve been helping families keep their attics clean, well-insulated, and pest-free since 2011, and our experts are dedicated to providing top-tier service. 

Instead of braving the winter on your own, contact Attic Construction for more tips or a free estimate today. We provide everything from attic cleaning services in Orange County to Phoenix insulation installation. Contact us today for a free quote.

Sources: 

1. Energy Star. Sealing Your Attic Hatch or Door. https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/do_it_yourself_guide/sealing_air_leaks_attic/attic_hatch_or_door 
2. Energy Star. About Attic Ventilation. https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/do_it_yourself_guide/about_attic_ventilation 

Most people think about insulation as a way to regulate temperatures and keep energy costs as low as possible. While this is the primary function of any kind of insulation, some offer generous soundproofing capabilities to keep your home protected from noises both inside and out.

So, is attic insulation soundproof? It can be.

The quality of soundproofing will depend on several factors, including the type of sound you are dealing with and on the kind of insulation installation you’re looking for. While budget and energy needs should always come first when choosing insulation, it never hurts to be aware of the added benefits of getting your attic insulated.

If you’re looking to create a highly regulated acoustic environment for music production, you’ll probably want to look into professional soundproofing panels made of wood, fabric, or foam. If you came here curious about the soundproofing benefits of insulating your attic, then read on to see what our guide has to offer.

Types of Sound

Before you go shopping for soundproof attic insulation, it’s important to understand the types of noise that can affect your home.

• Airborne – Airborne sound is characterized by its ability to transmit through air and structures using sound waves. Typical examples of airborne sound around the home include conversations carried on outdoors, barking dogs, traffic, and car radios. In attics, airborne sound could take the form of a noisy fan or HVAC unit. While it may be impossible to control these kinds of external sounds, it is possible to use insulation to your advantage by dampening and even absorbing them altogether.
• Structure-borne sound – In the home, this is typically characterized by the impact of an object, person, or pet on the structures that support your environment. For example, your child bounces a ball on the floor upstairs, your dog knocks something over in the next room over, or your downstairs neighbor is having work done on the ceiling. These structure-borne sounds can be particularly annoying as they tend to cause vibrations throughout the building. Regardless, their severity can be lessened with the help of quality insulation.

What Is a Noise Reduction Coefficient?

When it comes to sound reduction, the quality of a material is measured by its noise reduction coefficient (NRC).¹ NRC is determined on a scale of 0 to 1, 1 meaning that the material in question absorbs all sound. If your insulation has been measured at .75 NRC, that means it absorbs 75% of the soundwaves it comes into contact with.

Commonly used in acoustics, NRC can also measure the soundproofing capabilities of insulation. While universally measured in R-value, a measure combining the type of material with its density and thickness, insulation can actually offer soundproofing with high NRC levels as well.²

Soundproofing Quality of Common Insulators

Common insulation materials tend to offer two types of soundproofing. Absorption, typical of porous materials, allows sound to pass into the insulation while converting its energy into heat through friction. Dampening, typical of denser materials, acts to absorb the shock of soundwaves and transfers those vibrations into heat.

The following insulators work to absorb and dampen sound while keeping your attic’s temperature regulated and your home energy costs down:

• Fiberglass – Made from a blend of spun plastic and glass fibers, fiberglass is a cost-effective and reliable way to insulate your home. As if this weren’t already enough, fiberglass insulation also comes with an NRC rating of 0.95-1 depending on the thickness of the installation.³
  Mineral Wool – Made from a blend of fibers spun from superheated igneous rocks like basalt and silica, mineral wool or rock wool is particularly adept and uses its density and porosity to absorb both kinds of sound. While an excellent choice for thermal insulation, mineral wool is both significantly more expensive than fiberglass and offers a nearly identical NRC rating of 0.95-1.05.⁴
• Cotton – Also known as denim insulation, this insulator is made from recycled cotton and typically comes in sheets or panels. 10-15% more expensive than fiberglass, cotton insulation offers competitive NRC levels and is particularly good at absorbing high-frequency sounds.
• Cellulose – Made from recycled newspaper shreds, cellulose or blow-in insulation is the cheapest insulator on the market. Depending on the quality of installation (cellulose tends to settle significantly) this insulator can reach 0.8 NRC for your soundproofing needs.⁵
• Spray Foam – Last but not least, this expensive insulator goes from liquid to foam by expanding over 50 times its original volume once sprayed into place. Spray foam is offered in two variations: closed-cell and open-cell. The latter, which is low density, actually offers better soundproofing by filling more open spaces and absorbing more structure-borne sound. As stated above, however, it is by far the most expensive type of insulation on the market and may not quite meet your soundproofing needs with an upper limit of NRC 0.7.⁶

Control Your Soundscape with Attic Construction

At Attic Construction, we draw on over a decade of experience in attic cleaning, removal of different types of mold, insulation removal, locating rodent entry points and more, to provide the best service possible to our clients in San Diego, Orange County, and Phoenix. However you choose to soundproof your home, attic insulation can offer added protection while serving all of your energy needs.

Sources: 

1. Audimute. NRC Ratings: What is a Noise Reduction Coefficient? https://www.audimute.com/nrc-ratings-noise-reduction-coefficient 
2. U.S. Department of Energy. How Insulation Works. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/insulation 
3. Better Soundproofing. Is Fiberglass Insulation Good for Soundproofing? https://bettersoundproofing.com/is-fiberglass-insulation-good-for-soundproofing/ 
4. Snoring Source. Soundproofing Insulation Explained: Which Material is Best? https://www.snoringsource.com/soundproofing-insulation/#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20general%20grades,in%20the%200.8%2D0.9%20range. 
5. Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association. Cellulose Insulation Provides Sound Control. https://www.cellulose.org/Cellulose-Insulation-2nd.php?pagename=Sound_Control_Insulation&dirname=HomeOwners 
6. Tiger Foam Insulation. Open Cell Spray Foam. https://tigerfoam.com/sprayfoaminsulation/technical/data-sheets/open-cell-spray-foam/ 

It’s finally happening—after scheduling consultation and gathering quotes on insulation removal, choosing an insulation expert, and picking out your materials, it’s time to prepare for your attic insulation installation.

While you might be excited to reduce your energy bills and keep your home more comfortable, the process isn’t completely hands-off. You’ll need to take steps to make sure your attic and the rest of your home remain safe throughout the process.

In this article, we’ll explore six key steps to take before your insulation experts come knocking.

These tips won’t just make your insulation installer’s life easier—they’ll also give you peace of mind on installation day.

Preparing Your Attic in Three Easy Steps

You might have already added “prepare attic for insulation” to your to-do list—or your partner’s—but what exactly should you do to accomplish that task? Luckily, you can get your attic ready in three easy steps. 

Step 1: Clear it Out

If your spring cleaning ritual includes pretending like your attic doesn’t exist, it’s now time to put that procrastination to bed. Find yourself paralyzed with fear while staring at all of the boxes in your attic? Take it one step at a time:

1. Don some protective gear – You may be embarrassed by the sheer volume of dust, dirt, and grime in your attic. But you’re close to finally getting rid of it! Put on a dust mask, your yard work clothes, and some latex or nitrile gloves. Even if you’re not afraid of getting dirty, don’t skip the mask—prolonged dust inhalation can damage your lungs.¹
2. Empty your attic – Instead of sitting up in your attic rifling through old Halloween decorations, take all of the boxes down before you start sorting. Your insulation expert doesn’t need all of your photos to be organized by year—they just need your attic to be empty.
   
3. Tidy up – While your attic doesn’t have to be sparkling clean—let your insulation professionals handle the old insulation and pest debris—try to sweep most of the dust and dirt out of the area immediately next to the attic entry point. Clear away any remaining tripping hazards and place pest traps in easily visible locations.
4. Sort, Purge, and Store – Now that you have all of your belongings out of the attic, why not take the opportunity to sort through them? While this step is certainly optional, and all you really have to do is make sure your belongings are stored out of the installers’ way, purging the things you no longer need and organizing your remaining keepsakes will give you a nice dopamine rush.²

Once you’ve cleared out your attic and moved your items to a temporary storage location, you can move on to less daunting tasks.

Step 2: Check the Lights

If you have a lighting system in your attic—or even just a bare light bulb with a pull string—make sure that your lights are in working order before your installation.

There are two main reasons why checking your attic lights is a good idea:

• Your insulation expert will bring the lighting they need to install your insulation, but any additional light in the attic space will only benefit the installation process. If you have a lot of lighting available in your attic and it’s in working order, your installer could skip their headlamp or flashlight, lightening their load even just a little.
• If you don’t currently have insulation in your attic, the lights you install and maintain in your attic are much more accessible now than they will be once your attic is full of insulation. Take advantage of the clear walking path and replace incandescent light bulbs with long-lasting LEDs.³

If the light bulb in your attic went out five years ago, now is the perfect opportunity to change those pesky bulbs.

Step 3: Make Sure Your Access Point is Operable

Check that your attic access point is in a safe, operable condition before your insulation team arrives. While they’ll likely bring a ladder just in case, it’ll be much more convenient to use the access hardware on hand. 

If you have a pull-down hatch with stairs, grease the hinges for smooth, quiet operation. If the pull tab on your attic hatch is broken, install a replacement chain. While you might have a secret trick for getting the hatch open without one, you want to make your installers’ lives as easy as possible. 

If you’re a little more old-school and simply have a piece of plywood covering your attic access point, make sure that there isn’t anything obstructing the opening or preventing the plywood from lifting up and away. 

Finally, if your attic access point is unusually small—if you can’t fit the top rungs of a ladder in it, for instance—inform your insulation installer during your consultation. They may have to make special arrangements for hauling their equipment into the attic. 

Preparing the Rest of Your Home

While your attic may be ready for company, the rest of your home may tell a different story.

Take these three steps to ensure that installers have a clear path to the attic, any sensitive belongings are out of sight, and your pets and children don’t get underfoot during the process.

Step 4: Clear a Path

Even if you’re used to avoiding furniture and obstacles in your home, your insulation team isn’t as familiar with your space as you are. So, clear a path for them to walk and haul their equipment to the attic access point as safely and efficiently as possible. 

Some tripping hazards might include:

• Rugs, even with effective pads underneath
• Food and water bowls for pets
• Shoes piled up at the front door
• Boot brushes, coat racks, and other foyer furniture

If insulation installers will have to climb a set of stairs to reach your attic access point, consider temporarily removing any rugs or treads from your staircase. In addition, make sure your landing is clear of planters, small furniture pieces, or other accouterments. 

While a clear path to the attic access from the front door may be obvious to you, your insulation team may need to take a different route than you expected. So, make sure that any other potential traffic areas are clear, or ensure that they’ll be easy to clear if needed on installation day. 

Step 5: Tidy Up

While your home doesn’t have to look like it’s staged for a real estate photo shoot, you should tidy up your space. Recruit your fellow housemates to help you with:

• Putting kids’ toys away
• Returning pet toys to their proper place
• Picking up throw blankets or pillows around the living room
• Cleaning up and temporarily storing craft or DIY projects in progress
• Putting small kitchen appliances away in cabinets
• Folding and storing laundry

These tips for tidying up aren’t for appearances—home improvement work can get dusty, and installing insulation is no exception. To avoid cleaning a fine layer of dust off of everything you own after the installation team leaves, stow as many things as you can in closets, cabinets, and drawers. 

While you should certainly clean up to ensure a safe working space for your insulation team and their equipment, preventing as much dust buildup as possible will save a lot of time after the installation is complete. 

Step 6: Secure Pets—And Kids

If you have children and pets, keeping them away from the action during your installation is highly encouraged, for both the installers’ safety and their own. 

Even if your pets are generally unbothered by visitors, your typical houseguests probably aren’t toting around heavy equipment or making a ruckus in the attic. Keeping your pets behind a closed door with their food, water, and a few favorite toys will help keep them calm and ensure that they stay out of the way during the installation process. 

If you have kids at home, ask them to stay in their rooms or keep them in a sequestered area where you can supervise them. Supply enough snacks, drinks, toys, or screens to keep them busy throughout the installation, but try to stick to the normal routine as much as possible. 

Keeping your pets and kids secure is a matter of safety for them and your insulation team. If a cat or toddler gets underfoot while the installers are working, they could trip and injure themselves, potentially hurting both parties. Add the extra hazards of operating heavy equipment, electrical hazards in attics, and the hassle of keeping your pets and kids out of the way makes even more sense. 

Step-by-Step Prep Tips from Attic Construction

How to prepare an attic for insulation is pretty straightforward—clear out your attic, replace light bulbs as needed, and make sure the entry point is in working order. But, some extra time spent preparing the rest of your house benefits your family, your pets, and your insulation team.  

If you have a specific question about preparing your own home, ask the experts at Attic Construction. With a decade of experience in the attic repair business, we can give you all the advice you need to make your installation a breeze. 

If you’re ready to add insulation to your attic, but you’re not sure where to start, drop us a line. Our experts will walk you through the whole process, and you’ll be on your way to enjoying a more comfortable home, improved efficiency, and lower energy bills. For even more attic improvement projects like installing flexible ductwork or finding attic services for HOA communities, check out our other blogs! 

Sources: 

1. Angi. The Whole-House Cleanout Guide: Letting Go Joyfully from Your Attic to Your Basement. https://www.angi.com/articles/whole-house-cleanout-guide-letting-go-joyfully-your-attic-your-basement.htm 
2. Psychology Today. The Science of Accomplishing Your Goals. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201610/the-science-accomplishing-your-goals 
3. US Department of Energy. LED Lighting. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/led-lighting 

How long has it been since you braved a glance into your attic? 

If you’ve recently noticed reduced air quality in your home or your energy bill is through the roof, your ducts might just be the culprit. While poor air quality might indicate that your ducts may need a good cleaning, poor energy efficiency and long run times for your HVAC system could be a sign that your ducts are leaking or damaged. 

If any of your vents have to be replaced, you have two options: flexible ductwork or rigid metal ductwork. In this article, we’ll explore why insulated flexible ductwork might be the right material for your ductwork repairs, in addition to Insulation removal you may need as well. 

Ductwork Explained

If you can’t tell the difference between a register and a return, don’t worry. We’ll start by covering some HVAC basics. 

Understanding your HVAC system—of which your ductwork is an integral piece—is pretty simple. 

Your HVAC system’s job is to heat or cool air and circulate it throughout your home. While all of these steps are happening simultaneously, here’s a quick rundown of how your HVAC system turns tepid air into cozy heat or refreshing air conditioning:¹

1. Most modern homes have a central air conditioner combined with a forced-air heater. When you set your thermostat to your desired temperature, either the heater or the air conditioner begins working to heat or cool air located in the plenum box, the heart of your HVAC system.
2. A fan inside the plenum box forces the heated or cooled air through one or more trunk lines, which are essentially the major arteries of your HVAC system.
3. Additional ducts branch off from the trunk lines, pushing air into individual rooms through registers—also called air vents. The heated or cooled air leaving the registers raises or lowers the overall temperature of the room.
4. The air forced into an individual room through a register eventually circulates towards the return, a large vent that sucks air from the inside of your home. Air sucked into a return passes through an air filter and moves back to the plenum box via a return duct, the major vein of your HVAC system. This air is once again heated or cooled in the plenum box, and the process begins again.

So, your ductwork contains three major elements:

• The trunk line(s)
• Ducts branching from the trunk line to supply air through registers
• The return duct(s)

If one or more of these components is leaking, dirty, or damaged, your HVAC system won’t function properly, and the malfunctioning component may need to be replaced. A ductwork expert will recommend two material options: flexible ductwork or rigid metal ductwork.

Why Choose Flexible Ductwork Over Rigid Metal?

There are some crucial differences between the two products, but the benefits of flexible ductwork might sway you towards installing it in your home. 

Next, we’ll explore flexible ductwork’s four major benefits. 

#1 Efficiency

The key to optimal HVAC system efficiency is leak-free ductwork. 

During installation, ductwork professionals must seal connections between ducts to prevent leaks, which can cause lower efficiency and higher energy bills. 

Ductwork professionals use two supplies for sealing—foil tape and mastic. These materials are usually used in tandem to create the strongest possible seal. Mastic, like spackle, is pliable when wet and dries into a hard coating. 

Flexible ductwork doesn’t require any sealant in its raw form, putting it at a significant advantage in terms of leak vulnerability. In addition, flexible ducts are already insulated, and the insulation layer is pre-sealed or seamless, further reducing its leak potential.²

Flexible ducts have three major components:

• A thin metal coil that creates the tube-shaped structure
• A layer of plastic encasing the coil
• An outermost layer of foil-backed fiberglass insulation

Rigid metal ducts, on the other hand, consist of only one component—a rigid, thin sheet of metal. These ducts come in rectangular pieces of sheet metal, and ductwork professionals must form the sheets into a tube shape and seal the seam. 

The sealed seam in rigid metal ducts makes them much more liable to leak than their counterpart, which is pre-sealed. 

Inefficient insulation coverage around rigid metal ducts can also reduce an HVAC system’s efficiency. Insulating ducts is critical to preventing conductive heat loss in the winter and keeping conductive heat away from cool ducts in the summer. 

While flexible ducts are pre-insulated, rigid metal ducts must be insulated by hand, introducing another opportunity for operator error. If the ducts aren’t thoroughly wrapped in batt insulation, the HVAC system will have to work harder to overcome ducts that aren’t at the optimal temperature.

#2 Flexibility

From a leak standpoint, another major boon to flexible ductwork is its flexibility (just as its name suggests).

This key difference between flexible and rigid metal ductwork may seem obvious, but flexibility is an important component in the choice between the two materials. 

• Rigid metal ductwork must run in straight lines. If the trunk line or a branching duct must curve, two straight ducts are joined by an elbow joint, which is sealed with foil tape and mastic.
• Sealing is crucial to leak prevention and successful duct installation, and any surface or connection that requires sealant is liable to leak. Since rigid metal ducts require an elbow joint to curve around obstructions in walls and attics, they’re more susceptible to potential leakage. 
• While rigid metal ducts must incorporate bent elbow joints and additional sealant to accommodate obstructions, flexible ductwork can simply bend in another direction. Unless two duct pieces are meeting at a point in the bend, there’s no foil tape, mastic, or extra joints required. Flexibility reduces the need for extra sealant, which decreases leaking risks and ensures optimal efficiency.

However, this flexibility comes with a caveat—restricted airflow.

When flexible ducts bend around an obstruction, the tube molds around the wooden joists, studs, or trusses that surround it. When the ducts bend, the tube slightly compresses, which can restrict airflow inside the duct, leading to suboptimal blowing force when the air leaves the register. 

Elbow joints are the same diameter as the rigid metal ducts they’re connecting, maintaining consistent airflow throughout the length of the vent. 

While compression and potential airflow restriction are two potential drawbacks of flexible ductwork, a trained professional will take steps to maintain consistent airflow during bending, ensuring optimal efficiency. 

#3 Cost

Flexible ductwork and rigid metal ducts often carry different price tags. Flexible ducts are typically cheaper to install because:

• They require less foil tape and mastic since they feature lower sealant requirements in general
• They’re already insulated, shaving significant time from the installation process and reducing the labor cost
• They bend easily, requiring less installation time than is needed to create a bend in rigid metal ductwork

As the prices of building materials continue to climb, materials costs alone can make a significant dent in your duct repair or replacement budget.³

Especially if you’re performing ductwork in tandem with another efficiency-improving measure in your home—like insulation installing or insulation removal—cost is likely very high on your priority list for home improvement. If you’re seeking  attic services for HOAs, there may be cost benefits or group discounts for services like flexible ductwork installation. 

If a ductwork professional determines that your duct replacement won’t require significant bends due to current register and return placement or lack of obstructions, a quote for rigid metal ductwork might be more comparable to its flexible counterpart. However, you should be wary of professionals who provide a labor quote without thoroughly examining your attic or the floor trusses between stories (to the extent that they can). 

#4 Ease of Installation

There are two major factors ductwork experts consider to estimate labor costs—obstructions in the installation area and materials used.

Some common obstructions in attics and floor joists include:

• Structural steel beams, which are typically wider than wooden studs
• Receptacles for electrical outlets, can lights, or switches
• Other HVAC equipment, like air handlers in the attic

In an installation area with numerous obstructions, the choice of duct material can make or break labor costs. Installing elbow joints takes more time than simply bending a flexible duct around a can light. In general, installing flexible ductwork is easier and less time-consuming than rigid metal ductwork. 

Unlike insulated flexible ductwork, rigid metal ducts aren’t pre-insulated. Insulation Installation  requires professionals to ensure that the metal seam is completely sealed, wrap it with batt insulation, and seal yet another seam with foil tape. This process takes significantly more time than placing and sealing pre-insulated ducts. If you’re looking to take the DIY route when working in your attic, make sure you’re treading safely by educating yourself on the electrical hazards in your attic.

Opting for an easy- and quick-to-install material will lead to reduced installation times and labor cost savings.

Give Your Ductwork a Facelift with Attic Construction

While rigid metal ducts certainly have a place in residential HVAC technology, flexible ductwork shines as an efficient, flexible, affordable, easy-to-install alternative. 

But, if you’re still on the fence about which duct material to use in your replacement project, or if you’re not even sure if your ducts need to be replaced, give our expert team a call. We can talk you through the process of cleaning, repairing, or replacing your ducts, and we’ll take a peek at your HVAC equipment as a part of our free consultation. If you’re already planning on having attic insulation construction take place in your home, it’s important to know how to prepare your attic for insulation. 

Attic Construction has been improving energy efficiency for over a decade, and we have the tools to help you reduce your energy consumption at home. Schedule a free consultation with our expert team today.

Sources: 

1. Trane. How Does Central Heating and Cooling Work? https://www.trane.com/residential/en/resources/hvac-basics/how-does-a-central-heating-cooling-system-work/ 
2. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Sealed and Insulated Flex Ducts. https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/sealed-and-insulated-flex-ducts 
3. National Association of Home Builders. Building Material Prices Climbing at Record Year-to-Date Pace. https://nahbnow.com/2021/08/building-material-prices-climbing-at-record-year-to-date-pace/ 

Do you live in a neighborhood or building with a homeowner’s association (HOA)?

HOAs often set special requirements for maintenance, and proper attic maintenance is one common stipulation of living in an HOA neighborhood.

If you live in an HOA community, your HOA may provide a group rate for attic services, or you may be expected to procure your own attic services contract. 

Whether you’re a homeowner or a property manager looking for an attic services provider, the right company can offer services like attic cleaning, insulation removal, insulation installation, duct maintenance, and crawl space cleaning. In this short guide, we’ll explore the benefits of working with a single attic services provider.

What Are Attic Services for HOAs?

Property owners in HOAs are expected to cover most of the maintenance in their own units or homes. That usually includes attic maintenance.

However, HOAs are always looking for new amenities and discounts for their members. Providing services or a group rate through an attic services partner can ensure residents’ homes are well-maintained and energy-efficient all year long. Likewise, an attic services professional can maintain insulation in common areas such as lobbies (in condos), gymnasiums, and entertainment rooms.

HOAs and individual homeowners alike should look for attic maintenance professionals who can keep attics shipshape with the following services.

Attic Cleaning

Your attic accumulates dust and grime, and its insulation degrades over time. When these particles contaminate the air in your attic, they can easily enter your HVAC system, impacting your air quality.¹ 

With regular attic cleaning services, you can remove accumulated dust and dirt from your attic, preventing unwelcome materials from contaminating your household air supply. Maintaining a clean attic is one of the easiest ways to keep your interior air clean and healthy.

Attic Insulation

Attic insulation is crucial to maintaining a comfortable temperature inside of your home. 

Attic insulation improves your home’s resistance to conductive heat energy, which keeps your home comfortable year-round.²Having the proper amount of insulation in your attic can prevent warm air from infiltrating your interior air supply in the summer and keep warm air from escaping into your attic during the winter. 

With regular maintenance via an attic services contract, an insulation professional will routinely inspect your insulation for vulnerabilities, repair your insulation when needed, and suggest insulation replacement when necessary. If you’re already planning to have attic insulation construction take place in your home, it’s important to know how to prepare your attic for insulation. 

Duct Maintenance

The quality of your ductwork can make or break the efficiency of your HVAC system. If your energy bills have been steadily rising, or if your HVAC system has been running for longer than normal to reach your desired temperature, any of the following problems may apply:

• Your ducts may be leaking. Duct connections are sealed with foil tape and mastic, a spackle-like substance. These sealants fail over time, causing cooled or heated air to escape from your ducts. You might consider installing flexible ductwork if you’re having trouble with leaking ducts. Flexible ductwork in your attic is less prone to leaking because it doesn’t require any sealant.
• Your ducts could be damaged. General wear and tear on ductwork is normal, and significant duct degradation can cause leaks and low airflow through vents.
• Your ducts could be insufficiently insulated. Without proper insulation around your ducts, the air inside the ducts won’t stay cool or warm on its way to your air vents.

With regular attic services, a qualified ductwork technician will inspect your ducts for leaks, damage, and proper insulation preventing damage and fixing any potential problems as soon as they arise.

Rodent-Proofing

Unfortunately, attic insulation is the ideal habitat for rodents. Tats and mice burrow into insulation, create protective spaces for their young, and store food in the pillowy fiberglass.

When you sign up for regular attic services, a trained professional searches for signs of live and dead rodents in your attic, applying rodent-proofing methods when necessary and disposing of active or dormant rodent remains. Rodents carry over 35 diseases, and eliminating them from your home is crucial for the health of your family and pets.³

Crawl Space Cleaning

Crawl spaces are one of the easiest areas in your home to ignore. While you may not be using your crawl space for storage purposes, it’s still crucial to keep this space clean and clear of debris and pests.

A neglected crawl space can lead to:

• Wood rot in the structural elements of your home
• Pest infestations in your subfloor
• Moisture collection and mold growth underneath your subfloor

When you sign up for attic services for HOAs, you can also request regular inspection of your crawl space. By regularly inspecting your crawl space, you can get a head-start on pest prevention, structural degradation, and mold growth.  

Radiant Barriers

Radiant barriers are thin layers of plastic, metal, or foil that keep the sun’s radiant heat energy from penetrating your roofing materials and increasing the temperature of your home during sunny days.

Radiant barriers are particularly useful in the sunny summer months when keeping the cool air inside your home is critical to your comfort. Attic services include a regular inspection of your home’s radiant barrier during the hottest months of the year, optimizing your HVAC system performance and keeping your house comfortable throughout the summer. 

Attic HOA Services Made Easy with Attic Construction

When you live in or maintain a property in an HOA community, regular attic services are crucial to keeping your home comfortable and structurally sound. 

If you’re seeking attic services for HOAs, look no further than Attic Construction. For the past ten years and counting, our attic specialists have removed and replaced insulation, replaced ductwork, performed regular attic and crawl space cleanings, and more. If you’re looking to take the DIY route when working in your attic, make sure you’re treading safely by educating yourself on the electrical hazards in your attic.

Drop us a line today. 

Sources: 

1. US Environmental Protection Agency. The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/inside-story-guide-indoor-air-quality 
2. US Department of Energy. Insulation. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/insulation 
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rodents. https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/index.html 

You’ve tried everything you can think of to reduce your energy bill—unplugging kitchen appliances when they’re not in use, cutting back on the hot water in the shower, and diligently turning the lights off after leaving a room. But, despite all of this effort, you’re still not noticing a decrease in your household energy costs. Turns out, the culprit of your high power bill could be right over your head.

Take a peek into your attic with a flashlight. Do you see any fluffy bats of fibers or a thick blanket of downy-looking tufts? If not (or if “fluffy” or “downy” aren’t words you’d use to describe whatever’s up there), your attic needs to be insulated. Without proper attic insulation, your HVAC system has to work that much harder to keep your home cool in the summers and warm in the winters. 

Now that you’ve discovered the prime suspect in the case of the high energy bill, what comes next? In this guide, we’ll review everything you need to know about adding insulation to attic spaces. Check out our crash course below. 

What is Insulation?

To understand insulation, it’s helpful to understand what it’s regulating: heat. There are three kinds of heat flow:

• Conduction, which is when heat moves from one material to another
• Convection, which when heat is transferred in liquids and gases
• Radiation, which travels in a straight line until something absorbs its heat energy

Insulation prevents the heat energy in your attic from flowing into your home’s interior via conduction through wood, drywall, and other building materials.¹ Keep in mind that you can have both wall and attic insulation, both serving similar purposes within a home. For the sake of this article, we are going to specifically be focusing on the attic space. Since it improves your home’s resistance to heat conduction, insulation’s capacity for preventing reduction is measured by its R-value. 

While R-values aren’t as simple as “thicker insulation equals more heat resistance,” a higher R-value generally indicates a higher insulation ability to prevent heat loss and support attic ventilation. 

Fiberglass Insulation

Insulation can be made out of a variety of materials, but there are two frontrunners in terms of both popularity and availability: fiberglass and cellulose.²

Fiberglass is a fibrous, or “fluffy,” material made out of tiny shards of glass. In the case of blown-in insulation (more on that later), fiberglass insulation is made from molten glass, which usually contains some portion of recycled materials. 

Fiberglass insulation is available in a variety of densities, and more dense fiberglass generally has a higher R-value. As one of the most widespread insulation materials in the industry, insulation professionals are experts on both choosing the right product density and the best attic insulation installation method. 

Cellulose Insulation

Another popular insulation material, cellulose, is widely used in homes and commercial buildings. A few things to know about cellulose: 

• It’s made of tiny shredded paper fibers.
• These paper fibers are usually created from recycled newspapers.
• The natural cellulose fibers in paper help the shreds bind to themselves and surfaces.

Cellulose insulation is often treated (or combined) with borate or ammonium sulfate to both decrease its flammability and repel pests. However, cellulose is environmentally friendly, effective, and more economical than other insulation materials, making it a commonly-explored option for homeowners on a budget. 

Batt Insulation

Fiberglass insulation can be created into two varieties of insulation which require different installation methods: batts (also called rolls or blankets) and loose-fill (also called blown-in insulation). 

Batt insulation is likely what comes to mind when you think of insulation. Fiberglass is pressed together to form batts of various thicknesses that are cut into pieces and rolled up. Then, installers lay them between the joists on an attic floor. 

Batt insulation doesn’t require any special equipment to install, but it does require the expertise of trained and experienced insulation installers. Insulation installers ensure optimal coverage of the entire attic surface, which requires careful measurements and close attention to detail.

Blown-In Insulation

Loose-fill insulation is blown into attic spaces with a specialized blower system, which is why it’s also widely known as blown-in insulation. 

Both cellulose and fiberglass materials can be used to make blown-in insulation, which is fibrous and adheres to attic surfaces. Blown-in insulation is an excellent solution for:

• Attics with obstructions, like an air handler
• Attics with tons of nooks and crannies to insulate, such as those in a vaulted ceiling

Insulation installers use a hose with a specialized blower to disperse the loose-fill insulation around an attic space, making sure that the thickness and coverage are consistent throughout the entire attic surface. 

What Does the Insulation Process Look Like?

From start to finish, the insulation process is quite straightforward, especially for homeowners hiring insulation professionals. After agreeing to a proposed price for the work, skilled technicians make adding insulation to attic spaces look easy.

But, since you likely won’t be accompanying them into your attic, here’s what all the overhead ruckus will entail:

1. Existing Insulation is Removed

If adding insulation to attic spaces that have never been insulated before, this step is irrelevant. But in cases where a home’s attic insulation is very old, ineffective, or infested with pests, the existing insulation has to be removed before the other installation steps can begin. So what does the attic insulation removal process look like?

Insulation removal is pretty simple. There are two methods to get the job done:

1. Installers use a large, high-powered vacuum to suck existing loose-fill insulation out of your attic and into heavy-duty insulation removal bags.
2. For batt insulation, installers bring the insulation removal bags into the attic and remove each batt from the attic surface, filling the bags to be disposed of responsibly. 

Insulation removal professionals wear significant protective gear during this process to protect them from dust inhalation and exposure to pests. The attic insulation removal cost may vary depending on the home. If you are considering removing your attic insulation on your own, it is highly recommended to leave this job to the professionals. 

2. Pest Debris is Removed

During and after the old insulation removal process, the insulation installers will search for signs of live pests, dead pests, and pest droppings. They’ll remove all traces of a pest infestation, which is the first step in preventing future unwanted tenants from moving into your attic. 

Once any rodents are dealt with swiftly and thoroughly, installers take further steps to keep rodents out of your attic and away from your insulation. 

3. Rodent-Proofing is Installed

Not only will installers ensure the thorough expulsion of rodents, but they’ll seal up any visible entry points in your attic and add rodent-proof barriers to keep pests out and also reduce moisture within your attic space. 

Why is this step so important?

• Rodents around the world transmit over 30 different diseases, and even their droppings present a health risk for their human roommates.³ 
• Unfortunately, insulation is a five-star resort for rodents. It gives them a place to burrow, store food, and protect their young. 

To prevent further break-ins and infestations, insulation contractors will use wire mesh and other materials to block pest entry points and protect your attic floor from destruction by pests before blowing in loose-fill or laying batts. 

After all, what good would be done just by getting rid of the existing pest evidence? Rodent-proofing your attic not only keeps your insulation from being destroyed, but also protects the health and well-being of you, your family, and your pets. 

4. Insulation is Laid or Blown-In

Once your attic’s old insulation and any remaining pests are put out to pasture, and your attic is protected against any other wandering rodents, insulation installation can finally begin!

If you’ve chosen batt insulation for your attic, the installers will begin rolling out the batts between all of your joists. They’ll take special care to make sure that all nooks and crannies are covered. 

If you’ve chosen blown-in insulation, the installer will pull the blower hose into your attic, begin blowing loose-fill insulation onto the entire surface of your attic floor, and ensure that the material covers each area consistently. 

Once installation of the new insulation is complete, installers will clean up their extra materials, pack up all of their tools and equipment, and leave you with a freshly insulated attic. 

Can You DIY Attic Insulation?

While the processes above sound pretty straightforward, it’s not recommended that novices or hobbyists insulate their own attics. Adding new insulation to attic spaces requires careful measurements, safety precautions, and (sometimes) specialized equipment. 

Here are some additional reasons to avoid DIY attic insulation: 

• While removing old insulation from an attic, DIYers may not know what to do with their insulation debris after it’s stripped away. Insulation needs to be disposed of responsibly, and professionals are best equipped to handle the waste. 
• Handling pests (dead or alive) without professional qualifications and safety gear could result in health hazards. Untrained eyes may also not be able to spot hard-to-find rodent entry points. 
• Even though installing batt insulation doesn’t require special tools, it does require precision for adequate surface coverage. Plus, installing blown-in insulation requires a specialized blower system—equipment that isn’t available to the general public. 

While the potential of a well-earned insulation feather in your DIY cap may be tempting, hiring a professional insulation installer will ensure that your attic is insulated with the right materials, protected effectively against pests, and well-covered with insulation. 

Keep Energy Costs Low and Pests Out with Attic Construction

Adding insulation to attic spaces is an excellent way to reduce stress on your HVAC system, lower your energy bill, and keep pests out of your attic. 

At Attic Construction, we want you to see all of these outstanding results and more. Since 2011, we’ve been providing professional attic insulation installation services to families and business owners in our community. Whether its Phoenix insulation installation, Orange County rodent proofing, or San Diego attic cleaning…we’ve got you covered in multiple states! We’re confident that our commitment to quality—in materials, installation, and customer service—makes us the best choice for your attic insulation needs. 

Let us help you cut back on energy costs, invest in your home, and increase your comfort. Contact us for a free consultation. 

Sources: 

1. US Department of Energy. How Insulation Works. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/insulation 
2. US Department of Energy. Insulation Materials. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/insulation-materials 
3. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rodents. https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/index.html 

You likely purchased your home because it ticked all of your boxes. Maybe it had space for a pool in the backyard, a perfect playroom for the kids, or brand new kitchen appliances. But when you were house-hunting, how many attics did you peer into?

If your energy bills are balk-worthy (especially in the summer), the problem may be right under your nose—or right over your head. If your attic isn’t insulated (or if the attic insulation is past its prime), you could be losing money on your utility bills and unnecessarily sacrificing your comfort. 

But, is the cost of insulating your attic space (or replacing the insulation that’s already there) worth it? When considering attic insulation costs vs. savings, the simple answer is yes. To learn more about why you should insulate your attic, let’s explore how exactly attic insulation can reduce your household costs. 

How Will Attic Insulation Save You Money?

There are several ways that insulating your attic can lead to significant savings. While reduced energy costs and improved HVAC system efficiency are the primary aims of proper attic insulation, an equally important cost-saving impact of new insulation is keeping pests out of your home. 

Reduced Energy Costs

Before we get to everyone’s favorite topic—pest control—let’s explore the most widely known benefit of attic insulation. 

A reduction in energy costs is one of the most significant ways that attic insulation will impact your household costs. By adding a layer of insulation (whether it’s brand new, supplemental, or a replacement) to your attic, you increase your home’s R-value. 

R-value, or “resistance value,” is a quantitative measurement of your home’s resistance to heat transfer. By adding insulation to your attic, you can prevent hot air from transferring from your attic into your air-conditioned home. This, in turn, has the following effects:

• When insulation works effectively, it keeps hot air in your attic. As a result, your HVAC system doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the inside of your home cool. This helps ensure your system’s longevity. 
• The less your HVAC system runs, the less electricity it uses, and the less money you spend on your energy bill. 

And, of course, a reduction in energy use will make your home even more energy-efficient. Adding insulation to your attic will trim the fat from your energy bill and your carbon footprint. 

Increased Pest Resistance

In addition to decreasing your energy bill (and increasing your home’s energy efficiency), a fresh layer of insulation can also keep pests out of your home. If you’re looking to get rid of rats in your attic, new insulation can help.

The three most common rodents found in American households—Norway rats, roof rats, and house mice—spread diseases, make noises that can impact sleep, and destroy your home.¹ While you can eliminate your unwanted tenants using traps and poison, these can be difficult to maintain and dangerous to your family’s furry friends. 

During both first-time insulation installations and full replacements, insulation contractors clear all pests and pest debris from your attic before rodent-proofing the space. Attic rodent-proofing is worth every penny saved in pest control, pest prevention, and repairs to your home’s structural elements, especially when you consider that rodents love insulation. Old insulation provides a perfect medium for burrowing, and once rodents have found a way into your attic, it can be hard to completely evict them. 

However, with a new attic insulation installation, you can kill two birds—err, rats—with one stone: Insulation contractors will rodent-proof your attic to prevent further infestations before installing new insulation. 

Let’s Run the Numbers

Proper attic insulation will save you money—in energy costs and pest control efforts—theoretically. But for the math-oriented among us, we’ve detailed a few energy cost scenarios below. 

Each scenario only considers attic insulation energy savings, since it’s hard to generalize money spent on pest control, prevention, and restoration efforts. But, the evidence to support financial benefit in the attic insulation cost vs. savings lies in reduced energy costs alone. 

Scenario 1: The First-Time Homeowner

According to the EPA, it’s estimated that homeowners can save an average of 15% on their utility bills after adding insulation to their homes.² In California, one person uses an average of 572 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month and pays an average price of $0.2245 per kWh.³ 

With those figures in mind, let’s explore the savings potential for the first-time homeowner who is looking to replace old insulation.

In a home in California with two residents, the average yearly energy cost would be $3,081.94. This breaks down like so:

• 2 residents x 572kWh/month = 1,144kWh/month
• 1,144kWh x $0.2245/kWh = $256.83/month
• $256.83/month x 12 months = $3,081.94/year

But, with new attic insulation, this home could see a 15% reduction in yearly energy costs, averaging $462.29. 

With an extra $462.29 in their pockets, the two residents of this home could invest in further home improvement projects or purchase a new appliance. Additionally, increased energy efficiency would add value to their home for years to come, resulting in additional profits if they chose to sell in the future. 

Scenario 2: The Family Home

With more people comes more energy usage. For families of four living in average-sized California homes, energy costs represent a significant portion of monthly bills: 

• 4 residents x 572kWh/month = 2,288kWh/month
• 2,288kWh x $0.2245/kWh = $513.66/month
• $513.66/month x 12 months = $6,163.87/year

Even with two full-time incomes, spending over $500 a month to keep the lights on is a hefty price to pay. The average family could reduce their energy costs by:

• Decreasing their washing machine, dryer, and kitchen appliance usage
• Watching less TV
• Convincing their kids to cut down on their cell phone charging

But, attic insulation could significantly reduce their energy bills without disrupting their quality of life. With an average savings of 15%, a family of four could save $924.58 each year after installing new insulation in their attic.

An extra $900 a year to spend on groceries, clothes, or school supplies would make an enormous difference for working families. Installing attic insulation would keep the average Californian family of four cooler and give them some extra spending money.

Types of Attic Insulation

Attics can be insulated with a variety of different materials, but the most common and effective options are:

• Fiberglass, which is made of extremely fine glass fibers
• Cellulose, which is created from recycled paper products⁴

These materials are then formed into one of the following:

• Batts – Also called rolls, batt insulation is cut to fit between each joist in your attic space.
• Loose-fill – Also called blown-in, this insulation is installed with a specialized blower system.

Let’s explore those two types in more detail. 

Batting Insulation

Even if you didn’t know what it was called until now, batt insulation is the most well-known variety. 

• This type of insulation is cut into sheets, rolled up, and unrolled between joists during installation. 
• It’s sometimes sold in home improvement stores since it’s the most accessible type of insulation for DIY renovation projects and doesn’t require any special equipment to install. 

But, despite not needing any specialized equipment, insulation installers are highly trained to place batting insulation for optimal efficiency and effectiveness. This means making sure that the insulation covers as much of the attic as possible. 

The construction trade has been using batts for generations. If you’re in an older home and peek into your attic, you’ll most likely see batting insulation. 

Blown-In Insulation

Both batting and blown-in insulation require installation by trained professionals to ensure optimal performance. But unlike batting insulation, blown-in insulation also requires special equipment. In fact, this type of loose-fill insulation is known as blown-in insulation because it requires a specialized blower system for insulation. 

To install this insulation, a professional will send a long tube up into the attic to disperse the insulation between the floor joists, ensuring that every nook and cranny of the attic floor is thoroughly covered. 

Blown-in insulation can provide excellent coverage for:

• Attics with obstructions (such as air handlers)
• Attics with existing insulation 

1. Loose-fill will settle a bit after installation. But, unlike batts, (where thickness is one of the most important variables in determining insulation R-values), the resistance of heat flow from the attic into your home isn’t directly proportional to the thickness of blown-in insulation.⁵ 

Since determining R-value isn’t the most straightforward calculation, relying upon a professional insulation installer to help you choose the best insulation option for your home is paramount. They can assess your needs, your home’s condition, and your budget to find the best product for insulating your attic.

Attic Insulation: A Great Choice for All Seasons

Installing attic insulation can increase your home’s energy efficiency, reduce your energy bill, keep pests out, and improve your quality of life. 

And at Attic Construction, quality is what we do. We’ve been using high-quality materials, providing outstanding work, and ensuring unmatched customer service since our inception in 2011. Whether your attic doesn’t have any insulation, you think your insulation might need to be replaced, or you suspect your insulation has become a rodent habitat, we’re here to help. 

With improved HVAC system performance and a lower energy bill, there’s no question in the attic insulation cost vs. savings debate: By installing new attic insulation, you’ll do your finances (and everyone in your home) a favor. 

Sources: 

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chapter 4: Disease Vectors and Pests. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/publications/books/housing/cha04.htm
2. Energy Star. Why Seal and Insulate?  https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/seal_insulate/why_seal_and_insulate 
3. US Energy Information Administration. Electric Power Monthly. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a 
4. US Department of Energy. Insulation Materials. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/insulation-materials 
5. US Department of Energy. How Insulation Works. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/insulation