putting foam sheathing doesn't do anything but insulate the storage area flooring. it is a waste of time money and effort. in adding foam sheathing you are adding a vapor on top of the batts/blown insulation. batts actually work better on slopes because it is the uniformity of the insulation. as you will see, the blown will vary in depth in this area. it would behove you to get up into the attic before they finish and take a look. ask the R-value per inch of whatever blown insulation they are installing. figure out how many inches need to be in place to achieve this quoted R-value. take a yardstick or some form of measurement and measure the depth of the install in several areas. or ask them to do it while you shine a light to see if the depth is reached. any low spots should be filled. blown settles so depth should be a few inches over quoted inches. types of insulation have different qualities so some compacts (settles) more than others. if they are using cellulose..the air sealing is more important than ever.cellulose has a fine dust that will enter thru the smallest of areas. the bath fan for instance has openings in the housing. the cut where it fits thru ceiling is oversized. this cut should be sealed with mastic tape. back draft damper should be properly installed and vented out of insulation..perferably out of attic. the sloped ceiling is another place that will de-rate the overall R-value of the install. as are each recessed light (1 unsealed IC light = 1 sq ft of uninsulated attic space) you can see by the dirt on the batts how leaky the can lights are. if they don't address them from in the attic you may be able to install an ICAT insert and trim from inside the house. expect to pay $15 for insert, plus trim. you will need to brand name and model number of the recessed light. once you retrofit them use cfl's for more savings. if the attic is 1200 sq ft, and bid is for 944 sq ft, then 256 sq ft is the storage... I guess. I don't know what your starting out R-value is or what they plan to install. but as an energy rater (note rater not auditor) we have to deduct for areas like sloped ceilings, recessed cans, storage areas and all areas that have less insulation than overall. the attic staircase when not properly sealed and insulated derates the insulation install, and air leakage from this and recessed cans further are also penalties. I'm learning that these are some of the many differences between raters and auditors..and when utilities are involved in providing work for auditors and incentives the quality of the audit/rating is in question. if some company is paying a portion of your fee, you are not unbiased and working 100% for the homeowner. I've found hvac companies to be bad at sealing their own work.. best of luck.

I don't have access points like that in this house, but in a rental we lived in many moons ago we had the ugly cord, but since it was in the kitchen it drove me nuts. Since the access was near a corner I changed the cord out for a piece of thin tapestry (maybe 9 inches wide) which I bought in a scrap bin. I but a thin binding on it and hung a pretty tassel on the pointed end with the goal of making it look like an old servants bell pull I'd seen in a Victorian house. My sil liked it so much she did one as well but she embroidered service on hers :). No servants ever came when you pulled either but at least they were pretty lol. Now a quick note from the safety commission......if your drop down ladder is an older Werner ladder you should check it's serial numbers with recall sites. They have literally killed or caused significant brain damage due to a part that fails and causes the thing to slam down on your head when you pull them down. I learned this after another Werner ladder that had been recalled failed when I used it, causing me to lose our second baby and breaking my wrist very badly. The recall notices were posted in ladder areas of home improvement stores but who goes there if they already have a ladder? Werner went banko over the attic ladder so if you have one you end up assuming the cost if a new one, but it's cheap in comparison to permanent brain damage or death of you or a family member so pretty please.....check if your ladder is over five years old? Off my ladder soap box and sorry ab

brickeyee, thanks, sounds like a plan. Wherever the fiberglass is reaching the top of the joists, we'll just put some blocks up. Great :)

You're cool. The forsythia should be up in a couple weeks anyway, and it just means you're covered earlier rather than later! Besides, the action that wears away at the layer is bacterial, which isn't very active in cold weather. So the next two weeks don't count as much. I effectively consider the clock stopped from late November through mid-March, so my September application is actually active through June. Experience bears that out. Weed sprout, if any, will be minimal in spring.