cellulose blown in creates a better seal than batts. But it will settle a little over time. I prefer cellulose blown in. I think cellulose is also heavier and denser. I had only 2 inches of pink batts in my attic rafters. I filled about 6 inches of cellulose over the top of this. Its helped quite a bit. It doesn't seem to have settled much.

Just had the insulation done yesterday in the attic. The insulation guys (as well as I) could easily see that there was virtually no insulation in the attic--as in NO "R" factor, whatsoever. We had 19 inches blown in although I don't know if it was cellulose or fiberglass. It is white, looks kind of like that packing material "peanuts", though not hard like that. I have already noticed a BIG difference in how much warmer it is and how much less the furnace is coming on. I thought I would see how this goes and then if we have to do the walls, we will. I am curious as to whether anyone has any photos of what it looks like when they do this to your walls, as in how many holes there are, how big, etc. Our walls are drywall, I am guessing (though not totally sure), and the texture is something that would be hard to replicate if we were to patch it so I am wondering exactly how intrusive this would be.

Judy, You are obviously doing a good deal of research about your house before making plans, which is a very good idea. I am attaching a link to the entire Preservation Brief series, where you will find a wide range of topics covered, including the most up-to-date editions (available, now, for free on the net). I have a couple of comments about your proposed plans. For your attic I would suggest adding additonal layers of fiberglass on the outside thirds of the attic floor. You can just lay it right over what you have there. (You may need to poke around a bit to discover where you can safely walk on the joists to get the material all the way out to the edge.) For the middle third, I would pull the floor, and insulate that cavity. It's OK to use a combination of materials. In my plastered house I have a thin layer of fiberglass, followed by as much high R-value foam sheets as will fit in order to get the highest R-value in the space available, without putting undue pressure on the plaster or squashing material under the flooring. In your 75- year old house you probably have balloon framing which is easier to blow in insulation than some other type of framing. But blown in material may present problems due to lack of a vapor barier, and if you follow through on your plan to add vinyl siding, that may exacerbate the problem. If your wood siding is still sound, you could have it scraped and sanded and repainted. Vinyl siding inevitably results in a change (and not for the better in most cases) of the details of your houses' exterior appearance. You could also have the siding removed, along with underlayers of sheathing, etc. and insulate (and add air and moisture barriers) before reinstalling the cleaned-up siding, though this is big job. I would opt for just scraping and repainting. As for your proposed new windows, well, I wouldn't do that either, if your existing windows aren't completely rotten. In most instances wooden windows can be vastly improved energy-wise by rehabilitation, instead of simply replacing them. Unless you are extremely lucky or prepared to devote enormous sums to having exact replicas made, the new windows will be, at best, a compromise stylistically. The loss of both the siding, trim and window details will change your houses' appearance significantly. In this year of energy-cost worry, it is hard not to spring for any and all improvements, but you can make a big dent in your energy-use by adding additional insulation to your attic, good weatherstripping around doors, diligent caulking all over the house, perhaps even temporary interior storm windows, etc. These relatively small-scale jobs will give considerable payback in both energy costs saved and increased comfort. And they will buy you time to assess the big picture and find solutions that do not result in so much loss of your house's historic character. With old houses, I find it's really important to go as far as you can in adding energy efficiency, but not worry much if you can't achieve R-49 in your attic. That's the standard for new constructin and in most old buildings not a realistic goal. Good luck with your house! Molly~ Here is a link that might be useful: Home page for Preservation Brief series

So what is better, fiberglass or cellulose? https://www.minisplitheat.com/ Fiberglass Insulation Material Made up of sand and recycled material Can be batts or blown Most common/cost-effective Highly effective as thermal insulation Resists both mildew and mold Can last 30 years Often comes with a lifetime warranty Comes in a range of R-Values Nonflammable Cellulose Insulation Material Made up of recycled newspaper, magazines & cardboard Itch-free insulation material Comes in a range of R-Values Resists insects Highly effective as thermal insulation Resists both mildew and mold Needs just 8.1” to achieve an R-30 Provides soundproofing Soft material for insulation Fire-retardant