I also have a plywood floor over most of my attic & want to add more insulation. I was told I would need to remove the plywood floor, add 2X6's to give me ~10-12" of depth for batt insulation to achieve a R-38, & replace the plywood (I need the storage). However, since I have some black mold spots on the ceiling of 3 of the 4 upstairs rms, I think there may be a problem with the vapor seal. I think I should pull up the plywood, take out the old insulation, wash down the attic floor with bleach, & make sure there's a proper vapor seal, before I put down new insulation. I also thought that if I used rigid insulation, I could achieve the desired R-38 or higher with the existing 5-6" depth. Does anyone know approximately how much more expensive would it be if I covered ~70% of my ~900 ft2 attic with rigid insulation, rather than using batt insulation? Does anyone have any experience installing rigid insulation? I couldn't find the episode of TOH which showed it, but from what I've read, it seemed as if I could do it myself. What did you do? Anyone else have any advice? Initial cost is an issue, but so is difficulty & time to recoup the cost. Although rigid insulation is more expensive, I think I could save money by installing it myself. On the other hand, since I would have to raise the existing plywood floor by ~6", in addition the cost of the 2X6's, I would need to hire someone to do the work. BTW, I have a 45 yr old colonial in CT near LI Sound. That is why I want to increase the insulation to R-38. Thanks.

I need the input from some of you insulation gurus to know how to proceed with this house. Originally a ranch, it is now conisdered a cape, since part of the attic was bumped out to form two extra bedrooms and a bath. A door in the hallway leads to the unfinished part of the attic. There is ample room to stand up in most of it, and there is a crawl space over the bedroom wing. There are two air handlers (system is hydronic forced air), one in the standup part, and one in the crawl space. The old insulation, rock wool, is mostly exposed and dirty at this point, and dried out and flaking. I know we get some of the filaments coming down through high hat openings in the bathrooms, and I'm convinced, althoughthe HVAc company says "no", that a good bit of it is getting into the duct work, which explains a very dusty house, and problems breathing since we moved here three years ago. W had major ice dam issues for two years, owing to the heat in the attic,and a warm roof. We just had a second roofing job done (yes, we have done two), now bringing the ice shield down over the eaves onto the soffits, to prevent water backup from the gutters as the ice melted. This has also, I think, warmed up the attic even more. The HVAC company does not want to see the temps dropped up there, due to the equipment. I had two insulation guys here, one of whom wants to rip out everything accessible, including the insulation in the crawl space, which is stuffed between the beams . There is no actual floor in that section. I worry about the electrical and plumbing lines, and damage which might be done while they rip out and replace. They also want to insulate the ceiling, effectively making the attic part of the living space - which would aso, they say, keep the warm air from going up to the roof, and protect the equipment. Second insulation guy says it is imppossible to rip out the old insulation on the floor of the crawl space ( perhaps it is just too much work??) and wants to staple new insulation over it, but remove and replace what is accessible in the main part of the attic. He has said "no" to insulating the roof line, stating that in the summer it would be hotter than Hell!! Someone else told me it could cause the roof to rot (vapor barrier?). So now I have two different takes on this, but my major concern is getting rid of the loose stuff which is permeating the house, as much as possible, and possibly keeping the air a little cleaner. Another aspect of this might be keeping the warm air on the first floor from going up to the second floor, costing a lot more to heat the house. I just don't know which of these guys makes more sense, and whether one or the other has a valid argument. Can anyone help with this??? Thanks!

First I'm assuming that you're talking about fiberglass batt insulation. If it is just matted down because it has been stepped on, then yes you can can fluff it back up to a larger thickness. If it has been rearranged to form nests, then your best bet is probably to remove and replace it with new. Depending on the extent of the activity, the possibility exists that it is covered with urine, droppings, etc. from the rodents and (assuming that all activitiy has been arrested) you may want to clean out the attic and re-insulate anyway. I know first-hand that this is a real crappy job, but worth it when it's done. Check any wiring up there also to see if they gnawed on it.

My mom went through the rebate program with approved contractor's. She called three different contractors one kept cancelling. One didn't even bother to look at her attic or bring a ladder and barely talked about what would be done. The third took their time, through inspection and well written estimate. She went with #3. She didn't have a as many things as you have listed done. Had some insulation blown in about 20 years earlier but not much. This time mostly blew in more insulation, some sealing done and air seal tests done (or whatever they were called. Baffling replaced. Additional roof vents added. There were three, two added. Wasn't as expensive as yours. FYI, we are in Minnesota. That summer the home was definitely cooler. But winter came and there was a hot spot on roof above kitchen so they were called to look at. They sent out two seemingly more experienced (older than the two employees who originally did work). They were there for two days, about 10 hours plus fixing baffles that were not quite right and more sealing in kitchen area. But, in the end it made a difference in heating costs, from what they can tell, I don't have numbers, they don't either. Your attic may be more complicated (parents roof has only 2 planes) and may just need more work to complete the job. FYI: the second crew that came to fix the hot spot said that the hot spots were probably caused by the soffits above the kitchen cupboards. He said from their experience they tend to trap heat from the outside and from kitchen, and are hard to really ventilate properly above them. It seemed a probable explanation since it was the only area there was a problem. I see insulation on the underside of roof decking. I thought that was a big no-no because it traps cold/heat in attic and can cause condensation in cold weather. Unless you have a hot roof which yours is not. From your pictures you will definitely greatly benefit upgrading your insulation. It looks very inadequate. The $4800 doesn't sound out of line for all the work listed to be done. The materials are inexpensive but the labor is what is the lions share of the costs. I kind of like the second company although the 8800 shocks a bit. But the spray foam insulation on knee walls is an extra more costly treatment. Do they check your eave vents for blockage and install baffling, make sure you have adequate roof vents? They do have to keep customers happy if they want to be on the approved list of contractors so there is that.