Ceiling insulation

[Garth Keel]

I am about to insulate the ceiling in the garage, no shop, and I was looking at R-38. This rating was about 1.15 a sq ft. If I used three levels of R-13 it w/cost about .72 a sq ft. total Is there any reason not to do it the cheaper way?

[Bryan Wellman]

Nothing wrong as long as you crosshatch the layers when laying it down. Also make sure you only have the vapor barrior on the first one. Next two layers need to be unfaced.

[Bill Clifton]

I had my house ceiling insulated. R-38 blown in by contractor - $0.49 per ft2. I was at work, my wife let him in and in 1 1/2 hours I had 1000 ft2 covered. Easiest job I didn't have to do.

[Ole Anderson]

Ditto Bill. Insulating is a messy job, the pros can often do it less expensive than you can buy the material at the BORG. Just had my garage and house insulated. Key, like anything else, is the prep work. Make sure you have enough soffit and ridge vents, that you install the soffit baffles between every truss, and any recessed light fixtures are either rated for insulation contact or are boxed.

Three layers of R-13, if they are kraft faced, could cause some moisture movement problems with the multiple layers.

[David G Baker]

I agree with Bryan W.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I found it cheaper to have fiberglass blown in than to do it myself. Prior to that as I installed the ceiling, I put cardboard insulation dams in each area between rafters so that was already done. Then when I priced it out, it was cheaper to have the pros do it. They were here less than hours, did a bangup job and cleaned up their own mess.

I'd price it out first before doing it yourself.

[Bob Riefer]

Wow, I'm glad I read this thread, I did all my insulation to this point myself and boy was it a pain in the butt. I never even considered calling a pro but I will for the remaining insulation I will be doing this spring.

[Ron Natalie]

Didn't price it, but last time I was in Lowes they had blow in insulation and would loan you the machine to do it.

[Jim Laumann]

I had 14-16" of glass blown in to mine. I priced the insulation at Lowes and Menards. Since my building is sided with steel, I was glad Menards told me to not use Cellulose, as there is a chemical in it that will attack the steel.

W/ Menards, I had to rent the blower, Lowes would let me use it w/ a minimum # of sq/ft. Bottm line - the materials at either store came to about $850 for 30x40, and to have it blown it by a contractor - was a $1000, and I didn't have to fetch, return the machine, nor did I need a helper.

Jim

[Garth Keel]

I never thought of checking with the pros. Yes, the Creek is worth the money for sure!

[Jim Becker]

Depending on the brand/product of the R-38 insulation, (batts) it may be stiffer/denser which makes it far easier to install overhead than layering several R13/R15 batts. If you do layer, you need to use unfaced product for the top two layers and the layer that gets above the height of the joist would normally be run perpendicular to the lower layer(s). The R38 material will typically be compressed slightly between the joists (which holds it in) and will expand enough that most air gaps will be eliminated. (This is less true with older R19 and R30 batts) Batts vs blown in obviously is another decision. Batts go in before you rock the space. Blown in goes in after the rock. (ceilings)

As to using pros, they can buy the material for less than you and their labor on top is often reasonable enough that the cost is only a little more than a self-install...without the cold showers to get rid of the itch.

I happen to prefer blown in for attic spaces to batts. Overall...I prefer closed cell spray foam. Bigger cost up front, but amazing R-value per inch and increased structural support.