What to Expect When We Insulate Your Attic

Are you considering having your attic insulated, but a bit concerned about the whole process? Maybe you want to fully understand what you’re getting into — either before you make any decisions or because you’re worried about the decisions you’ve already made. Don’t fret. We’ll cover everything you need to know about having your attic insulation installed, replaced or added to, from step one through to the end, starting with what you need to know to make informed decisions.

Things You Should Know Beforehand

If you’re getting your attic insulated, you probably have issues with draftiness, energy bills, ice dams in the winter or similar headaches. To make sure these are fully resolved in a way that fits your budget, attic usage considerations and general preferences, you need to know a few things about insulation.

R-value. R-value describes how well a material resists the flow of heat through itself. Most of Wisconsin is in what’s called Climate Zone 6, which means the EPA and other bodies suggest insulation of R-49 to R-60 for attics. How high you go might depend on a number of factors, like wind exposure.
Insulation type. There are several options for attic insulation, but the most popular ones are fiberglass batts, loose-fill and spray foam. Batts are fiberglass panels like in your walls. Loose-fill is fiberglass or cellulose loosely stacked in your attic. Spray foam is a wet spray that dries into an expanded foam and is often, but not always, put on the roof and walls of the attic rather than the floor.
Should I keep old insulation? Do you want to add new layers on top of existing batts or loose-fill, or do you want to go all-new with your insulation? Old insulation is usually fine, even if it’s lost some of its R-value over time (or never had a good one), but you might want to remove it for health reasons, to save space, or because you want to change your attic in a way that isn’t compatible with the old insulation.

Letting the Installers Know What You Want

Once you’ve figured out what you want done with your attic and what your long-term expectations are in terms of using it for storage, ignoring it completely or finishing it out for spare rooms, make sure the team knows your plans and expectations. This will guide them in how they install your insulation, so you won’t be left with new problems you didn’t anticipate when they’re done.

Be sure to also voice any special concerns or considerations you may have before any work is done.

The Day of Installation

Different types of insulation require different installation processes, but the broad strokes will be the same. It will be a single-day project in most cases, though you may need to stay out of your house for 24 hours to let certain forms of insulation dry safely, due to fumes they might let out. Blown-in insulation and spray insulation can both involve a lot of noisy machinery.

The area we’re working in will be covered in plastic to avoid contaminating your home with stray insulation. This is part of how we’ll clean up when we’re done, to make sure your home looks exactly the way it did when we first arrived.

What You Can Expect Afterward

It shouldn’t take long for you to notice the improvement in overt issues like draftiness or serious heat loss from a poorly insulated attic. It may take longer to spot the change in your energy bill, depending on when the next energy bill comes in, but you should be pleasantly surprised by the difference.

In the long term, you’ll get to enjoy improved value for your home, thanks to the new insulation and improved energy efficiency you can mention to future buyers.

Parting Thoughts

Whether you’re already committed to being a customer or you’re still in the exploratory phase and working up to getting insulation, it’s good to be informed. If you have other questions or things you don’t quite understand, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask.

Alpine Insulation looks forward to hearing from you. Reach us by dialing (866) 261-1090 or by messaging us online.