SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Blog

How Is Insulation Added to an Existing Home?

Higher energy costs may have you questioning where you can start saving. At Koala Insulation of Southwest Florida, we always talk about how updated insulation and air sealing can save you on average at least 15% on heating and cooling bills. However, many homeowners are worried about replacing existing insulation; doesn’t that require you to tear up the drywall or floorboards? Experienced insulation technicians are able to remove and reinstall material with little to no impact on the house. Our industry professionals have broken down the steps to add the best insulation material for your home’s needs.

How Insulation is Added to an Existing Home

Inspection & Evaluation

The first step to adding insulation that will be both cost-effective and efficient is to have the area inspected. If you’re familiar with your home’s R-value needs and calculating deterioration, this can be an easy DIY project for you and your household. If this isn’t a part of your handyman experience, no worries: Koala Insulation of Southwest Florida offers free evaluations to determine the current condition of your home’s insulation and air sealing so you have an accurate assessment of where material may need to be removed and reinstalled.

The R-value of your insulation is a measurement of how efficiently the material reduces heat transfer. This is the rate at which heat enters and exits a building; with a higher R-value, the material more effectively slows the movement of heat through your walls, floors, and ceiling. An evaluation will also give you the estimated cost of the job, which may depend on what type of insulation you choose to have installed.

Choosing Insulation

While many homeowners are aware that there are numerous insulation choices - fiberglass batts, blown-in cellulose, and spray foam are just a few common options - they aren’t always familiar with the differences and benefits between each. Your home has a very specific set of needs that are affected by factors like your climate zone, regional building regulations, and even your local weather.

For example, while you may want to have fiberglass batts installed in between the ceiling joists because that was the material previously installed, an evaluation may reveal that closed-cell spray foam is a better replacement. This material provides an effective vapor barrier and has a higher R-value per inch at an average of R-6.9 compared to an average of about R-3.4 on fiberglass batts. When it comes to understanding your home’s needs, researching and consulting with local experts can significantly affect your choices.

Attics

Once you’ve determined where new material needs to be installed and what kind of insulation works best, it's time to understand how insulation is installed. You're probably the most familiar with the insulation in your attic - if it's an unfinished attic space as opposed to another living area, the material will be along the floor and in between ceiling joists.

If you have blown-in material along the floor, the deteriorated or damaged insulation will be vacuumed up for disposal. To reinsulate in areas that aren't damaged by pests or moisture, the insulation team adds blown-in material to an appropriate R-value. For the ceiling, batts are easier to remove than existing spray foam, as they typically just need to pop out of the space. This material can be cut in order to fit snugly into the space it needs to go. Spray foam that needs to be removed can be scraped off and then reapplied by a certified technician.

Basements & Crawl Spaces

The situation is similar for unfinished basements that have exposed pipes, wiring, and beams. Underneath the floor of the upper level and on exposed walls, batt or spray foam insulation is typically used. It’s also crucial to check the air sealing in this area to prevent moisture from the ground and air leaks. Caulk is the simplest way to fix small cracks, gaps, and holes, but industry air sealant may be required for more significant damage.

Insulating your crawl spaces is a great way to reduce heat loss through your floors, which makes up about 10% of heat loss in a home. Installing material between floor joists and around piping can be tricky, though, depending on your access points. The easiest way to reinsulate this area is to cover the ground and crawl underneath to inspect the material. Crawl spaces need to have strong vapor barriers in order to prevent cold floors and mold or mildew growth, so updated material is very important to consider when inspecting your home.

Walls

Luckily, you don't necessarily need to remove drywall to add insulation to your walls. Instead, by cutting a hole in the exterior siding or near inconspicuous corner points, blow-in or spray foam can be added. The cut-outs are then replaced, sealed, and painted over to restore the area. The most tricky part of the job may come from having to remove any existing insulation.

To remove insulation, part of your wall sheathing or the drywall needs to be removed in order to gain access to the deteriorated or damaged insulation. If there are batts, pulling them out and vacuuming the remaining debris is one of the less complicated methods. For blow-in, you simply need to vacuum the material out of the wall. Once that's complete, the wall is replaced and the process to reinstall new insulation is started.

Understand Your Insulation Needs with Professional Advice

It's important to note that these methods are simplified explanations of installing insulation in an existing home. While your insulation team can explain more in-depth about their process for removal and reinstallation, these steps are the basic building blocks of having a better understanding of the material within the house.

Installing new insulation can vary from a simple DIY project to a more complex renovation that requires a skilled team - it’s all about your home’s needs. At Koala Insulation of Southwest Florida, our team of industry experts is dedicated to bringing you and your household comfort, safety, and savings. Contact our industry experts to schedule a free evaluation and learn more about insulation’s impact on your home.