fwfrog had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-361649-.htm
:
UPDATE:

Here's the breakdown for the original company that quoted us:
R-30 (12 inches) - $200
R-38 (17 inches) - $460
R-49 (18.5 inches) - $709
All I know is that it is blown-in fiberglass of some sort.

Here's the breakdown for the second company that quoted us:
R-38 - $548
R-49 - $698
(inches not verified)
This is the material that will be used, I believe:
http://tinyurl.com/blown-in

And from what I can gather, it looks like R-38 is a recommended minimum in
our area. http://www.simplyinsulate.com/savings/index.html

I'm not sure, but I think perhaps paying for expensive foam (which no one
quoted as of yet) would be overboard... but R-49 fiberglass from the
second vendor would be a good deal in the long run (rising energy costs,
resale value, etc.)

Thoughts?

-------------------------------------
fwfrog wrote:


(I had been posting in another thread, but I kept getting error messages
when I tried to add another reply. As such, I'm seeing if a new thread
will take my submission.)

We are thinking of adding insulation to our old home in Fort Worth,
Texas.
There's a subsidy program where the state pays for part of the
insulation
if you use a participating vendor.

Here are the price breakdowns for blown-in fiberglass*:

R-30 (12 inches) - $200
R-38 (17 inches) - $460
R-49 (18.5 inches) - $709

*I don't know any more about the composition of the fiberglass, other
than
it's blown-in, it's white, it's non-itchy, and it's very lightweight.

The 1,000 sq. foot house is 80+ years old with maybe a couple of inches
of
old cellulose in the attic. The attic is completely "open".

There's a gas furnace in the attic and a new electric A/C unit (14
SEER)
outside. We're more concerned about insulating for the heat vs. the
cold.

What's the best deal? (I've used online savings calculators--but they
don't seem to give consistent answers.)

Maybe I'm a little confused on R-values. Is the value # determined by
how
many inches you have blown-in? In other words, 12 inches provides R-30
protection. I couldn't have 12 inches of R-38... I'd need more inches
to
get the stronger R-value, right?

Or is the R-value an inherent quality of the fiberglass (like the SPF
value of sunscreen) where a higher R-value equals more
"protection"? In
other words, 18.5 inches of R-49 is greater than 18.5 inches of R-30.

Thanks again for everyone's help. I think I'm eventually going to
understand all this -- but you've got to start somewhere, right?





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On Feb 27, 10:23*pm, (fwfrog)
wrote:
fwfrog had written this in response tohttp://www.thestuccocompany.com/maintenance/Insulation-Question-36164...
*:
UPDATE:

Here's the breakdown for the original company that quoted us:
R-30 (12 inches) - $200
R-38 (17 inches) - $460
R-49 (18.5 inches) - $709
All I know is that it is blown-in fiberglass of some sort.

Here's the breakdown for the second company that quoted us:
R-38 - $548
R-49 - $698
(inches not verified)
This is the material that will be used, I believe:http://tinyurl.com/blown-in


So, just as I thought, something doesn't add up in the stated amounts
here. According to the link you provided from JM, for that
insulation:

R30 = 12.4"
R38 15.3
R49 19.1

So, the first company's quote looks totally wrong. It's impossible
for 1.5" more insulation to take it from R38 to R49. Plus, neither
the R38 nor the R49 correspond to the JM datasheet. I'd get rid of
them to begin with. If they can't see such any obvious discrepancy
in their quote, I don't want them around my house.

The second one looks more consistent, but we don't know the inches.
Assuming the are using the JM material, then you are paying $35.82 per
inch with the R38 and $36.54 per inch with the R49. That wouldn't
seem to be right either. One would think that with the larger amount
of insulation, the cost per inch would be less, not more. I base
that on the fact that there is a certain overhead for doing the job,
regardless of the inches blown in. Meaning the time spent quoting
you, travel time, set up time, clean up, etc are all independent of
whether they blow in 15 inches or 19 inches. There may be some issues
that make the extra 4 more difficult, so that it would drive up the
cost per inch of the whole job, but I tend to doubt it.

I would insist on the following in ALL quotes:

Specify the material and manufacturer
Specify the installed inches and R value.






And from what I can gather, it looks like R-38 is a recommended minimum in
our area. *http://www.simplyinsulate.com/savings/index.html

I'm not sure, but I think perhaps paying for expensive foam (which no one
quoted as of yet) would be overboard... but R-49 fiberglass from the
second vendor would be a good deal in the long run (rising energy costs,
resale value, etc.)

Thoughts?

-------------------------------------





fwfrog wrote:
(I had been posting in another thread, but I kept getting error messages
when I tried to add another reply. *As such, I'm seeing if a new thread
will take my submission.)
We are thinking of adding insulation to our old home in Fort Worth,
Texas.
*There's a subsidy program where the state pays for part of the
insulation
if you use a participating vendor.
Here are the price breakdowns for blown-in fiberglass*:
R-30 (12 inches) - $200
R-38 (17 inches) - $460
R-49 (18.5 inches) - $709
*I don't know any more about the composition of the fiberglass, other
than
it's blown-in, it's white, it's non-itchy, and it's very lightweight.
The 1,000 sq. foot house is 80+ years old with maybe a couple of inches
of
old cellulose in the attic. *The attic is completely "open".
There's a gas furnace in the attic and a new electric A/C unit (14
SEER)
outside. *We're more concerned about insulating for the heat vs. the
cold.
What's the best deal? *(I've used online savings calculators--but they
don't seem to give consistent answers.)
Maybe I'm a little confused on R-values. *Is the value # determined by
how
many inches you have blown-in? *In other words, 12 inches provides R-30
protection. *I couldn't have 12 inches of R-38... I'd need more inches
to
get the stronger R-value, right?
Or is the R-value an inherent quality of the fiberglass (like the SPF
value of sunscreen) where a higher R-value equals more
"protection"? *In
other words, 18.5 inches of R-49 is greater than 18.5 inches of R-30.
Thanks again for everyone's help. *I think I'm eventually going to
understand all this -- but you've got to start somewhere, right?

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Web and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup -
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##-----------------------------------------------##- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

fwfrog had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...on-361780-.htm
:
I'm not sure what brand company #1 was using for material. Would the
R-value/inch total still match the JM datasheet (even if they aren't using
JM)?

Also, I'm not sure if it matters, but company #1 gave us quotes that were
already discounted from a state government subsidy. (Although his R-49
quote wasn't offered freely. We only obtained this figure after a couple
of calls to the company. It seems high to me.)

Company #2 doesn't participate in the government subsidy program, but they
were referred to us by a friend of the family. We were told that company
#2 might give us a rate that they give to new home builders (which, I
assume, is less than they charge for an individual, off-the-street).

FYI... here's the website for company #2 http://www.garlandinsulating.com
We plan to call and inquire about the inch total next week.

I suppose company #1 is worth avoiding, if their math was so far off. I'm
sad this was a company recommended by the state's subsidy program!

-------------------------------------
So, just as I thought, something doesn't add up in the stated amounts
here. According to the link you provided from JM, for that
insulation:

R30 =3D 12.4"
R38 15.3
R49 19.1

So, the first company's quote looks totally wrong. It's impossible
for 1.5" more insulation to take it from R38 to R49. Plus,
neither
the R38 nor the R49 correspond to the JM datasheet. I'd get rid of
them to begin with. If they can't see such any obvious discrepancy
in their quote, I don't want them around my house.

The second one looks more consistent, but we don't know the inches.
Assuming the are using the JM material, then you are paying $35.82 per
inch with the R38 and $36.54 per inch with the R49. That wouldn't
seem to be right either. One would think that with the larger amount
of insulation, the cost per inch would be less, not more. I base
that on the fact that there is a certain overhead for doing the job,
regardless of the inches blown in. Meaning the time spent quoting
you, travel time, set up time, clean up, etc are all independent of
whether they blow in 15 inches or 19 inches. There may be some issues
that make the extra 4 more difficult, so that it would drive up the
cost per inch of the whole job, but I tend to doubt it.

I would insist on the following in ALL quotes:

Specify the material and manufacturer
Specify the installed inches and R value.


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Delivered via http://www.thestuccocompany.com/
Building Construction and Maintenance Forum
Web and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup -
alt.home.repair - 342876 messages and counting!
##-----------------------------------------------##