Home insulation in Hanahan SC - even rooms and a house that holds its cool

Insulation work of any kind in the Charleston area usually costs about $1,300 to $4,500 per job, and that's the going rate around here, not a quote from us. A top-up in one easy attic sits toward the low end, while a job that starts with pulling out old material and then covers both the attic and the crawl space sits toward the high end. I'll put the figure for your own house in writing once I've seen it.

Yes, the gaps get sealed before new insulation goes in, because insulation slows heat but doesn't stop air pushing through a hole. The usual order for attic work starts with a check for live knob and tube wiring, vermiculite, an older pebbly loose insulation, roof leaks and bath fans that vent into the attic, then making sure anything that burns fuel is safe and the indoor air stays healthy, then attic ventilation, then sealing, then insulating. Anything we find in that first check gets handled before we seal.

You can do it yourself if your attic is easy to get into and move around in, since the federal homeowner guides treat sealing and adding attic insulation as a do-it-yourself job in that case and say it usually takes a day or two. On hot Hanahan days start early, because the attic heats up as the day goes on, drink plenty of water and wear a particulate respirator or a dust mask with two straps. If your attic is low, cramped or crowded with ductwork, that's usually when hiring a crew makes more sense.

There isn't one best pick, and it comes down to fiberglass versus cellulose. Loose-fill fiberglass is lighter and a soaking won't ruin it for good, but it doesn't slow air moving through it as well as cellulose and it costs more. If your roof has a history of leaks that counts for a lot, and I'll tell you which one I'd pick once I've seen your attic.

For most attics, sealing the gaps and topping up blown-in insulation, loose fill blown through a hose, gives you more for your money than spray foam. Foam costs more, but it seals air while it insulates, and that's when it earns its price, usually in a house where the ductwork runs through the attic. If foam isn't worth it for your house, I'll tell you so.

Yes, South Carolina's residential specialty contractor rules cover insulation installers on any job for a homeowner or builder that runs over $500. That license covers insulation for temperature or sound control, not foam or reflective coatings on the outside of a roof, which are roofing materials. We're fully licensed and insured, so ask us, and anyone else you're comparing, before work starts.