Walk into your attic and look at the joists. If you can see them, you need more. Building code says you should be looking at 14 to 16 inches of loose-fill above the joist tops in this climate. Most Austin homes built before 2010 are well short of that.

Usually yes. If the existing attic insulation Austin homes have is dry, clean, and not compressed, we can top it off. If it’s contaminated, water-damaged, or rodent-impacted, it has to come out first. We make the call on-site after we inspect.

Code minimum for attic insulation Austin homes is R-38. We install to R-40 as our standard on full reinstalls, and we guarantee that R-40 in writing. If you want to go further, we can install to R-49 or R-60 as an upgrade. The cost difference between R-40 and R-49 is small. The performance difference is real but smaller than most homeowners expect. R-40 already gets you the bulk of the gain over code minimum.

Fiberglass holds its R-value for the life of the house if it stays dry and undisturbed. Cellulose holds up well too, with some settling in the first year that we account for. Real-world enemies are roof leaks, HVAC techs walking on it, and rodents. Most attics need attention every 20 to 30 years, mostly because of those three things, not because the insulation itself failed.

Yes, on every job. Insulation without air sealing is half a job. We seal top plates, wire penetrations, plumbing chases, and recessed lights before we blow. Air sealing is included in the install pricing at no upcharge. That is roughly $800 in value most contractors charge separately for. It is the single biggest reason our installations actually perform the way insulation is supposed to.

Three things in one price. Air sealing the attic floor before we blow. Sanitization of the attic space if there has been any rodent activity, water staining, or general buildup over the years. And the new insulation itself, blown to R-40 and guaranteed in writing. Most contractors charge for these as three separate line items. We bundle them because doing one without the others is leaving money on the table for the homeowner.

Older non-IC-rated cans need a 3-inch clearance from insulation. We either install IC-rated covers over them (code-compliant, cheap, quick) or we maintain the clearance and seal around the boxes. We don’t bury non-IC cans. Fire risk.

Yes. The R-value works both directions. Most Austin homeowners notice the summer benefit first because that’s when the system is fighting hardest, but the winter heating bill drops too. The house also holds temperature longer when the AC or heat cycles off.

A blown-in fiberglass top-off runs $1.38 per square foot, and a full reinstall to R-40 is $2.00, with air sealing included on both. Most Austin attic insulation contractors keep pricing off the page. Ours is listed, and you get the firm number on-site.

Both. If the existing insulation is clean and dry, we top it off. If it’s contaminated, wet, or compressed, we remove it first, then reinstall. You get the removal and replacement priced separately so you can see what each part costs.

For a flat attic floor, yes. Blown in insulation fills around joists, wires, and ducts with no gaps, which batts can’t do once they hit an obstruction. We use batts for knee walls, vaulted ceilings, and new construction, not bulk attic coverage.

We do, and we have since 2001. Home & Office Insulation is a local crew, not a national franchise or a lead-selling site that hands your name to three contractors. The same lead installer who walks your attic for the free estimate runs the job and does the final walk with you. We cover Austin and the suburbs out to about 35 miles from downtown, including Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Buda, and Kyle.

A blown-in fiberglass top-off runs $1.38 per square foot of attic floor. A full reinstall to R-40 runs $2.00. Air sealing is included in both prices. Removal, if the old material has to come out, is priced separately at $1.67. A typical 1,500 square foot attic top-off is around $2,100 depending on how much depth it needs. We measure and give you a firm number at the estimate, and the estimate is free.