Blown-in insulation in Memphis TN - an even attic layer that reaches every edge
Hot upstairs rooms, drafty halls and a high power bill often trace back to a thin attic. We seal the gaps, then blow it full.
Should I add blown-in insulation to my attic?
Blown-in insulation is loose fiberglass or cellulose blown through a hose onto your attic floor. At Barrier Memphis Insulation Company, we spread it evenly to every edge so your whole ceiling slows heat moving through it. For most Memphis houses with a few thin inches up there, it's the simplest way to make the upstairs more comfortable and ease the power bill.
If the upstairs runs hot, the room over the garage never feels right or the hallway is drafty, the attic is usually the first place I look. The price mostly turns on how big the attic is, how many inches are already there, how many gaps need sealing and whether wet or dirty material has to come out first, and the material you pick moves it too. The schedule turns on the same things, because a removal adds a step, and on whether your address needs a permit. I'll go up into your attic and give you your own figure at the estimate.
How we install blown-in insulation
When I come out for the estimate, I go up into the attic first, because what's already there decides the rest. I count the inches you have, look for insulation that's wet, matted or full of droppings, and find the eave vents, can lights and flues. Then we help you pick cellulose or fiberglass based on your attic and what matters most to you. On install day our crew starts with air sealing, closing the gaps around lights, pipes, wires and the hatch, so the new layer isn't fighting a draft. We set baffles at the eaves to hold the insulation back and keep the vents open, and we keep the new layer back from flues, chimneys and hot fixtures. Then we blow it in evenly from edge to edge, not deep in the middle and thin at the sides.
Fresh fill over a bad layer just buries the problem. If what's up there is soaked, moldy or full of droppings, we start with insulation removal and blow onto a clean floor. If cold floors or the crawl space are part of the story too, I'd rather look at your home insulation as a whole than sell you an attic job that fixes half of it.
Topping up a dry layer
This suits most attics, where the old insulation is thin and settled but still clean and dry. We seal the gaps and blow new fill right over it, so you pay for material and sealing, not tear-out.
Clearing out and starting over
This is for attics where the old layer got soaked by a roof leak or became a nest for rodents. It costs more and adds a step, but it's the only way the new layer doesn't hide the problem.
Spray foam instead of loose fill
Foam costs more and seals air while it insulates, and that makes sense when your ductwork lives in the attic. For most other attics, sealing the gaps and topping up with loose fill usually wins, and I'll tell you so.
Blown-in insulation in Memphis and the attics we open up
In Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, Construction Enforcement is the office that issues construction permits and inspects building work. Whether blowing insulation into your existing attic needs a permit is that office's call, so we check for your address before the work goes on the calendar instead of guessing. If you'd like to ask them yourself, that's the office to call.
Across Memphis we open a lot of older attics with a few inches of settled fill, can lights from decades back and eave vents already buried under old insulation. We're based in Memphis and work the cities around it in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, and we find much the same attics in Bartlett and Southaven, so we plan the same prep there.
Blown-in attic work up close
Why call us for blown-in insulation
I give the estimate myself
I come out to look at your attic and give the estimate myself, and our installers do the work. The person pricing your job is the one who has actually seen your hatch, your can lights and what's under the old fill.
Heating and cooling before insulation
I spent years in heating and cooling before I started this business in 2021, so fresh air and anything that burns fuel come first on my list. Before we tighten up your attic, I want to know your furnace and water heater will still get the air they need.
Licensed and insured for attic work
We're licensed and insured. That matters when a crew is walking the joists above your ceilings, so ask about it at the estimate the way you would with anyone.
Permits handled when they're needed
When a job calls for a permit, we handle the application and set up the inspections with the city or county office that covers your address. You don't have to figure out which office that is in Memphis, Shelby County or across the state line.
Start with someone looking at your attic, because the order of the work matters more than the material. Ask for an estimate and tell us what's up there now and whether you have can lights.
(901) 203-1514Get a blown-in insulation estimate for your attic
We reply to every call and message within one business day, and I'll set a time to come out and look at your attic myself. The estimate is free, done at your house and comes with no obligation.
Blown-in insulation questions from Memphis homeowners
How much does blown-in attic insulation cost in Memphis?
Attic insulation in Memphis usually costs about $1,400 to $4,500 per job. Where yours lands depends on the attic's size, how much is up there now, how much sealing it needs and whether old material has to come out first. I'll give you your own figure once I've been in the attic.
How do I get help paying for attic insulation through MLGW or TVA in Memphis?
If your household qualifies by income, MLGW's Share the Pennies now runs through TVA's Home Uplift, which gives free improvements such as attic and wall insulation. For a TVA EnergyRight rebate, the work has to be done by a member of TVA's Quality Contractor Network and meet TVA's standards on the day it's installed. Check that with whoever you hire before you book the job.
Should I pick cellulose or fiberglass blown-in insulation for my Memphis attic?
Pick fiberglass if your roof has a history of leaks, and cellulose if you'd rather pay less and stop more air. Federal building guidance says loose-fill fiberglass settles 2 to 4 percent and survives a soaking, while cellulose settles 10 to 20 percent and breaks down when saturated. Fiberglass also costs more and slows air less well. I'll walk you through it in your attic.
How deep should blown-in attic insulation be in Memphis?
ENERGY STAR recommends about 14 to 20 inches for most attics, or around R-49 to R-69, R-value being how well insulation slows heat. The depth you need depends on the material, so compare quotes by the R-level each one reaches as well as the inches. I'll tell you how many inches you have now when I'm up there.
How do I know a blown-in insulation quote includes air sealing first?
Look for air sealing written into the quote as the first step, before any insulation goes in. Typical blown-in insulation lets air leak through it, so the leaks get sealed with caulk or foam first. If a quote goes straight to blowing, ask what happens to the gaps around your lights, pipes and hatch.
What should I do if my attic has old vermiculite insulation?
Leave it alone, and don't let anyone blow new insulation over it until you know what it is. Federal guidance says vermiculite may contain asbestos, so it should stay undisturbed. It usually looks like small gray-brown or silvery pebbles, and if I spot it at the estimate, we stop and tell you before any work is planned.
Ask for a blown-in insulation estimate in Memphis
Call (901) 203-1514 or send the form with a note on your current insulation and any can lights, so I know what to look for.
