Insulation
Attic Insulation in Charleston, SC
Air sealing first, depth second.
Air sealing first, depth second.
Quick answer: Adding attic insulation without air sealing first is the most common way to spend money and feel nothing. Recessed lights, top plates, plumbing and wiring holes and the attic hatch get sealed, then ducts in the attic are sealed and insulated, then depth is added, which is the cheap part. Southeastern Renovation insulates attics in the Charleston area and York County as a licensed SC general contractor (CLG.127339). Call (843) 718-8177.
Related: Why Is One Room Always Hotter Than the Rest of the House?.
Air leaks come first. Recessed lights, top plates, plumbing and wiring penetrations and the attic hatch let conditioned air out and humid air in, and insulation laid over an unsealed ceiling insulates the air that is already moving past it.
Ductwork in the attic is the other big one. In this climate a duct run through an unconditioned attic loses a meaningful part of what the system produces before it ever reaches a room, and sealing and insulating those runs often returns more than the insulation itself.
Depth matters after that, and it is the cheap part once the sealing is done.
We take this work across greater Charleston, from Summerville and Goose Creek to Mount Pleasant, West Ashley and the sea islands, and on the York County side around Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. More on our insulation services.
Not first. Air sealing the ceiling comes before depth, because insulation laid over unsealed penetrations is insulating air that is already moving past it.
Sealing is the cheaper half and does more.
It is frequently the biggest single loss in the house. Ducts running through an unconditioned attic here lose a real share of what the system makes before it reaches a room, and sealing them often returns more than the insulation.
More than most older houses here have, and depth is the cheap part once the sealing is done.
The sequence matters more than the number.