BiggerPockets

Hi, putting in insulation is one of the easiest DIY projects I can think of, the hardest part is getting in the attic! If you can't get in there, any kid that mowes lawns could do that for you with supervision. Less utility costs for a tenant equals greater desirablity in a property which equals justifications for higher rents, not only is it a responsible thing to do, it adds value to the property! It's probably less than a $100! Bill

Putting in insulation is pretty well an accepted DIY project, like painting a room. If your property is viewed as a commercial property there might be a permit required as some places are pretty much control freaks. In tight spaces, use duct tape and tape a clothes pin at the end of a pole, an broom might work or a PVC pipe. Snap the paper back in the clip and slide the insulation into place. Usually it's paper side toward the insulated space, depending on your area, but for humid areas with A/C it may be, paper toward the heat, check with your local insulation supplier . Lay it in between the ceiling joists. Since you can't staple it in place and seal it up, lay an unfaced roll over that running the other direction and slide them tightly together, but don't smash it up, it's the fluff and air space that aids in insulating the space. If you can climb a ladder, lift 20 pounds and crawl, you can do this. Good Luck, Bill

This is one of those areas where you might want look at tenant quality. I know it is not a sexy, money earner, but it does have its benefits.

One tenant in a three-bedroom, 2 bath, complained about his electric bills, in Florida and he was paying hundreds per month.

Good tenant, worth keeping, so I did the full blown-in deal for about 700.00 and his bills did drop dramatically and my ac unit isn't working as hard . Happy tenant now,still pays on-time, and into his third year there.

I can't comment of using a contractor versus DIY, but that stuffs dangerous to play with, and I would rather not breathe it in. Liability angle might come into play with just hiring a kid, don't know for sure.

GL

Originally posted by Gary Sinkowitz

This is one of those areas where you might want look at tenant quality. I know it is not a sexy, money earner, but it does have its benefits.

One tenant in a three-bedroom, 2 bath, complained about his electric bills, in Florida and he was paying hundreds per month.

Good tenant, worth keeping, so I did the full blown-in deal for about 700.00 and his bills did drop dramatically and my ac unit isn't working as hard . Happy tenant now,still pays on-time, and into his third year there.

I can't comment of using a contractor versus DIY, but that stuffs dangerous to play with, and I would rather not breathe it in. Liability angle might come into play with just hiring a kid, don't know for sure.

GL

Gary, how many squart feet of insulation was that for? They want $550 for an 1100 square foot house, in my situation. Thanks. (of course I'm going to call around to get more quotes)

It was about 1400 sq ft. NC Mark raised a good point about contacting the local utilities and see what kind of programs they are running.

Progress Energy has a program which I used, ending with the 700 price tag.

PNW is on the money too, tenants move over anything today, they can, and Florida AC bills are a killer.

I have a rental that is 50 years old and it really needed insulation so I went to Lowes and bought the blown in cellulose and if you buy like 25 bags you can rent machine for free. I think there around $10 a bag. So for $250 I did it myself with the help of a friend simply feeding the machine. It took less than 2 hours. Plus it was actually a big "selling point" to my current tenants because they specifically asked about the insulation and wanted something effecient.