Insulation Before & After in Austin, TX
We can talk about R-values and air sealing until the cows come home, but nothing lands the point like seeing the work itself. These before-and-after projects are real Austin homes we’ve worked on, with the dry evidence of what a difference proper insulation makes. The photos below give you a straight look at what our crews see: the mess, the missing coverage, the wasted energy. And then what it looks like when the job is done right. We’ll drop new photos in as we finish more projects, so check back if you want to see what’s coming out of Austin attics lately.
Recent Transformations
Blown-In Attic Insulation: Southeast Austin Ranch
The original attic had maybe three inches of settled fiberglass batts from the 1980s, and the upstairs bedrooms were hitting 84 degrees by 4 p.m. in July. We air-sealed the top plates and can lights, then blew in 14 inches of GreenFiber blown-in fiberglass to hit R-38. The homeowner called us back two weeks later to say the upstairs finally matched the downstairs temperature, and their July electric bill dropped by 31 percent. That’s the kind of before-and-after we like to hang our hat on.
Spray Foam Insulation: Encapsulated Attic in Hyde Park Bungalow
This Hyde Park bungalow had a vented attic with fiberglass batts that were sagging and full of rodent tunnels. The homeowners wanted the attic as conditioned storage space, not a 140-degree oven. We removed the old batts and applied open-cell Demilec spray foam to the roofline, sealing the attic completely. Before, you could feel the heat radiating through the ceiling downstairs. After, the attic stays within 5 degrees of the house, and the homeowners use it for holiday storage without worrying about melted candles.
Spray Foam Insulation: Rim Joist Sealing in Pflugerville Two-Story
The rim joist, where the foundation meets the floor framing, is where most homes leak air like a screen door. This Pflugerville house had fiberglass stuffed into the rim joist bays, which is about as useful as a wet blanket for air sealing. We pulled the old fiberglass and applied closed-cell Icynene spray foam across every rim joist bay around the entire perimeter. The before photos show daylight coming through the gaps. The after photos show a solid, continuous thermal break. The homeowners said the floors stopped feeling cold in January, which is exactly what we told them would happen.
Blown-In Attic Insulation: Cedar Park Two-Story with Hot Master Suite
This Cedar Park home had R-19 batts in the attic, which is half of what Austin’s climate needs. The master suite sat over the garage and baked all summer. We blew in an additional 10 inches of Owens Corning fiberglass over the existing batts, bringing the total to R-60. The before photos show sparse, uneven coverage with visible gaps around the HVAC ducts. The after photos show a smooth, even blanket of insulation across the entire attic floor. The homeowners reported their master bedroom dropped 6 degrees at the same thermostat setting.
Spray Foam Insulation: Metal Building Workshop in Manor
A metal building in Manor is basically a solar oven without insulation. The owner used this 40-by-60 shop for woodworking, but the inside hit 115 degrees by noon in August. We applied two inches of closed-cell CertainTeed spray foam directly to the metal walls and roofline. The before photos show bare metal studs and roof purlins with zero thermal barrier. The after photos show a clean, continuous foam surface that dropped the interior temperature by 25 degrees on the first full day after application. The owner said he could finally work in the shop after 10 a.m., which is the whole point.
Attic Air Sealing and Blown-In Insulation: Round Rock 1970s Split-Level
This Round Rock split-level had original insulation from 1976, which meant about four inches of compressed, dirty fiberglass that wasn’t doing much of anything. We air-sealed every penetration in the attic floor and then blew in 16 inches of Johns Manville fiberglass for R-49. The before photos show the old insulation blown away from the soffit vents and packed down around the bathroom fans. The after photos show clean soffit baffles, sealed penetrations, and a uniform layer of new insulation. The homeowners said their heating bill in February was cut nearly in half, and the house stopped feeling drafty on windy days.
Want Results Like These?
Every project above started the same way: a homeowner who was tired of hot rooms, high bills, and an attic that wasn’t pulling its weight. We start with a straight conversation about what’s going on, then we give you a written price before any work begins. If you see something here that looks like your house, call (361) 418-9997. We’ll take a look and tell you what we see. No pressure, just an honest assessment.
Written by Glenn Hartley, Owner at Woolsey Insulation Austin, serving Austin and the surrounding metro since 2002.