Attic insulation top-up to R-50
The single most cost-effective insulation job on a Calgary home: fresh blown-in fiberglass over what you already have, done right, in about three hours.
Transparent pricing
| Package | Price |
|---|---|
| Top-up to R-50 (our standard) | from $1.65 /ft² |
| Top-up to R-60 (max value, cathedral-adjacent or long-hold homes) | from $1.95 /ft² |
| Air-sealing package (pot lights, plumbing stacks, wall top-plates, hatch) | $300–$800 |
| Soffit baffles / venting correction | included as needed |
| Typical 1,100–1,500 ft² home, all-in | $1,900–$2,900 |
Every quote is fixed-price after a 15-minute attic look. No fuel surcharges, no "while we were up there" extras. GST additional.
What's always included
- Vermiculite & wiring screen before anything is disturbed (pre-1990 homes especially).
- Soffit baffles so the new depth never chokes your attic ventilation.
- Heat-source clearances — proper dams around furnace flues, chimneys, and non-IC pot lights.
- Attic hatch upgrade — insulated and weatherstripped (a surprisingly big leak in most homes).
- Depth markers + ruler photos corner to corner, before and after. You keep them.
- Bag-count receipt — manufacturer coverage charts say how many bags R-50 takes; we show you the empties.
- Clean exit — floor protection in, vacuum out.
What's probably in your attic right now
| Home built | Typical attic today | Approx. R-value |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1960 | 2–4″ wood shavings, rock wool, or nothing | R-5–R-10 |
| 1960–1979 | 4–6″ batts or loose fill, settled | R-12–R-16 |
| 1980–1995 | 8″ blown fiberglass or cellulose | R-20–R-28 |
| 1996–2015 | 10–14″ blown | R-30–R-40 |
| New code (today) | ~18–20″ blown | R-50–R-60 |
Not sure? Open your attic hatch and hold a tape measure against the insulation — or just book the free check and we'll photograph it for you.
The honest caveat: if you're already at R-40+, a top-up rarely pays and we'll tell you so on the spot. The best candidates are pre-1995 homes, cold bonus rooms, and houses with ice-dam problems.
Why the air sealing matters as much as the fluff
Warm indoor air leaks into the attic through pot lights, plumbing stacks, wall top-plates, and the hatch. In a Calgary winter that leaking air doesn't just waste heat — it carries moisture that frosts the underside of your roof sheathing, then drips when chinooks roll through. Sealing those penetrations before we blow is the difference between a fluffy attic and a dry, warm one. It's also the main defence against ice dams.
Three hours to a code-level attic
Fixed quote after a free 15-minute look. CEIP financing available — $0 out of pocket, paid on your property taxes.
Book the free attic check