Free calculator
DIY Bags or a Crew? Price Your Attic Insulation Both Ways
Enter your attic size and pick R-38 or R-49. You get the cost of buying the cellulose and borrowing the blower, the cost of hiring a crew, and the gap between them. Every number is published 2026 pricing from the sources named below, not an invoice of ours.
Bags plus free blower
$926
58 bags at $15.97 each, 10 percent spare included.
Across $14 to $22 a bag: $812 to $1,276.
Blower rental is free for 24 hours: 58 bags clears the 20-bag threshold at Home Depot and Lowe's.
Crew, installed
$1,400 to $2,500
$1.40 to $2.50 per sq ft, labor and material.
The published range does not change with R-value, so the same figure applies to R-38 and R-49. Regional swings of 10 to 25 percent are normal.
The difference
Doing it yourself costs less across the whole crew range: $474 to $1,574 less than a crew, before your time.
Bags and labor only. Extras land on both routes, so they do not move the gap. A DIY job is two people and a full day.
Totals with your extras
- Extras
- None selected
- DIY bags, total
- $926
- Crew, total
- $1,400 to $2,500
Coverage used: 19.0 sq ft per bag at R-38, plus 10 percent spare.
Price source dates. Crew range: CurrentCost guide dated August 14, 2026. Bag prices, coverage and the free-blower rule: CraftedCalcs retailer survey, 2026-Q2. Figures checked against both pages on October 8, 2026. Prices move, so confirm locally.
Where every number comes from
Nothing here is estimated by us. The figures are copied from our cellulose installation cost breakdown and the pages it cites, which were re-read on October 8, 2026.
| Input | Value used | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Crew, installed | $1.40 to $2.50 per sq ft | CurrentCost attic guide, August 14, 2026 |
| Bag price | $14 to $22, shelf $15.97 | CraftedCalcs retailer survey, 2026-Q2 |
| Coverage per bag | 19.0 sq ft at R-38, 14.1 sq ft at R-49 | CraftedCalcs retailer survey, 2026-Q2 |
| Spare material | 10 percent | Same survey; reproduces 58 bags at R-38 and 78 at R-49 for 1,000 sq ft |
| Free blower | 20 or more bags, 24 hours | CraftedCalcs blower rental guide, 2026 |
| Old insulation removal | $0 to $350 | CurrentCost, waste bags and cleanup, August 14, 2026 |
| Baffles or soffit changes | $0 to $320 | CurrentCost ventilation line, August 14, 2026 |
What the calculator leaves out
It prices blown-in cellulose at two targets and nothing else. Fiberglass, spray foam and other R-values need their own sources, so they aren't guessed at here. Your labor isn't priced either. DIY is two people and a full day, and the hopper needs near-constant feeding.
Extras are added to both routes at the same amount. That's deliberate: the sources don't say a crew quote includes them, and the article says to ask for each as a separate line. So they change your total but not the gap.
My read, and you can argue with it: if the two totals land within a few hundred dollars of each other, hire the crew. The day you save is worth more than the difference.
Check the bathroom before the bags
Tick the bath fan box and the tool puts the order of work above the numbers. The short version: where the duct ends, how it slopes, and whether the ceiling below is air sealed all come before a single bag goes in. Our guide to attic insulation and bathroom moisture explains why, and attic duct insulation covers the supply ducts that share the space. The tool gives you what to check and in what order. It can't see your attic, so treat it as a prompt, not a diagnosis.
Questions people ask
Is it cheaper to blow in cellulose yourself?
Sometimes, but by less than most people expect. At R-49 a 1,000 sq ft attic takes about 78 bags, so materials are most of the bill. Against a crew quote at the low end of the 2026 range, the saving can shrink to nothing, and you still spend a day hauling bags with a helper.
Why does the crew price stay the same for R-38 and R-49?
Because the source does not split it. The CurrentCost guide gives one installed range for blown-in cellulose and does not pin an R-value to it. Guessing a step between the two would be inventing a number, so the calculator does not.
Why is there no price for air sealing or recessed light covers?
No cited source publishes a dollar range for either. Rather than make one up, the calculator asks for the figure from your own quote. Ask any crew to price both as separate lines, because a quote that skips air sealing is not comparable to one that includes it.
Can I still claim a federal tax credit for insulation?
Not for work done in 2026. The 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit ended on December 31, 2025. Work finished by that date can still be claimed on a 2025 return. Check your state energy office and your utility for rebates, and price the job as if the rebate is zero.
What is the 20-bag blower rule?
Home Depot and Lowe's both waive the 24-hour rental of the insulation blower when you buy 20 or more bags of loose-fill cellulose. Some other products use a 10-bag threshold, and store policies vary by location, so confirm at the rental desk before you count on it.
Related reading
- Exterior foam insulation cost covers the bigger project and the same credit change.
- The October home maintenance checklist has a slot for this job.