What is best insulation for a 2-story house?

Question:House built in 1968 with fiberglass in the attic. Have looked at Radiant Barrier vs blown-in for the attic and blown for the walls. Price is a consideration but not the main concern. Is Radiant Barrier an easy do-it-yourself?? How long to do 1200 sf attic??

Answers:
Before starting insulation, check weatherstripping arround doors and operating windows. Purchase a good caulking gun and good quality caulking for the materials you are using it on. Remove old cracked caulking and replace with new caulking. Do a google or yahoo search on methods of caulking. These are the easiest and cheapest ways to reduce heat loss in an older home.

Radiant Barrier claims are over exagerated. It is only effective when the shiny surface has 3/4" to 1" air gap and the surface is shiny. It dulls over time due to moisture and dust. When insulating the attic, make sure not to obstruct the attic ventilation. Check with local build standards for the correct ratio of one square foot of ventilation to roof area in square feet (Example 1 sqare foot of ventilation for each 300 square of roof area). Roof area is greater than attic area because of the slope.

Blown in fiberglass insulation is better if it is done by a reputable contractor. They can also advise you on the required ventilation. Do a google or yahoo search on local contractors starting with the closest moving out concentrically from your home. When you find at least 3 you are satisfied with, contact them for written estimates. If they give a verbal estimate and the written estimate is greater than 10% higher get another until you have 3 written estimates with stated guarantees. Make your choice from them.

You could do batts yourself. Can be hot, dirty, and very ichy even with protective clothing and masks. Batts to be effective have to be fitted (cut to size - 1/2" wider at width and 1" longer at length. Do not compress. Compressing a 6" thick batt into a 3 1/2" joist space gives you an insulation value less than the equivalent 3 1/2 " batt.

There is no easy way to completely insulate walls due to fire blocking, spaces above and below windows and doors. Most effective way is to remove the wall finish on the inside and insulate. Many houses built at that time were solid masonary, not frame or brick veneer. Most solid masonary homes only have 1" X 2" strapping nailed on the inside of the outside walls. No insulation, lath board and plaster applied directly to the 1" X 2" strapping. If your house is solid masonary there is not enough space to blow in insulation.

Good Luck.