“He checked out our crawl space and came out with pictures and great explanations. Little did I know that our vapor barrier had been damaged and our wood was starting to mold. He was great at explaining the best insulation methods for our crawl space and gave us separate quotes for each of the projects. Their lead time is fantastic, they keep up with their jobs, so you are only waiting a few days after you make your decision.”
Cassie SweetenGoogle ReviewFiberglass Batt Insulation · Northwest Arkansas
Fiberglass batt insulation: a tried and true product, installed right
Batts have insulated Northwest Arkansas homes for decades, and the product itself has not gone anywhere: precut panels sized to fit standard stud and joist spacing, installed by hand in open walls, floors, and ceilings. We install batts alongside blown-in fiberglass and BIBS, and we will tell you plainly which one your project actually needs.
What it fixes
- Open stud walls in new construction with nothing installed yet
- Additions and remodels with the framing already exposed
- Cold floors over an unheated crawl space
- Sound carrying through an interior wall
A tried and true product that has been around for decades
Fiberglass batts are the product most people picture when they hear the word insulation: precut panels faced or unfaced, sized to friction-fit between studs, joists, and rafters. The technology is old, and that is not a knock on it. It has stayed the standard for new construction and open-wall work for decades because it does its job at a straightforward cost, and a correctly installed batt performs exactly as rated.
We install batts on plenty of jobs alongside our other insulation systems. It is one more honest answer in the kit, not a fallback.
Standard R-values for Northwest Arkansas homes
Batts are sized to the cavity they fill, and the common sizes cover most of what a house needs:
- R-13 or R-15 batts in standard 2x4 walls
- R-19 or R-21 batts in 2x6 walls, common in newer construction with deeper framing
- R-30 and R-38 batts for ceilings, in the same range the Department of Energy recommends for this climate zone
- Batts sized for floors over unheated crawl spaces, run between the joists
- Sound-rated batts for interior walls, where the goal is quiet rather than temperature
Which sizes a given house needs depends on the framing that is actually there, which is why we measure before we quote rather than assuming from the plan set.
Where batts are the right call
- New construction, while the walls are still open and every stud bay is reachable
- Additions and remodels at the open-wall stage, before drywall goes back up
- Garages and shops being finished out, where the budget and the use of the space do not call for anything more
- Floors over crawl spaces that need standard depth restored
- Interior walls where the goal is sound control between a bedroom, office, or media room and the rest of the house
The honest limit: batts are only as good as the fit
Batts are only as good as the fit, and that is the one place the product asks more of the installer than blown-in or BIBS does. A batt is manufactured flat and rectangular. A real stud bay usually is not: wiring runs across it, outlet boxes interrupt it, plumbing cuts through it. Every one of those forces a cut, and a gap, a compression, or a void left around the obstruction quietly costs R-value that never shows up on the label.
That is not a reason to avoid batts. It is the reason careful installation matters more with this product than with almost any other, and it is exactly why BIBS exists for owners who want to beat code minimum rather than just meet it: the blow-in blanket system packs fiberglass around every obstruction at a controlled density instead of asking a cut panel to fit around it. For a straightforward open wall with a normal run of wiring, a well-installed batt performs fine. For a wall crowded with obstructions, or for anyone chasing performance past the minimum, BIBS is the upgrade.
What installation looks like
We measure the cavities, confirm the sizes needed, and cut and fit each batt by hand, working around wiring, boxes, and plumbing rather than compressing the material to make it fit. Vapor retarder facing goes toward the conditioned space where the assembly calls for it. Gaps at the top and bottom plates and around penetrations get sealed rather than left loose, since that is where a rushed batt job loses the most performance. Most open-wall packages for a single-family home are finished in a day.
Batts, blown-in, or BIBS?
All three are fiberglass, and the right one depends on where it is going. Batts fit open walls, floors, and ceilings at a straightforward cost, and they are the standard choice for new construction and remodels with exposed framing. Blown-in loose fill is for horizontal surfaces, mainly attic floors, where it flows into corners a batt cannot reach. BIBS is for wall cavities where the goal is to beat a standard batt's real-world performance, particularly around wiring, plumbing, and sound control.
We install all three, so the recommendation is not steered by which one is on the truck that day. The free estimate is where we look at your actual walls and tell you which product fits, in writing.
Not sure what your house needs? One call, one honest answer.
Where we install it
Serving all of Northwest Arkansas
We take this work everywhere we install residential, from our Bentonville shop.
Also from WeatherGuard
- Spray Foam InsulationOpen and closed cell foam for attics, walls, metal buildings, and new construction. Seals air leaks and insulates in one pass.
- Blown-In FiberglassThe most cost-effective way to bring an under-insulated attic up to today's recommended R-value, usually in a single day.
- Crawl Space EncapsulationRemediation and encapsulation: vapor barrier, sealing, and conditioning that turn a damp crawl space into a dry, clean part of your home's envelope.
- BIBS Wall InsulationBlown fiberglass behind a fabric membrane for wall cavities. Denser than batts, better R-value, better sound control.
- Commercial InsulationSpray foam, BIBS, and blown-in systems for warehouses, shops, offices, and churches. Written scope, firm schedule, to spec.
- Metal Building InsulationClosed cell spray foam for shops, barns, and warehouses. Stops panel condensation, cuts summer heat, stiffens the structure.
111 five-star Google reviews
What neighbors say
“Hunter is a very hard-working man, and you guys do awesome work! I’d highly recommend this company!”
Jaden McfallGoogle Review“They did a great job on my 400 sqft project, in which I spray foamed. Priced well and they communicated well. Thanks!”
Jason GroteGoogle ReviewStraight answers
Fiberglass Batt Insulation questions
What homeowners ask before we start.
Are fiberglass batts better than blown-in insulation?
Neither is universally better; they fit different surfaces. Batts are precut panels for open walls, floors, and ceilings. Blown-in loose fill is for attic floors, where it flows into corners and around obstructions a batt has to be cut around. We install both and recommend based on the surface, not the margin.
Should I get batts or BIBS for my walls?
For a straightforward open wall with a normal run of wiring, a well-installed batt performs fine and costs less. For walls crowded with obstructions, or if you want to beat code minimum rather than just meet it, BIBS packs fiberglass around every obstruction at a controlled density instead of asking a cut panel to fit. We quote both ways when a house could go either direction.
What R-value do I need for walls and ceilings in Northwest Arkansas?
Standard 2x4 walls typically take R-13 or R-15 batts, and 2x6 walls take R-19 or R-21. Ceilings run R-30 to R-38, in the range the Department of Energy recommends for this climate zone. Which sizes your house actually needs depends on the framing that is there, which we measure before quoting.
Can you add batts to a home that is already finished?
Batts need an open cavity to install correctly, so they fit best in new construction, additions, and remodels where the walls are already exposed. For a finished home, blown-in fiberglass is usually the more practical way to add attic insulation without opening anything up. We will tell you which approach fits your house during the free estimate.
Do you install sound-rated batts for interior walls?
Yes. Sound batts in an interior wall cut noise between a bedroom, office, or media room and the rest of the house. If sound control matters more than temperature for a particular wall, BIBS is worth considering too, since the denser pack absorbs more noise than a standard batt.
How much do fiberglass batts cost compared to other insulation?
For a straightforward open wall, batts cost less than BIBS and less up front than spray foam, which is a big part of why they stay the standard for new construction and remodels with exposed framing. Price follows the square footage, the R-value your framing calls for, and how much wiring and plumbing the crew has to fit around. Every estimate is free, in person, and in writing.
Your house is leaking money. We have been fixing that since 1996.
One call. One honest estimate. A family standing behind the work.