Had a small hole in the flashing around the vent pipe in the roof, enough to let a little snow in and form a pile in the attic. Water eventually leaked into the ceiling and down the wall. Have a hallway that needs wall and ceiling painted, and a bedroom that needs a ceiling painted -- all I can do myself. Other than the flashing needing repair in the roof, my other concern is attic insulation. The estimate for all repairs is less than $1500 and with a $500 deductible, I'm not submitting a claim to my insurance company for work I can do myself. My question is...how hard is it it install attic insulation? Is it a "girl-friendly" job!? I'm pretty handy when it comes to this kind of stuff, not afraid of getting dirty or itchy! I understand that the wet needs to come out. Should I hire someone to blow insulation in, or can I use the rolls and do it myself? thanks! Jen

I hope I put this in the right section - if not, I apologize. Feel free to move this wherever it needs to go. That said, I have a somewhat urgent question for all of you. Short version: is it worth it to replace the original (40 years old) fiberglass insulation on the exterior walls, or should I just leave what's in there alone? The moisture barrier has several rips and tears, so please take that into account. Longer version: I am in the process of re-drywalling several rooms in our house. We have some rather dark wood paneling in every room that is glued to the existing sheetrock. Since I am also rewiring the house (currently we have NO ground at all, and it's playing havoc with my computers and other electronics) we have stripped the drywall and paneling off and are down to bare studs. The existing insulation has no R-value listing, and looks to be about two inches thick. We live in Kansas City, so we have hot summers and fairly cold winters (at least this one has been). ANY advice you can offer would be immensely appreciated. I don't mind the extra work and expense IF it would be money well invested. Again, many thanks. Wes in KC