Complete cavity fill, no voids
Blown-In (BIBS) Insulation
BIBS blows loose fibre behind netting until the cavity is packed solid — around every wire, pipe and brace that a batt has to be cut around.
What it is
BIBS stands for Blow-In Blanket System. A tough netting is stapled across the open stud cavity, and loose fibre is blown in behind it under pressure until the cavity is completely, uniformly full. The result is a seamless blanket that flows around wiring, outlet boxes, plumbing, fire blocking and diagonal bracing instead of being cut and stuffed around them.
That is the whole point. A batt is a rectangle, and a wall cavity almost never is. Every notch, compression and gap in a batt install is a spot where the wall performs below its rating. BIBS fills what is actually there, which is why the same wall assembly measures higher when it is blown rather than stuffed.
In a 2x6 wall BIBS reaches R-24, and in a 2x4 wall R-14 — and because the fill is dense and continuous, it is also one of the best sound-control products we install.
Already finished? Drill-and-fill
- If your walls are already closed up, we do not need to open them. Drill-and-fill retrofits blow insulation into existing cavities through small access holes, which are then plugged and patched.
- It is the practical fix for an older Barrie home with hollow or half-empty walls — the ones that are cold to the touch on a windy February day and cost a fortune to heat.
- The access holes are 2" and are drilled into the drywall or wood, typically from inside the home and only rarely from the outside — so your siding, brick or stucco is usually never touched.
- NEEDS: confirm who is responsible for the final patch and paint on drill-and-fill jobs — you, or the homeowner's painter
In detail
Everything else worth knowing
The fiberglass blown-in wall system
The fiberglass blown-in wall system is the next upgrade from conventional fiberglass batt insulation. The product is injected into the wall to a manufacturer-specified density, achieving an R-24 value in a 2x6 wall cavity or R-14 in a 2x4 cavity.
Installing blown-in insulation requires a licensed contractor. The process involves applying a fiber mesh over the stud wall cavity, then injecting blown fiberglass insulation into the cavity behind it. The blown fiberglass gets in and around all wires, plumbing, electrical outlets and other hard-to-insulate areas — by far the better overall product.
The product does not settle over time, and it will not absorb moisture, so it does not lead to mould and mildew issues.
Proven to perform 50% better than batt
The blown fiberglass wall system is proven to perform 50% better than conventional fiberglass batt insulation. Installed by certified installers, you get a true working R-24 fiberglass wall with zero voids.
In most cases fiberglass batt insulation is either compressed or improperly fitted into the wall cavity, creating an enormous number of voids. That results in poor R-value and possible mould issues in your home. With the blown-in wall system you get true working insulation in a full wall cavity with zero voids.
Acoustical (soundproofing)
Even with its insulating R-value, blown-in fiberglass can be injected into interior walls and floor joist systems to give superb acoustical properties. Injected into 2x4 interior wall construction, an STC of 50 is achieved — real peace and quiet in the areas that need it.
Injected into floor joist cavities, the product gets around plumbing lines, vents and heating ducts, giving you soundproofing and insulation at the same time and stopping heating and cooling loss before it reaches its final destination.
Drill and fill — finished walls, older homes
Finished walls? An older Victorian-style home? Do you even know whether your walls have insulation in them? We can fill the wall cavities by injecting blown fiberglass insulation.
The process involves drilling 2" holes into the drywall or wood, typically from the inside of the home and only rarely from the outside.
Older homes typically had no insulation at all and relied on a double wall system with an air gap between — balloon framing, where the air gap was the insulator of the day. With today's energy costs, injecting those walls with insulation simply makes sense and puts money back in your pocket.
Benefits
Why homeowners choose it
No voids, no settling
Blown at density behind netting, the fill cannot slump the way a loose or poorly fitted batt can.
R-24 in a 2x6 wall, R-14 in a 2x4
Higher effective performance than a standard batt in the same cavity, because the whole cavity is actually full.
Excellent sound control
Dense fibre fill is one of the most cost-effective ways to quiet a bedroom wall, a media room, a home office or the floor between storeys.
Fits around everything
Wiring, junction boxes, plumbing, bracing and odd stud spacing all get wrapped rather than worked around.
Works in finished walls
Drill-and-fill upgrades a house that is already built, without gutting it.
Cost-effective at scale
For large open wall and attic areas, blown-in gives you most of the real-world performance gain for a lot less than foam.
Where we apply it
Where blown-in goes to work
New construction walls
Netted and blown before drywall — the standard BIBS application.
Attics and attic top-ups
Blown loose-fill to bring an under-insulated attic up to a current, even depth.
Existing exterior walls
Drill-and-fill retrofit for homes built before wall insulation was taken seriously.
Interior sound walls
Bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, laundry rooms and media rooms.
Floors between storeys
Cuts footstep and voice transfer between levels.
Floors over garages and cantilevers
Fills the joist bays completely instead of leaving cold gaps.
Our process
How the job runs
- 1
Assessment
We check cavity depth, framing, existing insulation and whether the walls are open or finished.
- 2
Netting or access
Open walls get netted. Finished walls get small, planned access holes.
- 3
Blowing to density
Fibre is blown until the cavity is packed to the specified density — not just filled to the eye.
- 4
Plug, patch and verify
Access holes are plugged and patched, depth markers go up in attics, and coverage is verified.
- 5
Cleanup
Hoses out, drop sheets up, floors vacuumed.
Why us
Why choose Barrie Insulation Systems
Straight recommendations
If a cheaper product will do the same job in your house, we will tell you. We would rather have the referral than the upsell.
Certified applicators
Spray foam is installed under CAN/ULC-S705.2 by certified applicators — not by whoever was available that morning.
Clean, tidy work sites
The thing our customers mention most in their reviews. Floors protected, debris hauled out, space left ready for the next trade.
Four systems, one contractor
Spray foam, BIBS, batt and removal under one roof, so the quote is for the right product in each area of your house.
Local and accountable
Based in Barrie, working across Simcoe County and the Kawartha Lakes area for more than 15 years.
Free, no-obligation quotes
We come out, look at the actual building, and give you a written price.
What customers say
Blown-in customers most often mention how much quieter and more even the house feels afterwards. 15 five-star reviews on Google.
Just finished a project with Peter and team on our home. An area of our home was discovered to be un-insulated. Peter consulted with us and in a very timing manner solved our issue. The team did a great job, very personable and a pleasure to work with. Spray foam can be messy, not for the team at Barrie Insulation. Arrived, completed the job and even scraped the area's where over spray occurred. Highly recommend this team - True professionals.
These guys provided a very reasonable quote for some spray foam and blown in insulation, went above and beyond to get it done on our timeline (including working on a Saturday), billed according to the estimate and were great throughout the process. Very happy with their work and would definitely recommend them to others.
Blown-In (BIBS) Insulation — frequently asked questions
How is BIBS different from batt insulation?
Same family of material, completely different install. A batt is a pre-cut rectangle that has to be trimmed and fitted around whatever is in the cavity. BIBS is blown in loose behind netting and packs the cavity solid, so the small gaps and compressions that quietly cost you R-value do not exist.
Will blown-in insulation settle over time?
Not when it is installed correctly. BIBS is blown to a specified density behind netting rather than simply poured in, which is what keeps it from slumping and leaving a cold strip at the top of the wall.
Can you insulate my walls without taking the drywall off?
Usually, yes — that is what drill-and-fill is for. We drill 2" access holes, typically from inside the home and only rarely from the outside, blow the cavity full, then plug and patch. Most jobs never touch your siding or brick.
Is blown-in good for soundproofing?
It is one of the best value-for-money options. Dense fibre fill absorbs airborne sound between rooms and between floors. For a serious media room we will also talk to you about the drywall and the door, because insulation alone never solves a sound problem completely.
How much insulation should my attic have?
Modern Ontario attic targets are far deeper than what most older homes were built with, and many attics we open are at half of it after decades of settling. We measure what is up there and quote the top-up depth — and if the existing material is contaminated or wet, we recommend removal first.
BIBS or spray foam — which do I need?
If the cavity is standard, dry and accessible, BIBS gives you excellent value. If you need an air and vapour barrier, high R-value in a shallow space, or you are dealing with a rim joist, crawl space or cathedral ceiling, spray foam is the right tool. Most homes we quote end up with a combination.
Other services
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