Challenge:
This 1970’s home was built when insulation code levels were low, and fiberglass was used. The owner was never comfortable in his own home and wanted to finally fix this. It has been “re-insulated” in the 1980’s but it didn’t help much.
Solution:
Our attic inspection found low levels of inefficient fiberglass, a disconnected exhaust vent, and a nut left by a critter (see 3 photos).
In the crawl space, there was lots of sagging fiberglass (see 2 photos).
To solve all the issues, this owner chose to insulate the attic and the crawl space. All attic insulation was removed (and so were the hazelnuts some critter had stored in there!), leaking places were air-sealed, can light covers (a very leaky spot) were installed and air-sealed to the attic floor (see photo), and the vent was properly vented to the outside. Because of that vent dumping moist air into the attic, mold had started to grow, so our crew applied MoldX-2 to stop the mold. They then blew in cellulose insulation to the higher R-60 level.
In the crawl space, all those fiberglass batts and the ground cover were removed to prepare for a crawl space encapsulation. The new layers were laid down, starting with the special drainage matting and ending with the 20-mil white cover that is also taped down at the seams. The foundation walls were sealed with closed-cell spray foam, and a SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier was installed. (see photo)
Photos:
