Making an Upper Level Floor More Comfortable in Pittsfield, MA

A Homeowner called us out to their historical home built in 1900 in Pittsfield, MA to take a look at a problem they were having. They originally called us to give a full Home Energy Evaluation to help understand what was going in in their home. The problem they were having was due to no insulation in the attic, resulting in ice damns in the winter. When we got to the home and performed our Home Energy Evaluation we noticed that there was no insulation at all in the attic. This specific style home has a sloped roof, with knee-walls in the attic that are very difficult to keep warm or cold depending on the season. This knee wall is directly above a bedroom. The lack of any insulation was making it extremely hard to cool and heat the upper level of their home, in the bedroom living spaces. This made these homeowners uncomfortable in their home all year round.

To fix this problem, we use our Super Kneewall Treatment. Since we have no old insulation to take out and dispose of, we can get right to blocking and air sealing. First, we use our 4" SilverGlo insulation boards to block off air from getting through the ceiling joists and bays. Our SilverGlo expanded foam insulation boards are infused with graphite which increases R-Value by 24%. Around those blocks, we spray our one part foam to seal the edges and make sure no air can travel through the cracks. Then, we install our SilverGlo foam boards under the rafters up to the knee-wall and also sealed with one part foam. Now we have properly sealed so that outdoor conditions can no longer effect this living space. Next, we have to dense pack the roof slopes with our TruSoft cellulose insulation to stop air flow as well as insulate this non insulated attic. Our last step is to blow our TruSoft cellulose insulation above the flat ceiling. Thanks to Dr. Energy Saver by Eco Energy Solutions, these homeowners can now live more comfortable in their bedrooms all year long! They also will no longer experience ice dams!!!