Granville, MA's Dependable Attic Insulation and Air Sealing Company!

This homeowner in Granville, MA called us because she had water in her basement. There was water coming through the wall, and she wanted to get it fixed. She also wanted her home to be evaluated in general. She was in need of insulation in her basement.

We had the perfect solution for this customer! We utilized two-part expanding spray foam. We insulated the rim joist (the perimeter of the floor framing system along the exterior of the home). We spray this foam in the rim joist and over the sill plate. Insulating the rim joist in this way seals all air leaks -- filling in the cracks and gaps that are present there. This prevents outside air from getting into the home. The homeowner is now very happy, and he is much more comfortable in his home! 

This homeowner in Granville, MA called us hoping that he would be able to help him with his attic. He wanted his insulation replaced due to a mold issue. Since attics are vented, we should think of them thermally as outside in the winter. In summer because of the suns radiant heat, they are much worse than outside, reaching 130˚ on summer days. Clearly, we need to keep an absolute boundary between our living space and the attic so inside air doesn’t move to the attic in the heating season (convection), and heat doesn’t pass up through our ceilings in winter (conduction), and down from our ceilings in the hot summer (conduction, radiation). To reduce overall air leakage, the attic is the first priority because warm air rises to the top of the house and finds any and all holes to leak out into the cold vented attic and is lost. Holes, gaps and joints include between drywall and framing at the top of walls, around pipes, wires, electric boxes, fixtures, duct, penetrations, ceiling grilles and joints in framing. And the only reason cold air leaks in from the outside at the lower levels of the house, is that warm air leaked out of the top and created a suction at the bottom. 

We had the perfect solution for this customer. Adding insulation in an attic without sealing all air leaks first should never be done, because it is just burying air leaks and making them impossible to seal later - and insulation DOES NOT STOP air leaks. That’s why, in this solution, we first carefully air seal the many various points where air from the home leaks up into the attic and is lost. Our premium TruSoft™ cellulose insulation is blown to the optimum R-value (typically R60). TruSoft™ will not burn, get moldy, or attract pests. Blown insulation fills all gaps and odd shaped voids, and by filling over framing members, “thermal bridging” is avoided.

This homeowner in Granville, MA called us when he discovered mold and damp insulation in his attic. Our Home Comfort Specialist came out to the home to do an evaluation. When we did our evaluation, we noted several things wrong with the home that caused issues. One of these things was a lack of air sealing. Since attics are vented, we should think of them thermally as outside in the winter. In summer because of the suns radiant heat, they are much worse than outside, reaching 130˚ on summer days. Clearly, we need to keep an absolute boundary between our living space and the attic so inside air doesn’t move to the attic in the heating season (convection), and heat doesn’t pass up through our ceilings in winter (conduction), and down from our ceilings in the hot summer (conduction, radiation). To reduce overall air leakage, the attic is the first priority because warm air rises to the top of the house and finds any and all holes to leak out into the cold vented attic and is lost. Holes, gaps and joints include between drywall and framing at the top of walls, around pipes, wires, electric boxes, fixtures, duct, penetrations, ceiling grilles and joints in framing. And the only reason cold air leaks in from the outside at the lower levels of the house, is that warm air leaked out of the top and created a suction at the bottom. Attics are dramatically under-insulated compared to today’s standards. Result - cold drafty rooms downstairs, colder floors, house is harder to heat and keep comfortable, higher fuel and electric bills.

We had the perfect solution for this customer. We were able to help them, in part, by air sealing and re-insulating the attic after removing the damp insulation. Adding insulation in an attic without sealing all air leaks first should never be done, because it is just burying air leaks and making them impossible to seal later - and insulation DOES NOT STOP air leaks. That’s why we first carefully air sealed the many various points where air from the home leaks up into the attic and is lost. After that, our premium TruSoft™ cellulose insulation was blown to the optimum R-value (R60). TruSoft™ will not burn, get moldy, or attract pests. Blown insulation fills all gaps and odd shaped voids, and by filling over framing members, “thermal bridging” is avoided. Results - a warmer, more comfortable, less drafty house that the homeowner will notice everywhere - even downstairs! House is quieter. Fuel and electric bills are lower.