Insulation & Mold Remediation Contractor in Greenfield, MA

This homeowner called us hoping to get her daughter's 10 x 10 shed insulated. They were hoping to utilize it as a studio space in the future, however, it was unfinished and quite cold. Heat moves from more to less - out of a building in winter, and into a building in summer. Insulation is needed to slow this heat flow down - the slower the better. Fiberglass insulation does a poor job stopping heat flow because it allows air to flow through and around it. Results - Uncomfortable spaces, high fuel and electric costs for heating and cooling.

We were able to help this customer using closed cell spray foam! Closed cell spray foam is very different. Because it adheres to all surfaces, expands in place, and air cannot pass through it, it not only stops air flow through all the holes and cracks in the building assembly and materials, but it is superior insulation. With an R-value of 6.3 per inch (double or triple of fiberglass) and it’s ability to stop air flow, you simply can’t get better insulation. One inch of closed cell foam sprayed in place is worth many inches of other insulation materials. This is why spray foam is used in most “zero energy” homes. Closed cell spray foam weighs 2 lbs per cubic foot. Special equipment is used to spray it. People and pets must vacate the structure during installation and for 24 hours or more after installation to vent the space. Results - A much more comfortable interior space, less drafts, space is easier to heat and cool.

This homeowner in Greenfield, MA called us hoping that we would be able to help her with her basement. It had only a very small amount of insulation in one section, and needed some more. In a basement, the “rim joist” is the perimeter of the floor framing system along the exterior of the house. The joints and gaps between all the framing members allow for a lot of air leakage into the house. The rim joist is seldom insulated and never air sealed. Basement ceiling insulation, especially fiberglass batts, doesn’t stop the flow of cold air into the home. Results - cold floors, drafty, uncomfortable rooms, cold basement/lower level, higher heating and cooling bills and more condensation in the basement or crawl space in the summer.

We had the perfect solution for this customer. In this solution, we spray foam the rim joist in the basement in order to seal and insulate it. Two part expanding spray foam is installed on the rim joist and over the sill plate to seal all air leaks from the outside and insulate this important area of the home. Our spray foam has a high insulation value per inch of R7, and because it expands, it seals all cracks and gaps and joints where air from the outside enters the home. Results - warmer floors, less drafts, more comfortable rooms, the house is easier to heat and costs less to heat, less summertime condensation on cold basement surfaces.

This homeowner in Greenfield, MA called us with concerns about his energy bills he was receiving for his home. Our Home Comfort Specialist came to the home to do his evaluation. During the evaluation, he noticed that the attic above the former breezeway - which was enclosed during a recent addition to the home - was unsealed and poorly insulated using fiberglass batts. 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.

Fogarty's Home Services was able to help this customer make a more comfortable home for his family and his wallet. We were able to re-insulate the poorly insulated section of the home. Adding insulation in an attic without sealing all air leaks first should never be done, because it is burying air leaks and making them impossible to seal later - and insulation DOES NOT STOP air leaks. That’s why we first carefully air seal the many various points where air from the home leaks up into the attic and is lost. We use expanding foam, boards, caulk, and metal flashing and fire caulk around the masonry or metal chimney as appropriate. If necessary, baffles (air chutes) are installed in each rafter bay to keep soffit vents clear and prepare for insulation. Finally, 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. 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.

This homeowner in Greenfield, MA called us with concerns about the home he co-owned with his elderly mother. He was concerned about the rate of her energy bills. When our Home Comfort Specialist arrived, he noticed that the basement was poorly insulated with fiberglass insulation in the rim joist. The “rim joist” is the perimeter of the floor framing system along the exterior of the house. The joints and gaps between all the framing members allow for a lot of air leakage into the house. The rim joist is seldom insulated and never air sealed. Basement ceiling insulation, especially fiberglass batts, doesn’t stop the flow of cold air into a home. Results - cold floors, drafty, uncomfortable rooms, cold basement/lower level, higher heating and cooling bills and more condensation in the basement or crawl space in the summer.

Our team knew the perfect solution to this problem -- using spray foam to re-insulate the rim joist. Two part expanding spray foam is installed on the rim joist and over the sill plate to seal all air leaks from the outside and insulate this important area of the home. Our spray foam has a high insulation value per inch of R7, and because it expands, it seals all cracks and gaps and joints where air from the outside enters the home. Results - warmer floors, less drafts, more comfortable rooms, your house is easier to heat and costs less to heat, less summertime condensation on cold basement surfaces.

Vented attics are hostile places - 30˚F in winter and 125˚F in the summer. They are very bad places to store things, and the worst place to locate ducts because they are the extreme opposite temperature as the air in the ducts that you paid to heat or cool. The attic floor (your ceilings), allow air from inside the house to leak into the attic where it is lost. For each cubic foot of air that leaks out, a cubic foot of air from the outside enters the bottom of the house, making your lower levels cold and drafty. Heat from the house in the attic melts snow on the roof where it refreezes at the eaves causing destructive ice damming. In the summer, the sun heats your roof to 160˚F, which radiates to the attic and then to your ceilings and rooms. This results in major heat loss to the attic from house and ducts in winter, and heat gain in summer, uncomfortable rooms, more drafts upstairs and downstairs, and higher fuel/electric bills.

Foamax™ Polyisocyanurate foam insulation board is installed on the underside of your roof deck. The superior R-value and a foil face on the outside reflects heat out in summer. Foamax™ has a class A fire rating and can be left exposed to living area without a thermal barrier. The roof is still vented, kept cold in winter to prevent ice damming. In summer, excess heat is vented out. No harsh chemicals are sprayed in your home, like spray foam. The attic is now part of the conditioned space in your home, and ducts in the attic are no longer in a hostile environment. Your attic is clean, less dusty and suitable for storage. You can even finish your attic! The Results - Your home is less drafty, warmer in winter and cooler in summer, lower fuel and electric bills, less dust.