Remodeling?  Making A Few Repairs?  

We Don't Envy You... 
But We've Got Some Great Ideas To Be Sure 
Your House Is More Comfortable and Energy Efficient 
When You're Done.

   You probably don't need us to tell you that going through a remodeling project can be one of life's major disruptions.  Even getting some repair work done these days can test your patience.  But all the hassle can be worth it if the finished product makes your home (and your life) more enjoyable.  We understand the process.  We've been through it many hundreds of times.  In homes needing repair.  Or with an addition under way.  Or even those getting a total facelift.  We get involved because so many of the area's leading remodeling contractors call us to provide the best insulation possible for their client's home.  They use our company because they know that even if you spend a king's ransom renovating your home, and you're not comfortable when you move back in, the effort was in vain.  And you're not going to be very happy with them.  So they specify The Icynene Insulation System^®.  To insure that their finished work will be clean, quiet, comfortable & energy efficient.  And that you'll be pleased with the performance of your home for many years to come.  

Comfort & Energy Efficiency...a Common Problem.

   Most area homes, from small bungalows to formidable estate homes, share the same handful of problems related to comfort and energy efficiency.  Homes built before the mid-1960's were built before the building code required insulation, so most of those homes seldom have any insulation at all.  You would expect those houses to be uncomfortable, and cost a great deal to heat and cool.  But the recent rise in prices for home heating fuels points out the deficiencies in most newer homes, as well. A friend commented recently...

"It seems to me that most of the people complaining the loudest about heating costs are those whose houses are supposedly well insulated."

   The problem is...they're insulated with poor performing material...usually fiberglass.  People aren't aware how easily cold air leaks around and through fiberglass insulation.  Or how easily the air they've already paid to heat or cool leaks right back out!  Of course, back when heating fuels were cheap, it didn't matter very much how well the insulation in a home performed.  Now it does!  Unfortunately, it's more difficult (but not impossible) to upgrade the house now. 

We See the Same Five Insulation Problems Often.

   Here are five problems we see over and over again in existing houses in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area: 

   Occasionally, one of these problems is caused by a total absence of insulation.  More often, they are caused by ineffective insulation.  Surprisingly,  they are seldom caused by an insufficient amount of insulation...which means that just "adding more" of the same insulation isn't the solution.  The "Law of Insulation" supports our conclusion.

   The "Law of Insulation" says that just 4 inches of any insulation gives you about 92% of all the efficiency you could achieve with that particular type of insulation even if you piled it a mile deep!

   Here are the details.  One inch of an insulation gives about 72% of the total possible efficiency (of that product).  Double the thickness to two inches and it will raise the efficiency up to about 86%.  Double the thickness again to four inches and the performance will increase to about 92%, as stated, and doubling that 4 inches up to 8 inches only adds another 4%, or a total of 96%.  You could double the thickness again, from 8 inches up to 16", but the performance would only go up 2%, from 96% to 98%.  Which demonstrates why the following corollary is true:

   The corollary is that if you have about four inches (4") of insulation (such as in an attic) then adding more of the same insulation is seldom the "fix" for its poor performance.  You'll simply have more of a poorly performing insulation that you'll probably have to remove later when energy costs go so high you'll finally have to fix it right.

   Which supports the scientific principle which we jokingly call the corollary of the corollary:

   The corollary of the corollary (if there is such a thing) is that the only way to really increase the efficiency is to change from a poorly performing insulation to a more efficient insulation! 

   Given those ideas, let's examine some ways to use a more efficient insulation to fix four of your worst comfort problems: 

1.  Cold Floors Over a Crawl Space?  Here's the Problem.

   Recognize this scene in the photo above?  Gravity works against fiberglass batts in a crawl space, and sooner or later the batts settle away from the very subfloor they are supposed to be keeping warm.  Then, cold air gets between the batts and the subfloor, and you have cold floors...and cold feet.

1a.  Here's the Fix for a Crawl Space!

   Don't even think about replacing the fiberglass batts.  The real fix is to remove the fiberglass, throw it away, and have Icynene^® foam sprayed between the joists as shown in the photo above.  Icynene^® adheres permanently and doesn't allow any cold air to get near the subfloor.  The result?  Warmer floors...and feet!

2.  New Windows?  First Airseal Around The Old Ones. 

   Windows are a major source of air leakage and energy loss, but there is a major debate as to the merits of repairing or replacing them, or whether the money would be better spent elsewhere. Windows and doors usually comprise no more than 15-20% of wall area, yet we know of many instances where homeowners have spent $20,000-$30,000 or more on replacement windows.  There may be aesthetic and comfort reasons for that choice, but an energy payoff (in our lifetime) is hard to imagine.

   In some cases, window replacement can be avoided by sealing the area around the windows and doors to reduce air infiltration.  Sometimes, this job can be as easy as easy as caulking the trim.  A more effective method is to remove the trim from around a window or door and airseal/insulate the cavity with a mild expansion canned foam.  You may find this to be an effective way to seal out drafts and to increase comfort and energy efficiency in your home without the major expense of replacing windows or doors.

Installing Canned Foam to Airseal a Window or Door.

   The photo above shows one of our installers installing a bead of foam in a new house under construction, but the technique is the same whether in a new home or in an existing one.

    Once the foam has cured, trim off the portion that has expanded beyond the wall and replace the trim.  We think you'll be pleased with the results.

3(a).  Fixing the Attic...When You Don't Plan to Finish It.  

   The attic is perhaps the area where the most energy is lost from your home, but fortunately the attic is one of the easiest areas to fix.  How do you know if you need to take action?  If you walk up the stairs on a summer evening and the bedroom level is uncomfortably warm...your insulation is failing you.  It's also failing you when you can't stay warm upstairs on a cold winter night.  And, it's failing you if your heating bills have gone from mind boggling to obscene!

   Many of the most uncomfortable homes we are called to diagnose already are "insulated."  In fact, we usually find at least 4 inches or more of rock wool or fiberglass insulation in the attic.  And, as we learned from the "Law of Insulation" described above, those four inches of insulation deliver about 92% of all the insulating power that particular insulation will be able to deliver, even if you doubled its thickness (or added an additional 3 feet of it) with the same insulation.  So, adding more of the same product isn't the answer, since the extra insulation is only going to add from 4 - 8% more efficiency to the attic, and isn't going to change the performance of the house much at all.  And it won't deliver the increased comfort you hoped to achieve. 

   When we suggest how to fix your attic, we feel a bit like a dentist telling you that you need a filling, however before you can get the filling, he'll need to send you for a root canal!  Like the filling, the solution for fixing your attic may be painful, but it's the way to achieve the final results you want to achieve.  

   First, the stuff that doesn't work has to be removed.  Some homeowners choose to do this themselves, however we don't recommend it.  We have a commercial vacuum system expressly made for removing old insulation, and it's still a miserable job.  Once the attic is clean, then we re-insulate it with a layer of sprayed-in-place foam.  The foam not only provides a more effective insulation for both summer and winter conditions , but it doubles as a thorough airseal to stop the conditioned air you paid so dearly to heat or cool from leaking up and out of your house through the attic.  

Shown below is a typical installation of sprayed foam in an attic formed with trusses.  This foam is only 3 1/2" thick (R-13) yet provides amazing insulation power for this home.  Some owners who have mechanical systems in the attic cover the foam with 1 1/2" of mineral fiber insulation as a thermal barrier to satisfy the building code. Other owners just can't believe that this seal coat of foam 's all the insulation they need, so they add some extra loose fill insulation over the foam.   But most owners don't do anything and are delighted with the results.   

You'll love what a layer of Icynene^® foam in your attic will do
for the comfort and efficiency in your home.

3(b).  Fixing the Attic - When You Do Plan to Finish It.

   There's a second way to provide better insulation for an attic.  In many older homes, the bottom side of the roof deck can be sprayed with foam, and the attic area can become a usable, conditioned area.  In fact, in the photo shown below, the owners of this home converted their attic into a comfortable home office which they use year around.  Think about it!  A typical attic in Maryland or Virginia is so hot in the summer it is almost impossible to imagine using it as a spot for a home office.  But then, that's the insulating power of foam!

In this photo, our installer is spraying Icynene^® directly to the bottom side of the roof deck.  
Once the foam is trimmed, this area is ready for drywall.

4.  Fixing Cold Floors in the Room Over the Garage.

   One of the toughest areas in a home to heat or cool is a room over the garage.  In winter, it is surrounded by cold air (and wind) on five of its six sides.  And the area under the room's floor is typically insulated with fiberglass batts, which settle away from the subfloor of the room, leaving an uncomfortably cold floor.  The solution, in a new home, is to install spray foam to the subfloor before the drywall goes on.  And the sloped ceiling is often sprayed with foam, as well.

   In an existing home, the solution isn't quite so simple, but it can be accomplished.  We would suggest tackling the subfloor first.  If the drywall is removed and the old fiberglass batts removed, the subfloor can be insulated and sealed with Icynene^® sprayed foam.  (Most handymen and contractors rent a dumpster for a day and throw the old drywall and fiberglass batts into the dumpster to prepare the area so the foam can be sprayed.)  

   Once the foam installation is completed, 5/8" drywall should be reinstalled over the garage ceiling to complete the job.  (There...it wasn't that bad, and you're going to love the results!)

This garage ceiling is foamed with Icynene^® and ready for drywall.

   Once the foam application is complete, as shown in the photo above, new drywall must be installed on your garage ceiling to finish the task.  Good Job. You're going to like the results in your room over the garage!