TCI Home Services Case Studies: Remediation & Insulation in Lakeland, MI
Challenge
The homeowner explained that he had just replaced the roof decking and shingles the previous year and while up in his attic, he noticed new mold growth on the brand new sheathing that he had just replaced. The symptoms of the problem were high humidity in the attic and mold growth was present on the OSB in the attic. The problem was caused be the soffit vents being blocked with fiberglass batt insulation that he had also installed but had pushed it too far into the eave, cutting off the air flow between the baffles and the roof deck. The homeowner chose to have the problem fixed because he had just spent all the money to replace his roof deck and shingles and now has mold growing inside of his attic, putting his family's health at risk. The homeowner's biggest concern with the problem is that he had mold in his attic before he replaced all the OSB and shingles on his home and now the mold is back again with a new roof. His wife was really concerned about the mold and wanted to make sure that the family was healthy and safe.
Solution
The homeowner chose our company we did an excellent job with our presentation and how our company would fix the issue with mold that had come back even after replacing the entire roof. He also liked the idea of his home becoming Energy Star Rated with upgrading his current R30 Fiberglass batt insulation with R60 Cellulose insulation. Our solution was to remove all of the fiberglass batt insulation from the attic floor and then remediate the mold from the roof deck and trusses. Once we had a healthy clean surface we would the air seal all the penetrations in the attic floor (Top Plates, Bond Plates, Wire and Pipe penetration ect.) and cover the recessed can light over the master bathroom shower. We then air sealed and insulated the hatch cover with 4" R20 Foam board with a radiant barrier on either side and then blew cellulose on the attic floor to a depth of 17" or an R60 R-Value. One of the challenges that we faced during the installation process was the vaulted ceiling over the master bathroom. It was really tight and made it difficult for getting down towards the eave to install the baffles into the soffits. We used a combination of products to achieve our end result. We used ZypFoam, Weather-stripping, Adhesive caulk, TiteShell Recessed Light Fixture Cover, 4' and 6' x 22" DuroVent rafter Baffles and TruSoft Cellulose. The homeowner's now have a clean and healthy attic that is breathing properly and they also have Energy Star Rated attic insulation to an R60 R-Value saving them money and making their home more comfortable.
