Attic Insulation Case Studies: Colder Rooms in the Winter, Ann Arbor
Challenge
The homeowners noticed that below her new addition, the rooms were always warm in the summer and cold in the winter. The ceiling below the addition was reading 102 degrees on the Flir thermal camera in the summer at the time of the inspection. The problem was caused by the knee wall floor having any insulation. The homeowner chose to have the problem fixed because even though the a/c was running during the summer months or the heat being on during the winter months the rooms' below the attic floor temperature was always uncomfortable. The homeowners biggest concern was that she couldn't stay in one of the rooms long enough to relax because it was either too hot and uncomfortable or cool/drafty during the winter.
Solution
The homeowner chose our company because we were able to show her without her having to go into the attic a visual from below, why her rooms below the attic were uncomfortable. With pictures taken within the attic space and with our thermal imaging camera she was able to see how not having insulation on the attic floor was affecting rooms below. Our solution was to air seal the attic floor, cover and air seal the one can-light and insulate the attic to R60. We did have issues with getting the rockwool wrapped around the masonry chimney because the back of the chimney gave us just enough room to install the rockwool board between the chimney and the wall framing behind it. We used ZypFoam, Rockwool Board, Metal Flashing, Fire Caulk, Titeshell Can Light Covers and TruSoft Cellulose. The Homeowner now has an energy efficient Knee wall attic space and the rooms below the attic are now much more comfortable for her to be in.
