Before & After Photos

These Riverside, CT homeowners reported incredibly cold floors in the second floor of their home where the second level cantilevers slightly over the first. We sent one of our most knowledgeable home comfort experts Keith Saunders to the home in order to see what to do with the issue. The reason why this cantilever was allowing to much heat out of the home was because it had a layer of rigid foam insulation that was not air sealed, so it was allowing heated air to escape.

Keith recommended we install sprayable foam insulation between the floor joists that are cantilevering outward. This was done by our crew lead by Rudy Abel. They removed the siding underneath to expose the cavities then installed three inches of the foam to reach an R-value of about R-12. The closed cell foam expanded to fill all the gaps in the floor joists which will prevent heated air from escaping through this access point again.

The homeowners noticed right away the floors on the second floor were not nearly as cold as they had been in past winters! They continued to have additional insulation installed in their attic by Dr. Energy Saver of Connecticut.

These Stamford, CT homeowners called Dr Energy Saver of Connecticut with concerns for their high heating and cooling bills. They were looking to invest in their attic by consulting with one of our Home Energy Specialists. Keith Saunders, an expert in anything home energy, visited their home to check out any shortcomings in their attic. He noticed there were a lot of gaps in their fiberglass bats insulation that was allowing their heated and conditioned air from the living spaces leak into the attic. Also, their air ducts were not completely air sealed which also was robbing the homeowners from their conditioned air.

Keith suggested they air seal, ugrade their insulation, and build an area they could use for storage in their attic. We sent out Rudy Abel, a foreman with ample knowledge and experience in installing home energy products. He first removed all the fiberglass bats installed that had become compressed and were barely providing any insulation. He then used an expanding spray-able foam into any gaps and joints throughout the attic, including installing foam caps for all the can lights and air sealing them too. He used our Spray Foam insulation to completely seal and insulate all the air ducts. Him and his crew installed our Blown in Cellulose insulation so the attic can have an r-value of R60 to provide an ample blanket of insulation. 

The homeowners now have an incredibly energy efficient attic that helps contain any conditioned air in the living spaces. The homeowners are already pleased with the work!

The old-fashioned way to insulate a crawl space was to install fiberglass batts between the overhead joists. This is no longer recommended for several reasons. In a crawl space, fiberglass insulation tends to absorb moisture, which causes it to lose R-value and fall out of place, rendering it ineffective while also creating a mess. It is also an invitation to mice and other pests. To repair and insulate this crawlspace, we first removed the old insulation. To keep moisture from entering the space, we installed drainage matting beneath TerraBlock foam insulation on the floors, and the CleanSpace vapor barrier above it. On the walls, we used closed cell spray foam. It's perfect for a crawlspace environment! Closed cell foam cures dense and hard, and it forms an effective barrier against both moisture and air. When the crawl space was finished, the owners were able to enjoy a less humid and more energy efficient home!

One reason fiberglass insulation is a poor choice for crawlspaces is that it is an area that is vulnerable to moisture. Where the goal is to keep moisture out of the crawlspace, and subsequently the home, fiberglass batts absorb humidity and lose R-value when they do. When we arrived in this Stamford home, we found that the insulation had already grown heavy with dampness and had fallen. After removing the ineffective fiberglass, we used closed cell spray foam on the walls and our CleanSpace vapor barrier on the ground to insulate, air seal, and block out moisture entirely. The owners of this home have improved energy efficiency and home comfort, and lower energy bills because of encapsulating their crawl space!

In older houses, it is common for crawl spaces to have open vents installed. It was believed that the vents would allow fresh air to circulate through the area to help relieve moisture and humidity from the room. However, the air outside is often more wet and humid than the inside. Moist air that enters a vented crawl space will condense on cooler crawl space surfaces, ruining insulation and encouraging mold, mildew and wood decay. That air will also be naturally circulated up through all of the other levels of the home.  Encapsulating the crawl space with our CleanSpace crawl space liner is the recommended treatment for a vented crawl space in order to separate and shield the crawl space from outside conditions. Our Everlast crawl space vent covers won’t warp, rot or crack and, most importantly, they are airtight, helping to ensure a dry crawl space and more comfortable living area.