Klaus Roofing Systems of Oregon Case Studies: Attic Insulated to Higher R-60 Level to Make Eugene Home More Comfortable

Challenge

These homeowners were going to do the work to re-insulate their home, but they realized it was going to be too much work. Also, their neighbor used our insulation services and recommended our company.

The girls’ bedrooms were too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. They rated their home a 4 out of 10 for comfort, and they were tired of the high electric bills.

Solution

Our owner Josh met with the couple to learn more about what they wanted to accomplish.  Making it more comfortable in each season, plus reducing utility bills, were the highest priorities.

Josh suited up and investigated the attic. See the BEFORE photo. It’s amazing how many attics we see that have:

    1) Minimal insulation, that really isn’t doing much.

    2) Fiberglass insulation, which is not the best or most efficient insulation material.

    3) No air-sealing, so air they paid to heat or cool was easily leaking in to the attic.

    4) Uninsulated ductwork, so the HVAC system needs to work overtime.

    5) Bath fans ducted into the attic, rather than to the outside.

The first step is to remove the old insulation. This allows our crew to then be able to air-seal all the leaky places (see DURING photo), and to encapsulate the ductwork with close-cell spray foam.

We also used Mold-X to treat mold growth due to bath fans dumping moist air straight in to the attic!  Both fans were extended to the outside to help prevent mold growth in the future.

Now the attic was ready for real insulation—TruSoft cellulose, blown in to the higher R-60 level. (See AFTER photo.) All these processes together contributed to making this South Eugene home more comfortable all year round!