Insulation

OK - I'm back.... We decided to insulate our house. Between the federal stimulus (30% or up to $1500) and the state winterization program (~$500) it really wasn't that much moolah to knock it out.

I had the insulation company remove siding top and bottom to blow in the insulation instead of blasting 3" holes all over the house.



Siding removed in order to access the sheathing underneath and drill holes for blowing in insulation.


They drilled holes in the sheathing - this is plugged after insulation is blown in then the siding replaced. We only had one piece of siding completely shatter and they replaced it without any bother at all. You can see that there is no insulation inside this wall. Effectively, this wall had an R-value of about 4 maybe 5. After blowing in R15 insulation, we should be much warmer this winter.



There were, of course, a couple spots near the chimney that they couldn't get the siding off so I authorized the plug treatment here. I'll seal & bondo the plugs so they aren't visible after painting. We were lazy and missed the last couple weekends where outside temperatures were above 70 degrees - we'll paint in the spring....


Magellan Insulation Inc. did the work. They were fast and efficient. Little mishaps here and there didn't really amount to much. They didn't know that my upstairs windows are pocket windows and they drilled into the cavity where the window goes when open. We also had a board under the kitchen sink fall off and the cabinet was filled with insulation.


The attic did have about 4-6 inches of insulation most of which was at or below the level of the rafters. Upgrading to R38 insulation (18" above rafters) is like snuggling under your favorite blanket.

The last thing to do is to take a thermal imaging camera around on a really cold day in January. This will identify cavities that were missed. I can then decide whether it's worth it to go back and fill them or not.