This Fairfax Station, VA homeowner had a few things they wanted to solve. The bedroom/bathroom over the garage were very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. On top of that, the main attic had been infested with rodents. They wanted it all removed, cleaned, and re-insulated.
Solution
Comfenergy found the bedroom/bathroom over the garage to be colder/hotter than other areas of the home due to several things. There was a huge air gap between the Batt insulation below these rooms and the floor itself. Cold air from the garage attic was flowing freely under the bedroom/bathroom floor, making it ice cold in the winter. The back side of these walls were also very poorly insulated with some not insulated at all. We densely packed TruSoft cellulose insulation beneath the floor of the bedroom/bathroom. SilverGlo foam boards were installed on the walls to keep hot/cold air away.
We removed and disposed of old insulation, rodent droppings, and other trash from the main attic. The entire attic was air sealed using one part foam spray to keep rodents out and to lower heating and cooling bills. The recessed can lights were covered and sealed air tight, and the attic hatch cover was insulated and sealed air tight too. Then, new Tru Soft cellulose insulation was blown throughout the attic evenly to a depth of 12" to provide a nice, thick, even blanket of insulation above the living spaces.
The bedroom/bathroom over the 3 car garage in this Fairfax Station home were freezing in the winter and stiflingly hot in the summer.
The garage was below the bedroom/bathroom and 3 sides of the room backed up to the garage attic.
Just another pic of the back side of the house including the garage. The rooms above this garage were freezing!
This pic is the back side of the bedroom wall above the garage. Virtually NO insulation at all...Think that might make a room hotter or colder than you would want it to be?
This pic was taken in the garage attic. Look how the air can flow freely through the joist cavities of the floor beneath the room. Cold attic air traveling beneath the floor of the room with a HUGE air gap between the Batt insulation and the floor = COLD ROOM!
One of the Comfenergy crews diligently installing SilverGlo foam boards on the back sides of the walls. This adds R20 to the wall, but more importantly makes the wall air-tight.
There is no more hot or cold attic air touching the back side of this drywall! Nice, cozy, comfortable room now!
Check out the lower left portion of this picture. You can see how we blocked off the air gaps in the floor joist spaces.
This is a picture of the main attic and the air sealing that took place. Notice the bright orange foam spray! Makes it easy to see so we can make sure every leakage point is covered.
The main attic halfway installed with TruSoft cellulose insulation.
Ariel Campos hard at work blowing in the nice TruSoft cellulose insulation.
