304 Inspections

 304 Inspections

 304 Inspections

 304 Inspections

When was the last time you were in your attic? Let me rephrase that, when was the last time you were in the attic for anything other than retrieving Christmas Decorations? An attic isn’t a place that we often go to. It’s hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and dirty all year long! Even though it isn’t the most hospitable place in the house, it is worth checking out to see how much insulation you have up there.

So how do I know if I have enough insulation in my attic?  Most homes I inspect do not have adequate insulation in an unfinished attic. For our area in WV a minimum value of R-39 is suggested.  It is easy to see if you have adequate insulation in your attic by simply putting a tape measure down through the insulation until you touch the drywall underneath. As you can see from the picture above, less than 4” of insulation was present in this house I recently inspected.  An R-39 value for fiberglass insulation is about 14” deep.  So approximately 10” of insulation would need to be added to the attic of the above house.

Another consideration for you to think about when evaluating your attic is, are you storing items up there?  If you put plywood or OSB floor down in order to be able to store items in the attic,  then you do not have adequate insulation.  The floor condenses the insulation and takes the R value away.  Even if 14” of insulation is present if a Plywood or OSB floor is installed it will condense the insulation to 4” and completely negate the R value.

 It is important to have adequate insulation in the attic so that hot air stays in living space in the winter and cool air stays in the living space in the summer.  This keeps your house more comfortable and your energy bills WAY cheaper. Adding insulation to your attic can dramatically reduce your heating and cooling costs.

If you have any questions or would like us to evaluate the insulation in your attic please give us a call and we would be glad to help!

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-304 Inspections