Before & After Photos

Tammie was dealing with several frustrating problems in her Canonsburg, PA home. Energy bills were higher than she wanted, certain rooms felt drafty, and ice damming was another concern during the winter months.

 

Although these problems might seem unrelated, they can all point toward an attic that isn't property controlling air movement.

 

An important part of the work involved sealing the top plates, where interior walls meet the attic. These areas often contain small gaps that allow warm indoor air to escape upward, especially during the winter. We also completed soffit-related air sealing and additional targeted attic improvements to address other potential air leakage pathways.

 

The project also included an attic improvement, another important area in maintaining a continuous air and thermal boundary.

 

Why is this especially important for a homeowner experiencing ice dams?

 

During cold weather, warm air escaping from the living space can raise attic temperatures and warm portions of the roof deck. When snow melts on warmer sections of the roof and then refreezes near the colder edges, ice dams can form.

 

These ice dams can trap water along the roofline, sometimes allowing water to work its way beneath roofing materials. By reducing unwanted heat loss into the attic, proper air sealing can help address one of the conditions that contributes to ice dam formation.

 

The same air leakage that contributes to winter heat loss can also affect year-round comfort. When conditioned air escapes through hidden openings, heat and cooling equipment may need to run longer to maintain the desired indoor temperature.

 

This project demonstrates why solving an ice dam problem isn't always just about the roof. Sometimes, the underlying issue begins inside the home, where warm air escapes into the attic.

This homeowner had strong odors coming from her crawlspace as well as called floors above in the winter. We removed all of the underperforming fiberglass insulation and cleaned out all of the tutor causing debris. Next we insulated and encapsulated the crawlspace. Finally we installed a SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier to keep the humidity at a safe level. The owners reported back that they are amazed at what a huge difference it made in their home. The nasty others are gone and the floors are warm in the winter! Success!

A huge home in Sewickley PA before with minimum basic insulation and after with Blown in cellulose to an R60. 

Air seal and blown in insulation in a Swickley attic 

        Brian called Home Environment Solutions to help improve the comfort in his Bridgeville, PA home.   The Home Environment Solutions team arrived and got to work.   

The attic had old insulation that was not installed well.   This was causing heat loss making the home uncomfortable and expensive.   The attic was air sealed including constructing a cap for the kitchen soffit to stop air and heat loss.   An Attic deck was built and insulated with SilverGlo and then adding a thick layer of blown in cellulous.