This Ann Arbor Home Needed Work Up Top and Down Below

We had a weatherization project in Ann Arbor where the attic needed some attention.

So did the crawl space.

Sometimes that’s how these jobs go. You start looking at the house as a whole and realize fixing one area while ignoring another isn’t going to get you where you want to be.

This one had a pretty good list for us.

We had insulation to add, ventilation to improve, some sealing to do and quite a bit going on underneath the house too.

So, we got started.

First Up Was the Attic

The existing attic insulation wasn’t where we wanted it, so Koala Insulation of Greater Ann Arbor added blown-in cellulose and brought it up to R-49.

That was only part of the attic work though.

We also installed a solar attic fan to help with ventilation.

There was a whole-house fan up there too, and the housing around it needed to be rebuilt and properly sealed.

Those fans can be great when you’re actually using them.

A poorly sealed opening around one isn’t so great.

So, we took care of that while we were up there.

We also added barrier walls at the gable vents, made sure there was proper clearance around the furnace flue pipe and installed an insulated attic hatch cover.

Quite a bit more than just blowing in some cellulose.

Then We Went Under the House

The main crawl space was a different story.

There was old insulation down there along with damaged ground covering and debris.

All of that had to come out before we could really get anywhere.

Crawl space cleanouts aren’t exactly anybody’s favorite way to spend the day.

But you can’t put a nice new vapor barrier over a bunch of old junk and call it good.

So out it came.

Once we had the space cleaned up, we installed a new sealed vapor barrier along the floor and walls.

Then we applied 2-inch closed-cell spray foam to the foundation walls and the rim/band joists.

That gave us a much better setup for helping control moisture and cutting down on unwanted air getting into the space.

One Crawl Space Didn’t Need Us

There was also a crawl space underneath an addition on the home.

We checked it.

It was already properly insulated and sealed.

So, we left it alone.

Pretty simple.

If something is already done correctly, we’re not going to tell somebody they need to pay us to redo it.

There was plenty to work on in the main crawl space anyway.

A Lot Got Done on This One

By the time Koala Insulation of Greater Ann Arbor wrapped up, we’d worked from basically the top of the house to the bottom.

The attic was brought to R-49 with blown-in cellulose.

Solar attic fan installed.

Whole-house fan housing rebuilt and sealed.

Attic hatch covered.

Main crawl space cleaned out, new vapor barrier installed and the foundation walls and rim joists spray foamed.

Not every weatherization job is one product and we’re gone.

This one definitely wasn’t.

But that’s also why we look at what’s actually happening in the house before deciding what needs to be done.

If you’re in Ann Arbor and your attic or crawl space hasn’t been looked at in a while, we can take a look at both.

Call us or visit our website for a FREE evaluation!