Robert’s Attic Had Insulation. Unfortunately, Some of It Was in the Wrong Place.

Robert Ehlers knew his attic needed more insulation.

What he didn’t know was that some of the insulation already up there was actually blocking the ventilation.

And it had apparently been that way for decades.

When our team at Koala Insulation of West Florida came out to look at his attic, we found old fiberglass batts covering the soffit openings.

Those openings are supposed to allow outside air into the attic.

But somebody had stuffed insulation over them years ago.

So, the attic wasn’t getting the airflow it should have been getting.

The Problem Wasn’t Just the Insulation Depth

Robert only had about five inches of old batt insulation in his attic.

That wasn’t enough coverage for what he needed, but we couldn’t just blow more insulation over everything and call it a day.

Those blocked soffits needed attention first.

The soffits are where air enters the attic along the lower edges of the roof. When insulation gets pushed into those openings, it can restrict that airflow.

And in Florida, where attics get extremely hot, ventilation is something we pay attention to.

So before adding anything new, we needed to fix what had been done years earlier.

First, We Cleared the Soffits

Our crew removed the old batt insulation that was blocking the soffit openings.

Then we installed ventilation baffles to help keep those openings clear.

Baffles aren’t particularly exciting to look at, but they do an important job.

They give air a path to move into the attic without getting blocked by insulation.

We wanted to make sure the new fiberglass wouldn’t end up covering those same openings again.

Once that was handled, we could move on to the insulation itself.

From Five Inches to R-38

With the ventilation openings cleared, our crew installed blown-in fiberglass insulation.

We brought the attic up to approximately R-38, with about 13 inches of insulation.

That’s quite a difference from the five inches Robert started with.

The blown-in fiberglass allowed us to add coverage throughout the attic, including areas around the framing.

And with the baffles in place, we could insulate the attic floor without blocking the soffit ventilation.

That’s what should have been done in the first place.

Robert Had Some Nice Things to Say About the Crew

This job wasn’t exactly comfortable.

Florida summer heat and tight attic spaces aren’t a great combination.

But John and Chris got the work done, and Robert left us a great five-star review afterward.

He specifically mentioned that the crew showed up on time, stayed organized and worked through the heat without letting it slow them down.

He also appreciated that Taylor Camp took the time to inspect the attic and catch the ventilation problem before the installation.

One part of his review really stood out:

“I am delighted with Koala’s follow-through on this project and heartily recommend them to anyone needing an insulation upgrade.”

That’s always good to hear.

Sometimes You Find Problems That Have Been There for Years

Robert originally called because he needed more insulation.

He ended up getting more than that.

We found soffit openings that had been blocked for decades, cleared them, installed baffles and brought the attic insulation up to R-38.

And the whole job was completed in one day.

It’s a good example of why we actually look at what’s going on in an attic before recommending an upgrade.

Sometimes adding insulation is only part of what needs to happen.

If your attic insulation hasn’t been checked in years, or you’re wondering whether your home has enough insulation, we’d be happy to take a look.

Call Koala Insulation of West Florida or visit our website for a FREE evaluation!