Insulation

1

I was just curious, during an inspection, if you see low levels of insulation in the attic (I have seen houses with no attic insulation), do you recommend additional insulation?

Whenever I see this, I discuss that with the client, but, I am just not sure the best way to write that up.

Thanks again

Jonathan Leahy

2

Yep i write it up and if it is not fitted right too .

3

You can loose up to half the insulation value just from the way it is fitted.

4

I do comment of poor or missing insulation. I basically state the problems and that they don’t meet current standards. I state the home could be using more energy that a house that is properly insulated. Resnet uses grades 1,2,&3 to evaluate how insulation is installed. Most of the time it is Grade 3. Grade 1 is perfect and almost never happens.

Here is a good resource. http://www.owenscorning.com/literature/pdfs/GradeOneWithFiberglassBatts.pdf

5

Thank you all.

It is always good to get different points of view. I find clients always appreciate information on ways to make their home more efficient.

Thanks again

Jonathan

6

We inspected a 5 year old home that had sold 3 times and
number 4 was the first to have an inspection .
Zero insulation in the attic .
I guess all the rest could not afford the heating Bill

7

Just wrote this up yesterday on a home:

3-4 Inches = approx. R12.
This is considered low for an attic space. When the home was built an R=12 insulation was considered adequate. We now know that increasing the insulation value can save on fuel and make the home a more comfortable living space. An R=40(Approximately 14-16" of blown in insulation) is recommended. Consider adding more insulation for improved thermal efficiency.

8

Make sure if you are going to put this kind of statement in that you also talk about proper venting. In my HI report i have a seperate section for ventilation where I explain how to get proper venting in the home when they increase the insulation.

9

Use something like Recommend upgrade in insulation in order to decrease energy costs.

10

I just saw another property on Friday that had missing insulation in a bedroom whose common wall was to the attached garage. Hopefully, the investor will fix that before he re-lists the property after his renovations.

Thanks

Jonathan