Thank goodness, our weather has broken a little lately. This wonderful, not hot, not cold, somewhere in the perfect middle temperature. This is the perfect time to head into your attic. Any other time of the year and it would be unbearable. Right now, before the temperatures climb into the upper 90’s again outside and into the 140’s in your attic, Get into your attic and let’s assess the situation. Do you even have insulation in your attic? I see a lot of attics and you would be surprised how many attics have no insulation or at least none in a portion of their attic. Do you have blown in insulation? Take a 12” ruler with you and push it down into the insulation beside a ceiling joist. How many inches do you have? You need at least 13” to just meet code and we all know that code is just the bare minimum. Chances are you have a lot less because insulation compresses over time and loses some of it’s ability to protect you from the extreme temperatures in your attic. Do you have batt type insulation? Is it everywhere? Are there portions missing or pushed out of the way?
The sad fact is that most houses that we inspect are missing insulation or the insulation is compromised in some way. If you don’t know enough about insulation to know if what you have is enough or if it is functioning the way it should, call an energy auditor to come and make a quick evaluation. A little professional advice to help you evaluate and decide if you need more insulation may help keep you from making some costly mistakes. The most important decision when adding insulation to your attic is to purchase the right type. Don’t know what kind of insulation would work best in your attic? Get an Energy Audit. Have the whole house and the insulation evaluated and ask for a written report. The report should explain in detail what needs to be addressed and how to address it.
So take advantage of the next few days and head to your attic and take a look. Find something that concerns you, send me a picture, I’d love to help you out. E.guinn@DanGuinnHomes.com
