Home Insulation Services Before & After Photos

Homes built in the last century, without basements, were typically built above dirt-floor crawlspaces which were ventilated to the outside. The floors above were insulated by pushing fiberglass batts up against the underside of the floor deck. But there are many problems with this type construction, some of which worsen over the years. For example the fiberglass begins to succumb to the effects of gravity, eventually pulling away from the subfloor deck, leaving it directly exposed to outdoor temperatures. As you might imagine, when this happens the floors above become very cold in winter. But the problems don't stop there. Changes in temperature and humidity result in the eventual growth of mold, which eventually leads to rotting of the floor deck. But even worse, this mold travels through small openings in the floor deck and makes its way into wall cavities on the first floor, infecting them with dangerous mold, which can grow in those spaces, and go undetected for years. Occupants often do not realize the gradual development of allergies and respiratory issues often come from inside their homes. 

But years later we have a much better way of doing things. Its called "encapsulation". Lawson Homes Services specializes in the conversion of old traditional dirt floor crawlspaces, into modern, clean, well insulated crawlspaces. As you can see in the picture the crawlspace underneath this Wilmington, DE townhouse goes through a remarkable transition, from a musty creepy, moldy area, to a sparkling clean white space.  The ventilation to the outside was blocked off, and new insulation has been installed on the walls of the foundation so that now, the crawlspace will remain at the same temperature as the rooms in the house above it. 

NOTE: this crawlspace was extremely low. The fallen insulation is typically removed since with new insulation having been installed on the foundation walls, it is no longer necessary. However, this was left in place due to the tight working conditions. 

This attic in Wilmington, DE was sealed in sections of fiberglass insulation. This is not good for the home because air can still pass in between the sections of fiber glass insulation. When sealing your attic floor we recommend our TruSoft Cellulose. This insulation will not burn, get moldy, or attract pests and your house will be less drafty and more comfortable!

Our energy conservation specialists can not even count how many times they go in for inspections and just find that owners (or previous owners) have handled cold homes and high fuel/electric bills by simply adding more insulation.  That is what we found at this home where they had blow in loose fill fiberglass over batt insulation.  That is RARELY the right solution for the problem.

Often what is needed is air sealing.  Think of it like this.  Would you leave your window open when it was cold and throw on another sweater if you had the ability to close the window?  No, you would close the window first, and this is what we do when we air seal.  We close up all those open penetrations that are allowing conditioned air to escape FIRST. Then we insulate.

This attic had absolutely no insulation, leaving the rest of the house to suffer from heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.  Dr. Energy Saver was able to install blown fiberglass insulation to a recommended R-value and a radiant barrier around the perimeter of the attic. This insulation will keep the warm air in during the winter months and the hot air out during the summer months.

Before and after in Wilmington, DE: Our client sought improved comfort in rooms with cathedral ceilings and warmer floors in winter. We removed old batt insulation, air sealed and insulated the attic with TruSoft™ stabilized cellulose, installed SilverGlo™ on walls and between floor joists, and removed moldy insulation from the crawl space ceiling. We also installed the CleanSpace™ Encapsulation System with Drainage Matting and SilverGlo™, and spray foamed the rim joist. The project was completed with the help of an Energize Delaware rebate!