Attic Retrofit in Freehold, NJ
During my job site visit to confirm installation details, I (Dave the Owner) met the homeowner Dennis. As we walked through the project he commented that the 2nd floor, which consisted of 3 bedrooms and a bathroom, felt notably better, and the work wasn’t even 100% complete yet. One of the common issues with this type of home, is that the upper level is cold and drafty in the winter and much hotter in the summer. To the point where they typically would install window air conditioners to help. This is a Levitt built home from the 1970’s. This is a two story home on a slab foundation, with one Heating and cooling system located in a garage utility room. The problem is that the home has large under insulated attic flats, vertical walls on the 2nd floor between the unconditioned attic space and the bedrooms, (called knee walls), a large sky light well and the main heating and cooling return duct is 100% in the attic space. The duct is not insulated properly and has many small holes where it pulls in either very hot air in summer, very cold air in the winter and nasty fiberglass particulate every time it runs. The combination of these issues created a uncomfortable home that cost too much to heat and cool year round. These types of issues should be addressed by professionals who understand how buildings work. Improper air sealing or insulation can create ventilation, moisture and combustion appliance problems if not done correctly.