A Real Insulation Job, In Detail

Here examine one point in the scatter chart of the previous post:

Do you wonder what someone should expect for a measly $2600 of insulation work?
How about this? A dangerous, broken, leaky attic ladder was intelligently replaced. The floor insulation is boosted from questionable R13, to a durable R40. A large portion of living space wall area had freely communicated with the attic, and that is now sealed fireproof and airtight.

To see before and after, and a lot more, please consult these Google Documents:

Laurelhurst Paid Invoice Here note $319 per year predicted savings. The $2600 investment with wonderful safety and usability consequences, is repaid in a very-acceptable eight years. Weatherization measures alone are repaid in about two years. I earned only $15.90 per hour here, and must charge more. At fair invoice of $4000, I would have earned $30 per hour, and payback would have lengthened to about thirteen years, still a very good investment.

A $168 rebate on the $400 installed cost of insulation is rather irrelevant. A rebate of any amount on the so-important sealing work would have been very relevant. The attic floor sealing cost of $200 is repaid in nine months of savings, the usual story. It hurts to know weatherization sponsor Energy Trust saw no value in my sealing work, offering cruel insult of the competence and diligence, of one repelled by foolishness and abhorring the scandal of HPwES blower door liars. No one is guided in floor sealing, by a blower door.

Fair compensation of my superior work is threatened by counterfeit weatherization under HPwES. 

Laurelhurst Floor Sealing

As is common, I needed lighted work conditions to make intricate wood support blocks for seals of GP Densarmor drywall.

I use GP Densarmor drywall and flexible grout to seal a chimney chase. This is just one of the many sealing challenges in this job, chosen to illustrate need of in-attic carpentry to make support blocks. Lights, a good work surface for a chop saw, and a vacuum cleaner are essential. Do not accept flimsy fire-unsafe foamed-in plastic. 

Choose Densarmor drywall for plugs that may be refined with a Sureform shaver. The two such plugs in this job each needed lowering into place with a lanyard, and several chopsaw refinements of the scrap 2x4 plug retainer.










Laurelhurst Ladder, Insulation, Decking

Laurelhurst Attic Ventilation Here note foolish cut-in by roofers of roof high vents, only promoting the infiltration losses of house heat. The attic has no soffit vents, but has opportunity of excellent attic ventilation if attic windows are replaced with something modern and motorized, not yet on offer.