Attention Owners of Cape Cod Style Houses

 If you are the owner of a Cape Cod house, you probably know all too well the uncomfortable nature of the second floor and the issue with ice damming. The style of the house makes it an air leaking nightmare. But do not worry, it can be made better.

If you do not know the Cape Cod style, it is a 1.5 story home where the roofing starts at the ceiling level of the first floor with a steep pitch to allow living space on the second floor. Because of this roof design, the total square feet of the second floor is less than the first floor. Some have a bumped up back that would more resemble a colonial but the front is not. They can also have dormers (small bump outs).

There are problem areas that are common to this style of house (unless they have already been repaired), but there is one area I have run into lately that are unusual. What am I talking about? A closet that is wide-open to the attic and knee walls. If you have a walk-in closet on your second floor and you can see rolled out fiberglass insulation, you have a major problem. Fiberglass insulation does not stop air flow. Because of this, your closet is going to be considered attic space. Most interior doors will not stop air from entering the closet from your living space, so all of the air that you pay to heat goes right thru your closet and into your attic. This results in high utility bills and ice damming. I was running the blower door for a customer’s home energy assessment of his house (the blower door depressurizes the house to amplify air flow patterns to more easily find leaks). The homeowner struggled to get the door open because of the air rushing out.

If after reading this, you went to your second floor and found this type of situation, you will want a professional to come out and assess the situation. A home energy consultant can give you a plan to fix this problem as well as the other issues the Cape Cod home presents. The results are better energy efficiency, significantly reduced ice damming, and a much nicer looking closet.