Fixing a Drafty Home in Rochester, NY with Air Sealing & New Insulation

Challenge

This house was "brutally" drafty.  A turn-of-the-century historic colonial with beautiful trim and woodwork, hardwood floors, a cobblestone basement, wide-board knotty pine paneling was very visually beautiful in every way but cold and drafty all winter long.  In the attic was just a few inches of some very-old fiberglass batting covered in very-old bat guano.  In the middle of the attic was a great big stone chimney with a two-inch wide gap all the way around it -- leading all the way down, past the paneling in the family room, to the basement. To make matters worse, a poorly vented bath fan was pumping humidity almost directly into the attic.

Underneath the kitchen, a dirt-floor crawl-space kept the tile floors remarkably cold all winter EXCEPT when the dryer was running.  Unbeknownst to the homeowners, the clothes-dryer was vented right into the crawlspace.  That's not only a humidity problem, but with a gas-dryer it becomes a serious safety concern as the flue-gasses are sucked right up into the living-space.

Solution

We used a blower-door to confirm the source of the drafts, sealing them off with caulk, spray-foam, and flashing as necessary.  We removed the dirty insulation, and added fresh, clean blown-in cellulose insulation.  We vented the dryer to outdoors, and insulated properly under the kitchen.

Project Summary

Home Expert: Mike Swanson

Problem: Drafts

Problem: Gas Leak

Problem: Cold Floors

Problem: Dryer Venting

Solution: Attic air-sealing

Solution: Basement air-sealing

Solution: Tru-Soft Cellulose

Solution: Re-vent dryer