Before & After Photos

This homeowner contacted Fogarty's Home Services to come investigate why the temperature and moisture level in the home were so uncomfortable. We discovered that there was old, dirty batt insulation that had been exposed to the outside air due to leaks in the roof and attic areas. Air that the customer was paying to heat was leaking out of the attic and drawing cold outside air in causing drafts. Fogarty's Home Services removed and disposed of the old insulation. 

This homeowner in Unionville, CT reached out to us hoping to get his attic insulated. When our Home Comfort Specialist came out to the home, he noted that the attic in the addition was insulated with old blown in insulation. It was unfortunately not air sealed, and the low catwalk meant that insulation could move around easily. This easily explained the issues that the homeowner was having with uneven temperatures throughout the home.

Luckily, we had a few solutions for this customer. One of these solutions was to replace the old blown-in insulation with our TruSoft™ cellulose insulation. First, we had to vacuum the blown-in insulation out of the home. Then, we went through and air-sealed the attic, adding insulated covers over the can lights in the attic.

This solution then was paused to begin installing the insulated catwalk and dam. This catwalk is insulated with SilverGlo™ foam insulation board. It was installed over the existing wood walkway. Then, oriented standard board (OSB) was installed over the SilverGlo™, using screws to keep it in place. The 18" dams are then installed on it, ensuring that the blown-in insulation does not spread onto the catwalk.

After the catwalk was installed and the attic was air sealed, we began to install the blown-in insulation. This is blown in using a large hose attached to a machine outside. This insulation gets into every crack, crevice, and odd shaped space, making sure that the entire attic is properly insulated to R-60. 

Now, this homeowner has a properly insulated attic! Within days of the work being done, the homeowner had let us know that the home was much more comfortable, and the temperature in the house was more even.

The “rim joist” is the perimeter of the floor framing system along the exterior of the house. The joints and gaps between all the framing members allow for a lot of air leakage into the house. The rim joist is seldom insulated and never air sealed. Basement ceiling insulation, especially fiberglass batts, doesn’t stop the flow of cold air into your home. Cold floors, drafty, uncomfortable rooms, cold basement/lower level, higher heating and cooling bills and more condensation in the basement or crawl space in the summer are all results of a leaky or poorly insulated rim joist.

Fogarty's Home Services provides a solution that is a two part expanding spray foam that is installed on rim joist and over sill plate to seal all air leaks from the outside and insulate this important area of your home. Our spray foam has a high insulation value per inch of R7, and because it expands, it seals all cracks and gaps and joints where air from the outside enters your home.  The results are warmer floors, less drafts, more comfortable rooms, your house is easier to heat and costs less to heat, less summertime condensation on cold basement surfaces.

This customer in Wethersfield, CT called us due to her bulkhead door leaking water into her basement.

Unfortunately, the homeowner had an oversized and old bulkhead door that was not properly sealed. During rainstorms, water leaked into the basement. Since it did not sit right and leaked, it had to be covered in a tarp, meaning it was not used. However, the homeowner still wanted to keep a bulkhead due to the extra means of egress it provided. 

Luckily, Fogarty's Home Services was able to help this homeowner. We were able to install a beautiful new bulkhead door that was the correct size for the pre-existing concrete. We caulked around the edges and installed flashing behind the door to ensure a tight fit.  Combining this with our other solutions ensures that this homeowner and her wife will have a safe, warm, and dry basement for years to come! 

This customer called us when their home did not score well on a home energy audit.  Upon inspection, Fogarty's Home Services found their kneewalls were under-insulated and not properly air sealed. 

A kneewall space is created when a finished room is built within a sloped roof. A short wall called a “kneewall” forms a triangular space which may or may not be accessible with a short door or access panel. The floor of the kneewall space forms the ceiling of the room below it. The floor and kneewall itself are open to the kneewall space side with exposed fiberglass batts. Since fiberglass does not stop air flow, the insulation does next to nothing to air seal and insulate. The floor of the upper level, the ceiling of the lower level and the kneewall are all cold in winter and hot (from radiant roof heat) in the summer. The kneewall space is not suitable for storage since it is dusty and very cold or hot.

Fogarty's Home Services installed Blocks of SilverGlo™ foam insulation between the ceiling joist bays.  Silver-Glo™ foam insulation is installed under the rafters up to the kneewall and sealed at the top with foam sealant. SilverGlo™ increases the R-value by 24% compared to regular EPS foam. SilverGlo™ also has a radiant barrier on both sides to reflect roof heat out in the summer and house heat back in during the winter. The addition of this radiant barrier gives some thermal benefit so the insulation isn’t left alone to do all the work. After installation, inside air can’t get out of the house through the kneewall spaces and outside air can’t get in. 

The Results, significantly warmer upstairs room in the winter, cooler room upstairs in the hot weather, less drafts, more comfort, less dust. A kneewall space suit-able for clean storage. Lower fuel and electric bills.