Stetten Home Services – Insulation done right! Actually, Insulation is usually the last step. Air-Sealing and Prep Work must be done first in order to maximize the benefits of Insulation. We also provide Insulation Removal when:

• Insulation is damaged or ineffective due to moisture, poor installation, or years of traffic.
• Air-leaks are hidden beneath the insulation that require attention.
• Insulation is toxic or contaminated.
• New insulation makes old insulation obsolete or useless.

We provide these kinds of insulation:

• Formaldehyde Free Fiberglass
• Blown Cellulose in old walls, attics, and garages.
• Spray Foam – There is nothing better than spray-foam!
• 1/4″ Thick Radiant-Barrier, Air-Barrier, Insulation – We use this product strategically for garage doors, water heaters, air-sealing, or otherwise preparing for, or covering other types of insulation. We use it to separate spaces, hold messy insulation back…
• We also fabricate and pre-order attic ladder covers, zippered hatches, PVC doors, etc.

Thoughts on insulation…

Wall insulation, when properly installed, is encapsulated on all sides, and makes surface contact on all sides. It should fill 100% of an air-tight cavity. The product should be carefully sculpted and installed to have almost no compressions or voids.

Air-Barriers are the foundation for insulation. A properly built home has no exposed insulation. The insulation in a properly built home doesn’t get in the way and it shouldn’t hide a bunch of important building details.      In a typical home, the typical exterior wall cavity is built in order:  Bottom plate, Top plate, side-stud, side-stud, exterior sheathing… (we now have 5 sides). The seams and gaps and penetrations in this open cavity must be air-sealed, prior to insulation. The drywall covers the insulation, and provides the 6th side air-barrier.  The exception is spray foam, which can act as an air-barrier and insulation, which can make framing and wiring and running mechanical much much easier. Actually Closed-Cell spray-foam can be formulated to provide a vapor-barrier, and can be used to support tubs, showers, and for fastening plastic sheeting to a foundation wall in a crawlspace.

Ceiling insulation tends to be enclosed on 5 sides, but only if baffles, dams, and framing were installed with the insulation in mind. When the job is done the only thing left to see should be the insulation, the roof, the rafters, the dams and maybe the baffles. We want the blower technician to install the blown product into what essentially is a 2′ deep box with no lid. If the blower goes crazy and decides to blow 18″ of energy saving goodness, no insulation should spill out of the box. The box should keep all wind out of the insulation so that it can work effectively, while letting the roof breathe too. Cellulose insulation is relatively cheap, and can be used to cover ducts and greatly improve their efficiency and durability.