5 More Problems That Cause Uncomfortable Homes

The following are 5 more problems that may occur during house assemblies that cause homes to be uncomfortable.  Some of these problems are worse than others, but they can all be fixed.  Your Dr. Energy Saver professional from Woods Basement Systems can explain each of these problems and their solutions to you in more detail when we evaluate your home.

1. Too little attic insulation

This one is easy to explain.  Your attic is cold in the winter and warm air rises in your home.  If the air touches a cold ceiling, the air cools and sinks.  This is called a “convection loop” and causes the room to feel drafty.  So if there isn’t enough attic insulation, it’s like putting warm air in a box with a refrigerated roof and expecting the room to stay warm—it’s not going to happen.

2. Rooms over a garage

Many builders often call this a “bonus room,” but it is anything but that.  It’s going to be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter to get any use out of it.  Even if the ceiling is insulated, there’s still a big space between the joists and the sub-flooring.  If the insulation isn’t right up against what it’s trying to insulate, then it doesn’t do much good.  The floors of this “bonus room” will be cold, which will make you and the room itself cold.

3. Cantilevers

A cantilever is when a floor hangs over the wall it rests on.  This can make the first floor bigger than the foundation or the second floor bigger than the first floor.  The problem with this is it forms a soffit outside under the floor framing that hangs out.  This often leaks a lot of air right under your feet, resulting in cold floors.  It’s like a draft of cold air bisecting the house, making your home much more uncomfortable.

4. Cathedral ceilings

With cathedral ceilings, you have plywood and roofing on the top of the rafter and drywall on the other.  There is a large space between the 100 degree roof and the 75 degree interior in the summer (or a 0 degree roof in the winter).  In that space, you need enough insulation to protect from heat loss, which is impossible to do.  Also, many people love to put lighting in their cathedral ceilings, which creates even more opportunities for air leakage in your home.

5. Leaky and under-insulated walls

Air is constantly leaking into your walls and can then leak into your home through holes or electrical outlets.  The average 2” x 4” stud wall has only 3 1/2 “ for insulation, but it also has lots of obstructions (wires, pipes, etc.) that prevent the insulation from being installed properly.  This brings us back to the “convection loop”—putting warm air in a cold box—the result is not going to be comfortable.

You and your family spend the majority of your time in your home, so it’s important to make it as comfortable as possible.  Woods Basement Systems can help you make your home more comfortable by having a Dr. Energy Saver professional come and evaluate your home.  We can also help you save energy, and in turn, money!