Burke Construction serving Monroe County, PA

Last week The Burke Construction- Dr. Energy Saver team answered the call to solve another uncomfortable room problem in a newer, modern construction home. The problem was a drafty, hard to heat, always cold room originally built over top a garage that was later converted to living space. The contractor took the appropriate steps when finishing the garage below, but the room above the garage remained cold and uncomfortable. After a thorough diagnoses using our blower door assembly and thermal imaging we knew there was an air leakage issue on the back side of the wall. Our team needed to gain access to the knee walls so they cut a small access hole on each side of the room. The original home builder put R-38 insulation in the 2x4 wall cavity so in there mind they "over insulated" when they built it. This room is technically in the vented attic based on the design of the home. The rafters were left uninstalled below the knee wall and there was no air barrier on the back side of the insulated wall. Just insulation exposed to the attic. In some locations this may not be much of comfort issue, but this home is located at a higher elevation and gets tremendous wind year round in addition to hot summers and cold winters. After cutting the access holes through the wall, the team went right to work properly air sealing all penetrations in the wall and ceiling below. They also went to dense packed the rafter bays to increase the insulation in the ceiling. Then they installed our patented SilverGlo high density rigid foam insulation to the back of the knee walls adding continuous insulation and a 100% sealed, continuous air barrier to the wall. This will eliminate the drafty, cold room problem the homeowner was experiencing. For extra measure, while the wall was opened up, we added 8" of cellulose insulation over the existing fiberglass insulation to make the room below more comfortable. We also added insulation to a cantilevered section on the front of the house. This is the type of floor the extends out passed the walls on the floor below. We removed the siding, drilled holes in joist and dense packed cellulose insulation in the cantilever, plugged and sealed the holes, put this siding back on, better than new! The entire project took little over 12 hours to complete and there was a noticeable change in the room the same day due to high winds they were experiencing while our Dr. Energy Saver team was there. This goes to show that regardless of the age of the home there are often issues that arise because seemingly small details are overlooked. It also confirms that more insulation is not always the answer. Without properly air sealing or installing a proper air barrier, the home can still be cold, draft and uncomfortable. When you fix these issues, not only are you more comfortable at home but you will save money as well.

Burke Construction - Dr. Energy Saver- Live Comfortably & Efficiently

~MB~

Carl & Maryann contacted Dr. Energy Saver of NEPA to help make their home more comfortable. After completing a home energy assessment it was apparent the home lacked proper air sealing and insulation in the attic. Dr. Energy Saver of NEPA installed our TruSoft Cellulose insulation to achieve an R-60 in addition to properly air sealing with our patented Zyp Foam insulation as well as installing an insulated storage deck. Now this older home is insulated better than most new homes and Carl & Maryann can live for comfortably and efficiently thanks to their new attic insulation!

Carol and Allen contacted Dr. Energy Saver to assist them with solving their wet crawl space problems. They were suffering from the health and energy efficiency problems associated with a damp, wet crawlspace. To eliminate the moisture problems we installed our patented drainage matting and CleanSpace 20 mil vapor barrier. We also installed perimeter drains and our patented SmartSump, sump pump system to eliminate the water problems. We then sealed the foundation walls with 2" of spray foam insulation to seal and insulate the crawlspace. This customer also chose to upgrade the opening of the crawl space with our patented Turtle crawl space access to allow for easier access. This home is now more comfortable, energy efficient thanks to the CleanSpace Crawl Space encapsulation system. 

If you know anything about the Mt. Pocono area you know that winter comes on stronger and faster than anywhere else in the county! We recently received a call from a Mt. Pocono homeowner who was suffering from cold floors, high heating bills and an overall lack of comfort.

After completing a Home Energy Assessment we were able to see that a lack of insulation in both the cantilevered floor on the back of the house and the attic were the major contributors to the problems they were experiencing. We recommended utilizing our TruSoft Cellulose Insulation to dense pack the floor by removing siding and drilling holes through the floor in order to install the insulation. We were able to put the siding right back on just the way is was before we arrived. We also installed TruSoft cellulose in the attic to bring the total R value above R-60.

Now the house is warmer, more comfortable and of course much more efficient!

Jim was experiencing problems with his basement flooding. Even though he had a good quality sump pump, when it would rain, the water would start flooding in from the opposite end of the house from where the sump pump was. To make matters worse, the basement was completely finished with the exception of the laundry/mechanical room. When we talked to Jim it was clear that he wanted to keep the basement dry ALL the time. We suggested to him that we cut/jackhammer up the floor along where the water was coming in, install our patented SmartPipe drainage system to direct the water to our patented, TripleSafe sump pump system. The TripleSafe includes a sealed sump pit, a 1/3 hp primary pump, and 1/2 hp secondary pump and a 12 volt, 2,000 GPH battery backup pump!

This pump is the only pump you'll ever need! Even when the power goes out the battery will allow the pump to expel more than 12,000 gallons of water on a single charge! So we installed the system, repaired the concrete and installed our patented ice guards on the exterior of the house to ensure the pump can flow all year long, even when there's a foot of snow or ice on the ground. No Jim's house will be dry and he will be free of worry knowing that he has the best sump pump system available!

In the summer of 2018 we were contacted by a homeowner who had recently purchased a beautiful home in Buck Hill Falls, Pa. They were concerned about the excessive heat in the attic and how it was negatively affecting the air conditioning unit which was located in the attic. The unit was trying to make cool air in a 120 degree attic. We suggested applying 3" of Lapolla Closed Cell polyurethane insulation to the underside of the roof to maintain proper temperature and humidity levels in the home and attic. Not only is the house more efficient its much more comfortable and less expensive to heat and cool.