4: Inspect and Evaluate the House

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Inspect and Evaluate the House

If the walls are already insulated, batted with 1-to-2 inch blanket insulation (balsa-wool), partially blocked, or back-plastered, you may not be able to get a decent job done- and you don’t want to find this out when the crew is at the house, ready to go. Be sure to have this crucial point covered before installers arrive. It may require a number of test holes to be drilled, or an infrared scan performed to determine existing conditions.

If an full energy assessment has not been completed, perform a blower door test at 50 Pa to get the CFM50 rating and air changes per hour flow. Run the test with all inside and basement doors open. This is a good time to check the interior surface for leaks and holes that may allow cellulose to enter the house. (See LIVING SPACE below)

Ask the homeowner about the cost to heat or cool the house and if any special problems exist such as ice dams, drafts, pipes freezing, cold rooms, condensation, and roof leaks.

Inspect the interior for places where insulation might blow into the house -- gross holes in the plaster, loose paneling, back plaster walls, pocket doors, missing wall sections under sinks and stairwells, etc.

Make a note of the location of electrical fixtures, wires, outlets, hot air ducts, cold air returns and plumbing in exterior walls.
Check for unventilated space heaters and gross furnace safety problems. Don't start work if there is a hazard.
Note the location of major wall leakage sites, i.e. the ceiling-joist connection at the porch roof, flat roof connections, plumbing chase-ways on an outside wall, slanted roof cavities crossing joist volumes, and any place the air barrier can't be inspected and may be discontinuous.