Insulation & Air Sealing Photo Album: Treating a Walk Up Attic in Rochester, NY

This Rochester, NY customer took advantage of the AHP (Assisted Home Performance) Program, and was able to add insulation to his attic at 50% of the cost! What exactly is AHP? Assisted Home Performance starts with a comprehensive, no-cost home energy assessment and offers income-qualified homeowner a look at where they are using, losing, and wasting energy and money. AHP will the match 50% of a home owners costs for up to $8,000 worth of energy saving improvements! With the added attic insulation, this Rochester, NY customer is improving his energy efficiency and home comfort, while also saving money!

Walk Up Attic

Walk up attics have to be dealt with differently than a normal attic with a hatch. They are different because the interior attic door, the back of the stairs, and the three walls surrounding the stairs are typically outside and all need to be dealt with in some manner.

Attic Stairs

Here you can see the customer's open staircase where he is losing energy and wasting money!

Framing the Opening

We start by closing off the walk up opening at the attic flat by installing a prebuilt 2'x6' attic hatch and framing in the rest of the opening.

Foam Board

We then cover the framing and hatch with foam board, and air seal any cracks.

New Hatch

This method works well in both attics with straight stairs and attics with "L" shaped stairs. It is not as convenient as a walk up attic but much more energy efficient.

L Shaped Staircase

This staircase is "L" shaped and in this case, just air sealing and insulation have proved ineffective to us in the past.

Spray Foam Top Plates

When using this method, it's very important to spray foam the top plates. This, in combination with the newly installed attic hatch, will improve energy efficieny and help keep the customer comfortable in his home!