Crossfield Insulation for Older Homes, Newer Streets and Shops

The Homes and Buildings in Crossfield

The older homes near the downtown core are typical small-town Alberta houses: bungalows and storey-and-a-half homes, some of them decades old and renovated several times. Attics in these houses commonly hold a thin or mixed layer of insulation, sometimes several different materials from different eras, with little air sealing underneath. Older wall cavities may be partly empty or filled with insulation that has slumped. Before we recommend blowing in more attic insulation or dense-packing walls, we look for vermiculite, which must be tested before anyone disturbs it, and for old knob-and-tube wiring, which rules out filling the cavities it runs through while it is live. Where the old material is dirty, rodent-damaged or mixed with debris, removing it first gives a clean start for air sealing.

The newer subdivisions on the edges of town were built largely over the last two decades, with basements, attached garages and in some cases bonus rooms. Their attics are generally in better shape, and the common work is on the lower floor: rim joists in unfinished basements, basement developments that need a sealed vapour barrier, and garages being heated for the first time. Around town, detached shops and garages on larger lots and farm properties are common candidates for insulation too, especially where a building is being converted from cold storage to a heated workspace.