Attic insulation and ventilation


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Old 11-27-16, 01:30 PM
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Attic insulation and ventilation

I needed a new roof put on and my sheathing in the attic was covered with mold. So the sheathing was torn off and new sheathing put on. The roofer was suppose to put the air baffles back on the underside of the sheathing when it was put back on. They shortcut it and did not. I have blown in insulation with fiberglass batts out at the eaves to hold it in place. They pulled out all the batts and said the attic will breath better now. Problem is the blown in insulation is getting blown around into the eaves due to wind and my whole house fan. I was livid they did this without notifying me. To fix this, it seems the blown in insulation needs to be pulled back, the baffles put back on the sheathing, the batts put back into place, and the blown in insulation put back. I have about 80 linear feet that need to be done total. Does anyone have any idea about how much this will cost, so I can withhold funds from the roofer until this is fixed to my satisfaction? Thanks...
 
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Old 11-27-16, 01:45 PM
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Check your local prices for baffles. Include vacuuming the soffits to remove what has blown into them.

The labor will depend on the pitch of the roof. A tight fit will drive the time up. If it is easy to access a wild guess would be 2 men and on day, roughly $1,000.

In addition, blown-in insulation suffers a lot when moved around so they should also add a few inches to the top to fill any voids and restore the depth.

Those baffles should be the type that has a flap down over the end of the insulation to protect it from the wind.

Wild guess, $2,000. On the high side maybe but they need some motivation to return. If you withhold just $500 they are apt to just walk away.

Bud
 
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Old 11-27-16, 01:46 PM
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Unless someone responding to your post is going to do the work, I wouldn't go by anyone's estimate. The fact is only someone onsite could answer a question like this without reservation because it depends on issues like size and access. Beyond that, you may find many contractor's could be unwilling to clean up someone else's mess.

Your question is a simple one. Don't pay anything until you're satisfied and if the contractor has a problem have him sue you. One of you is likely to be pissed off and it may as well be him.
 
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Old 11-27-16, 01:49 PM
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Got some pictures so we can see what your seeing?
 
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Old 11-27-16, 02:02 PM
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The big question here is what did the contract say? Was there a contract? Or was it an oral, hey can you put the vents in for me while you're at it, type of arrangement? Roofers are clearly often not the brightest or best people to be working on your insulation and ventilation. And, putting myself in their shoes, I would not feel obliged to do more work for you than what was originally agreed upon - especially for the same price as what was originally agreed upon. If they charged you for additional work, it was probably based on how much time and labor was actually spent on the extras. If it wasn't done to your specifications, "maybe" it's partly your fault for expecting them to know how to correctly perform work that they do not specialize in. Kind of like how I wouldn't ask most roofers to do trim carpentry... or brain surgery. (No offense to those roofers who can do both, obviously).

So I don't know that we can wade into this disagreement without all the info. If it was all spelled out in the original contract, then that's completely different. Otherwise, be very careful about withholding payment if they performed the work exactly as the written contract specified.

I heard a similar horror story that involved roofers tearing off opening up soffits that had formerly been closed, replacing it with vented aluminum, then all the insulation around the guys walk in storage / attic blew all over the place and the temperature up there dropped like 30-40F in the winter where it had been comfortable in the past. Another case of not knowing what you are doing.
 
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Old 11-27-16, 02:55 PM
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Have to agree with Xsleeper on this one.
Any "roofers" I've had to deal with do not not have a clue about proper roof venting.
There paid by the square to install the shingles and move to the next job.
Unless it was in writing what there where to do you have no recourse.
 
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Old 11-27-16, 03:06 PM
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Obviously we're reading just one side, but I'm reacting to what's written. On that basis I believe the contractor has a problem unless there's a contract that says remove baffles and don't replace them.

Anyone who spent time with attic insulation knows what baffles are and why they're there. If this guy didn't, it's on him not the homeowner. The guy getting paid is expected to get it right. I agree that roofers may not be knowledgeable about venting but if this roofer does not have a clue about venting he shouldn't remove the baffles. Once he does, the consequences are on him.
 

Last edited by Tony P.; 11-27-16 at 03:57 PM.
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Old 11-27-16, 04:36 PM
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Yes I meant soffit when I said eaves. Yes it was agreed in a crude contract that the baffles were to be removed and reinstalled with the new sheathing. However, the law tests to what a "reasonable man" would expect. A reasonable man would not expect the insulation batts that were put in place down by the soffit to be pulled out when you have sheathing replaced. I'd be more then willing to have a judge hear the case if I were sued. My thoughts were $1500 to $2000 especially since the blown in insulation will probably pack when it is moved. The sad part is that it would have taken very little additional work to install the baffles on the sheathing when it went up. Now it's a fricken one or two day job.

I have taken pictures, but due to how tight it is, it's really hard to tell from the pictures what is going on down there. I am very much disabled, so I can not crawl back there. When I saw what was done, I asked the work crew leader why he did that and he said to make the attic vent better. I said you do realize that the blown in insulation will migrate into the soffit without the batts, right? He said he did not realize that....
 
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Old 11-27-16, 04:52 PM
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When you hire a contractor you should have them provide a certificate of insurance which comes directly from their insurance company. With that in hand you can file a claim directly with their insurance company and let the insurance company deal with the contractor. If you have that insurance company name, talk to them or talk to your home owners insurance as they may be able to identify the roofers coverage.

As stated, this would have been a minimal effort during the roof replacement and now it is going to be an expensive pain.

Bud
 
 

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