Feb 12, 2022

Energy-Efficient Insulation Tips For Creating A More Comfortable Home In The Winter

Our team answers homeowner questions every weekend on WCCO 830 AM from 9:00 am-10:00 am. Have your most pressing home improvement quandaries addressed by calling or texting 651-461-9226. Here’s the must-know information our COO, Andy Lindus, shared on 2.12.22.

How To Improve Insulation In House (And What To Avoid)

When it comes time for upgraded insulation or ventilation within a home, it’s wise to partner with a contractor that uses diagnostic testing to understand where a home is using and losing energy. Tools can include blower doors, smoke sticks, and infrared imaging. Drafts within a home should be addressed by a reputable professional.

Feeling Cold Air Through Outlets?

Temporary fixes, like outlet insulators, do not fully address the issue of cold air coming through outlets. While they will fix the comfort level of a particular room, they are displacing the cold air elsewhere. If the cold air meets a warm surface inside a wall, condensation can be created. This leads to mold issues. When drafts are noticed, the best places to investigate are a home’s attic or basement because air is moving back and forth from these areas due to the stack effect. As the pressure changes within a home in the winter, the air from the attic is sucked down, creating drafts.

See Our Team Execute An Efficient Insulation Project:

True or False: You Always Need to Remove Old Attic Insulation Before Installing New

Answer: It depends. One of the most commonly asked questions about home insulation projects is whether the old insulation needs to be removed. If the goal of the project is just to complete the attic air sealing, the previous insulation can remain in place. If the entire attic is getting spray foam insulation, the preexisting insulation must be removed. It’s important to know that without addressing ventilation and attic air sealing, simply adding more insulation will not create a more energy efficient home.

What To Do About A Drafty Sliding Glass Door In The Winter

Many homeowners are surprised to learn that sliding door replacement can take place in the winter months. It’s cheaper to have a standard sized door installed. However, if the door is not specially made for the rough opening it is installed in, air leaks can be present, resulting in a drafty sliding glass door. Regardless of the model, sliding patio doors are less energy efficient than French doors. French doors have smaller frames than sliding doors, which allows for more natural light to enter a home.

Solutions For Icy, Slippery Decking: Composite Deck Boards

In the winter months, homeowners with cedar decking often complain about how slippery the boards can be. A composite decking material that gives the appearance of wood without the safety hazard is Millboard®. In addition to its beauty, it comes at a cost-effective price point. Millboard® is offered in an array of colors. It comes with all the accessories needed to build a beautiful deck. Another perk of Millboard® is that it has a thicker profile and texture than a lot of other types of composite decking. Millboard® decking’s ability to look like wood also makes it a desirable option for homeowners looking to imitate the aesthetics of wood without the maintenance. It also ranks high in traction control and does not get as hot as other composite decking materials.

Listen to the Entire Show Here:

Lindus Construction Reviews:

"Eric is great. We used him on my mom’s house for several projects: new doors, windows, re-insulating the inside of the roof in upstairs bedrooms, tearing down & rebuilding the garage. My sister also used Eric to install LeafGuard® on her own house, build her a new deck, and install a metal roof. We recently had a meeting to discuss building a new deck for me, to replace the old one. We will be using no-maintenance materials, so no more sanding, staining, painting."

James N.

Minneapolis, MN

July 20, 2022

“We are very pleased with Lindus' work from start to finish. They did an energy audit, foam insulation of basement rim joists, removed and replaced damaged attic insulation with foam and cellulose, installed new attic access, replaced upper-level bathroom fan and exhaust to roof, removed and replaced soffit and fascia. We had storm damaged steel siding on front upper level of house. All of the siding on front upper level was replaced with LP® smart siding, all front windows were retrimmed. We believe they went above and beyond our expectations.”

David L.

Robbinsdale, MN

July 15, 2022

"They were contracted to insulate the garage ceiling which they did in a two-step process with both foam and blown-in insulation. They then returned to put up new gutters facia and soffits in a two day process that was professional, neat , and used materials economically."

Stephen G.

MInneapolis, MN

April 28, 2022

"We highly recommend Lindus Construction. They showed up everyday and did quality work. Very professional, polite, and answered all of our questions and concerns. The work ethic we saw was superior. We’re very pleased with the insulation and venting project they just completed. They get the highest a 5+ rating from us."

Lee Ann S.

Maplewood, MN

February 4, 2022

"Had windows & doors replaced, great work!!"

Cheryll W.

Minnetonka, MN

January 13, 2022

"Lindus removed and replaced the insulation in my attic by first sealing around all recessed lighting cans, speakers and HVAC vents using custom made insulation boxes and spray foam insulation and then blowing cellulose insulation throughout the attic. The Lindus Representative on the job, Randall Bowman, was a pleasure to work with. He explained all work to be done, was on site before 8AM each day to get the crew started and stayed on site during all critical steps in the process, for example the spray foaming operation. He was professional, courteous and was well informed on the particulars of each step in the process. The men in the crew he supervised where also courteous and respectful of the portions of my home they had to access to complete the work they were doing. After removing and replacing the insulation, the job site was cleaned up nicely both inside and out. Mr. Bowman and his team left me with a high level of confidence to use Lindus in the future for other projects around my home."

Richard K.

Dellwood, MN

January 4, 2022