HomeLibraryInsulation & Ventilation
Home systems

Insulation & Ventilation

Where warm, moist air ends up decides whether an attic stays dry or quietly rots. These are cheap fixes that prevent expensive, hidden damage.

The ten second check

What else is typical in a house this age?

Type the year the house was built and I will tell you what else tends to be true at that age, what it costs, and what to ask. One number, ten seconds.

A guess is fine. 1965, or just the 60s.

Anything worrying you? Tap any that apply, or skip it.

Free. No account. Educational and impartial, not a home inspection.

Exhaust fans venting into the attic

Fans that dump moist air into the attic, cheap to fix, easy to miss.

$400 to $1,300Address soon

Vermiculite attic insulation

Pebble-like attic insulation, assume asbestos, don't disturb; removal runs five figures.

$10,000 to $30,000+Monitor

UFFI (urea-formaldehyde foam insulation)

1970s wall foam banned in 1980, mostly a disclosure and resale issue now, not health.

$250 to $875Address soon

Attic insulation & R-value

Thin attic insulation = high bills and ice dams, one of the cheapest fixes.

$1,500 to $4,800Address soon

Crawl space moisture & vapour barriers

Small, dark, and rarely photographed, where hidden moisture likes to hide.

$2,500 to $15,000+Address soon

Score a listing before you tour it

Casaroo reads any listing for the bones as well as the appearance, free, in seconds.

Free listing check →