Attic, Basement, & Exterior Assessment

The exterior walls or "envelope" of your house is where many efficiency and comfort problems originate. These areas of your home — including the roof/attic, exterior walls and basement — come in contact with the elements and are often where air infiltration or water seepage can cause problems. At Wisconsin Home Improvement, we assess these areas of your home in particular to make sure everything is functioning properly.

Your Home Energy Assessment Starts with a Visual Inspection

We've looked at a lot of homes over the years, and so it makes sense to use a visual inspection to identify areas that need further investigation during the home performance audit. We start from the exterior and then work through the house from top to bottom.

Exterior Home Review

When our trained auditor arrives, the first step is to review the exterior of the home from all sides. This "walkaround" inspection will include a look for evidence of some of the problems that can rob your home of energy and comfort. The outside inspection will review:

• The condition of exterior walls, including paint, siding, brick, stucco and wood
• Exterior vents, including attic vents, kitchen and bath vents and dryer vents
• Chimneys and flues that carry furnace exhaust and wood smoke
• Any areas showing mold or staining that could indicate excess condensation
• Grading and gutters that direct excess rainwater away from the foundation

Top-to-Bottom Home Walkthrough

Once inside, our home performance auditor will conduct a comprehensive review to begin the energy assessment of the home. Starting in the attic and working through the house to the basement or crawlspace, the review will take note of any visual deficiencies that can be further investigated using the blower door test and infrared thermal imaging camera.

Checking the Attic

Wisconsin Home Improvement has been inspecting Wisconsin attics for decades—we've seen a lot! Our team can identify many of the causes of heating and cooling loss with a simple visual inspection, because the supporting structures often are not covered by sheetrock. Some common issues we've spotted in attics include:

• Leaky roofs and ice damming
• Poorly-insulated attic floors (ceilings)
• Gaps or missing insulation around light fixtures, ductwork and joist end caps
• Disconnected exhaust venting from bathrooms or kitchens

Assessing Basements & Crawlspaces

Basements and crawlspaces that form the foundation of the home can also be a major source of the energy loss that limits your home's energy efficiency. These areas are also often the source of unwanted moisture and dangerous gases (like carbon monoxide and radon). Basements most often contain the ductwork and mechanicals for heating, cooling, hot water and plumbing.

Our visual inspection of the basement and all the HVAC elements situated there can offer areas of further analysis with radon testing and combustion safety testing.

Our Home Performance Audit Report

Our home performance audit reports include information gathered from this visual top-to-bottom assessment along with more detailed and specialized information from the blower door test and infrared thermal imaging.

Is your home due for some energy upgrades? Contact us to schedule a home performance audit. Also be sure to check out our current specials to see any deals we're offering. Once this 90-minute assessment is complete, you'll have detailed information to improve your home's comfort and efficiency!