Insulation for Cabins in Outing and Cass County, MN
Challenge
Cathedral ceilings are beautiful. They offer high ceilings and allow for lots of windows to enjoy breathtaking views. However, they can be tricky to keep warm. Cabin and lake homeowners in Minnesota and Wisconsin often struggle with keeping their space usable all year round for this very reason. Owners of this home in Outing, MN contacted DBS for help with the efficiency of their cabin. After 1 year of owning the cabin, and a high propane bill, they were looking for a solution that would be low maintenance and protect their cabin for years to come!
Partially-insulated attics need insulation with an R-value of at least 38-49. No attic insulation means you should add insulation of an R-value of from 39-60, probably towards the higher end in Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Oftentimes, there is little insulation in a cathedral-style roof, because an attic doesn't exist. Henry Jungbauer, a Design Specialist in our Dr. Energy Saver® service traveled to the cabin to provide a thorough inspection.
Solution
Our team installs a variety of systems to help home and cabin owners in our northern climate. For attics, we offer spray foam insulation, air sealing, blown-in cellulose, and rigid foam insulation, depending on the structure or your roof. Our SuperAttic system is great to completely seal garage and attic spaces with HVAC systems, finished floors, storage space, and it prevents ice damming. We also provide garage insulation, crawl space insulation, and wall insulation.
In this case, Henry proposed dense packing of the cathedral ceiling. DBS uses Tru-Soft™ cellulose to dense pack interior walls and in this case, cathedral ceilings. Tru-Soft™ is made from rec cycled newspapers and in this treatment with boric acid, which is a natural, non-toxic agent that makes Tru-Soft™ mold and mildew resistant, pest deterrent, and flame retarding. This video demonstrates the technique that our team uses when dense packing.
Beyond new insulation, Henry also recommended air sealing the can lights in the ceiling to stop warm air from the living space from escaping via the attic.
