Home Insulation Photo Album: Ely, MN Cabin Eliminates Ice Dams with Whole-Home Insulation

This Ely, MN cabin was drafty and cold in the winter and sticky and uncomfortable during the summer months. The owners knew they needed to improve the overall energy-efficiency of their cabin and were especially eager to be rid of ice dams.They reached out to DBS to schedule a free, no-obligation estimate with DBS Design Specialist Henry Jungbauer. Henry visited the cabin and provided a thorough inspection of both the attic and crawl space. Henry designed an insulation project that would prevent energy loss resulting from a principle called the stack effect. The stack effect is essentially the process of outside air entering your home via your basement or crawl space, traveling through your home, and leaking back outside via your attic. This free flow of air means the cabin was working hard to keep itself warm, driving energy bills up and creating ice dams.DBS Foreman Orrin Sundberg led this insulation project of this Ely, MN cabin. After insulating the crawl space rim joists with spray foam, our insulation crew moved into the attic. They removed the existing batting insulation and air-sealed the space with an inch of closed-cell spray foam. From there, they applied 18 inches of Tru-Soft™ cellulose. They also installed Tru-Soft™ in the attic's hard-to-reach vaulted ceiling using a technique called dense packing, to provide a consistent radiant barrier. The insulation installed in the attic and crawl space will prevent the stack effect from reoccurring, resulting in less money spent on propane, and a more comfortable home. You'll see in the before and after photos the difference in ice dam build-up from 1 year to the next.The homeowners were happy with the work our insulation crew did and now have a solid solution to stand up to cold Minnesota winters.