Attic and roof insulation in Brooklyn

Attic and roof insulation in Brooklyn

In a Brooklyn row house the “attic” is often a shallow cavity between the top-floor ceiling and a flat roof. In a frame house it is a pitched attic you can stand in. Both are usually the biggest heat loss in the house, and both are usually under-insulated.

Flat roofs on brownstones and row houses

• From below: when the top-floor ceiling is open, we spray closed-cell foam under the roof deck.
• From the roof side: during a roof replacement, or through small openings, we fill the cavity with blown-in cellulose and leave your ceilings alone.

Pitched attics in frame houses

• Unfinished attic you don’t use: loose-fill insulation on the attic floor, after we seal the gaps around pipes, wires and the hatch.
• Attic you use or plan to finish: spray foam on the underside of the roof, so the attic stays close to room temperature.

Seal first, then insulate

Warm air escapes through gaps at the top of the walls, around chimneys and at the attic hatch. We air seal those first, so the insulation works the way it should.

Rebates

Most of Brooklyn has National Grid gas. National Grid’s Total Home Comfort program is paused for new applications, so most one- to four-family homes now go through NYSERDA programs, and buildings with 5 or more units through National Grid’s multifamily program. We check what is open for your address before we price the job. See the NYC rebate guide.

Common questions

My top floor is hot in summer and cold in winter. Is that the roof? Almost always. It is the first place we look.

How long does it take? Most attic and roof jobs take one day.