RESIDENTIAL INSULATION IN PARMA
Insulation Retrofits - New Construction - New Additions
Attic Insulation | Sidewall Insulation | Crawlspace Insulation | Cellulose | Fiberglass | CoreFoam | Spray Foam - Unified Insulation
A hidden gem in Ohio; once the fastest growing city in the entire United States, and in 2023 was voted as one of the BEST locations to raise children, Parma is a fantastic southern suburb of Cleveland. It is still a quickly growing town to this day – the 9th fastest growing city in Ohio – and its filled with nearly two centuries of history since its founding. In fact Parma started something new in 2024: celebrating 100 year old homes.
A 100 year old home is no small feat, and they account for about 10% of the homes in Parma! Its a diverse city of historically older homes mixed with new construction as more people move in and start families. These older homes, and not just the ones that are turning 100, are a particular focus of Unified Insulation Systems, we want to equip them to stand and protect their occupants for as long as possible with high-quality insulation and weatherization. We insulate: New Construction, New Additions, and Retrofit insulation in older homes.
Retrofitting Insulation is where much of our work is performed, older homes, specifically those made around or before the 1980's in Parma. This is because building codes did not require insulation, and it was thought of as more of a luxury than a necessity, insulation was often left out of the picture entirely! Insulating or retrofitting older insulation is the best way to increase energy efficiency, save money on monthly energy bills, and to enjoy the comfort of your home year round! You can also enjoy a 10-year worry-free warranty from Unified Insualtion when we insulate your home.
Unified Insulates: New Construction, New Additions, and Retrofits Insulation in older homes.
Starting with the top of the home, the attic is the number one spot to add insulation if you have little or none. Attic insulation will provide the most benefits when the numbers are broken down into location based energy loss, followed by basement and/or crawlspace insulation, and then sidewall insulation. Insulation will protect large spaces against energy loss, while Weatherization applied to windows, doors, and pipe entrances, take care of small air gaps that add up to big energy losses.
In fact a study done in 2016 by the Boston University School of Public Health concluded that 37 BILLION kilowatt hours could be saved if only single-family homes were brought up to 2012 International Energy Conservation Codes! That reduction is the equivalent energy use of 3.4 million homes, annually!
The top locations to insulate – The numbers speak for themselves!
- The Attic: Heat rises, and this makes the attic the top spot to insulate if you would only choose one area for insulation. Attics can be expected to bleed off about 25% of your heat in the colder fall and winter months - you're literally heating the outdoors with poor attic insulation!
Give your attic a quick visual inspection, all it takes is popping your head through the access panel and having a look. Can you see any insulation? Does it completely cover the attic rafters? Is it spread out evenly?
- At UIS we insulate attics with either loose-fill Cellulose or Fiberglass to an R-value of 49, which is about 15 inches deep and is enough to account for any settling over time. We can densely pack insulation into the eaves of the attic to protect conditioned attic spaces.
- The Basement and/or Crawlspace: The second largest energy loss area of a home is the Basement and Crawlspace. You may have one, or both, it depends on the style of your home and any additions that may have been added over the years. Energy loss from uninsulated and unprotected basements is also around 25%.
Unified has many basement insulation options available
- Spray foam insulation in the basement rim joists (The above ground portion but still located in the basement) will stop all air leaks and keep outside temperatures more controlled with an high R-value of 7 per square inch. Be wary when a company wants to put spray foam everywhere - in all of your walls, and cover the attic floor with foam. Give UIS a call to SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS – we have a blog covering our personal experiences with foam in customer walls for those on the fence about their insulation choices.
- CoreFoam Masonry Foam is a less-heard-about type of foam insulation (Completely different than open or closed cell Spray Foam). CoreFoam is made for placement within the hollow core of cinder blocks. This can be done on unfinished walls via drilled ports and provides an R-value of 5 per square inch. CoreFoam can be placed inside of finished basement walls, from the outside of the home, as long as the block is exposed (in many Ohio and Parma homes, it is exposed by design). Having an unfinished basement insulated with CoreFoam is about as painless as it gets, just drill and fill! Your basement will be more comfortable and energy efficient than ever - in no time!
- Fiberglass Batts can be placed in unfinished or partially finishes basement wall frames during renovation. Batts can provide a wide range of R-values because the product comes in many different thickness'. Loose fill fiberglass can be used in finished basements in certain cases, if there are no foundational leaks, and this would be done similarly to dense-packing a Brick faced home, we would need to drill into the hollow stud cavity from the inside of the home.
- The Sidewalls: The walls of your home are typically made of 2x4 frames with drywall attached on the inside. These 2x4 frames are excellent spaces to hold insulation! We use cellulose insulation for sidewall insulation because its perfectly suited to be densely packed into the hollow cavities. We achieve an additional R-value of 13.6, adding to the protection that your walls already help to provide, while sealing up any air gaps. Dense pack cellulose is pressurized to 3.5lbs per square inch, meaning it will blast into all available gaps, nooks, and crannies, to securely protect those inside from changing temperatures outside. If you see images on competitor websites showing cellulose insulation that can't get past a little pipe in a cut away, know that those images are made to fool customers, adding pressure to cellulose insulation will blast it around any pipes, wires, and outlet boxes.
The way we insulate your sidewalls has to do with the construction of your home – Does it have brick, siding, or panels on the outer walls?
- Brick Homes – To access the inside of the walls of brick faced homes, we must drill from the inside to the hollow spaces. Drilling into brick, while possible, is not the best way. It is more time consuming, more expensive, bricks must be replaced instead of patched, and then secured with mortar. Instead, the best practice is to drill from the drywall side of the interior of the home. Drywall can be patched much more quickly, easily, and drilling into it is a breeze! The customer will only need to apply touch-up paint to the mudded drywall after insulation is installed.
- Traditional Siding and Panels – A much more common type of home decor seen in Parma, is paneling or siding, and these can simply be removed to expose the wooden frame underneath. If foam boards are present (an older style of insulation) we cut through them and replace afterwards when patching. We usually only need to drill one hole per 8 foot section in the wall to apply the insulation, our hoses can reach the rest! Once cellulose insulation is placed, we'll patch the area, replace foam boards and siding, clean up our drop cloths, and the job is done!
See invisible energy loss with our FREE thermal camera home inspections
If you're done putting up with whatever the weather and seasons throw at your home, and want to become more energy efficient, while saving money on energy bills, give Unified Insulation Systems a call today to schedule your free inspection with our thermals cameras!
We'll be able to show you just where your home is vulnerable to outside temperatures. Our Flir cameras will show unusually hot or cold areas in your home, that we will target for insulation and air sealing. We'll provide an included quote for the work as well as financing options for you to take advantage of! There are also Government incentives that will earn you money back on your taxes for energy efficient upgrades, UIS will provide the paperwork needed by the Government, so that you can get all of the rebates that you've earned!
Give Unified Insulation a call today, Schedule your free inspection, and See just where you may be leaking energy and money out of your home. We provide after-hours appointments to make this an easy process that works off of your busy schedule! Call 330-773-7377 to talk to our office for more information, scheduling, and to answer any insulation questions you have!