Home Tip: What does snow melting on my roof really mean?

One of the biggest perks of being a Realtor is the privilege to attend dozens of building inspections per year!  It is a continued source of learning and knowledge for me. The beauty of my blog? The ability to share the little nuggets of home wisdom that I pick up along the way!

Needless to say, it has been a wild and wicked winter here in St. Louis!  Snow days have been aplenty and almost ALL of my inspections thus far in 2019 have been in the snow, including yesterday's.   As we approached the property yesterday, before even entering, the inspector blurted out "Alert Carrie- we need insulation!".

How did he know that, you may ask, before even entering the property?  On the north-facing entry of the home, despite frigid temperatures, the snow was melting off the bulk of the roof EXCEPT above the unheated garage.  Hence, heated air is escaping in to the attic and warming the roof.

Insulation has already been a topic that I have blogged about this year, as we recently did some MAJOR addressing of deficiency in our own home.  While as a real estate professional I should advise it is prudent and due-diligence to climb a ladder and regularly check your insulation levels, realistically, most people only venture in to their attic if necessary.  Hence why this tip is INVALUABLE to Homeowners as it is easy and fool-proof!

Plain and simple, a snow-covered roof means that your attic is doing its job. Patches of uneven melt are a sign of heat loss. If your neighbor's roof has a thick blanket and yours doesn't, it is a sign of heat loss.  Steam coming off the roof on melt days- a sign of heat loss.  Icicles forming on the gutter line are also often a sign of heat loss.  If your roof is warm enough to melt the snow but it's cold enough outside for snow to refreeze, your roof is losing heat.  Period.

HOMEOWNER TIP: 
In the days that follow a snowfall, examine the roof on your home- preferably the North-facing side. If the outside temperature stays below 32 degrees, there should still be a healthy sheet of snow on your roof. If you notice patches where the snow is melting (or any of the signs mentioned above), your attic is likely lacking proper insulation OR the insulation has been shifted during home repairs and is no longer evenly blanketing the attic floor. These areas of leakage will not only melt the snow, but it will cause your heating bills to rise and affect your home comfort.

Address the problem now so your pocketbook and furnace don't have to work so hard! You will be cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

LOCALS:
Curious about the cost of adding additional insulation in St. Louis?  In our personal project, we blew in insulation to a maximum R60 level (from 21ish) using premium 85% Recycled Green Fiber, which also creates a sound barrier and is fire retardant with zero fiberglass.  For just under 2000sqft, it was approximately $2,500.  In just 2 months, we have already seen our heating bill drop tremendously, despite frigid temperatures.

Got chills, St. Louis? Check Your Insulation!

Got the chills, St. Louis?  Slippers, warm coffee, and a steamy shower this morning!  Just 3 days ago, The Nenonens hiked (and waded) our way 5 miles through Castlewood.  In fact, we managed to hike 20+ miles over the past week thanks to lovely 80-90 degree temperatures!

Yesterday, however, in true Midwest fashion...

...Mama Nature surprised us all by taking a tumble in to brisk autumnal temperatures, abruptly ending the unseasonable Fall warm streak we have enjoyed thus far.

I have always said that my blog mimics my life, and this post is no different.  My goal here on CDN and the City is to yes, share my adventures but also educate the public on matters of the home.  Often times, that means learning from my mistakes.

I pose a question to you, friends: When was the last time that you peeked in to your attic and checked the level of the insulation?  Answer honestly, judgement-free zone here. 

Apparently in Casa de Nenonen, it has been too long! Way too long, if ever, since closing on our house.  Let's face it: Life is busy.  Homeowners tend to deal with what is directly in front of them: the garage door that needs adjusting, the lawn that needs mowing, the laundry and dishes and messy kitchen floor.  The mundane daily Homeowner tasks, sprinkled with the occasional crisis or voluntary weekend project, keeps us busy!  Am I right?

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we are currently under kitchen renovation...

In fact, a full gut! When our contractor descended from our attic this week after installing our new recessed lighting, he urged us to add more attic insulation ASAP.  Truthfully, Steve and I rarely even open the attic hatch in this house, as we have plentiful basement storage and it simply is not easily accessible.  

When I popped my head up there this week, however, I was horrified. I have been through enough career building inspections to know the importance of insulation.  I understand R-value.  Yet, I popped my head up in my own attic this week to find this...

Yep.  I am trying not to turn this in to an ashamed Homeowner confession post, but I have no excuse.  To the average person, this photo may mean little to nothing.  To put things in to perspective for you, however, this is the reality thanks to Energy Star...

Insulation's resistance to conductive heat flow is measured in terms of its thermal resistance or "R-value".  Kindergarten terms: the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. The R-value depends on the type of insulation, its thickness, and its density.  Over time, insulation shifts or compacts and becomes less effective.   In fact, when insulation compacts, it acts more as a conductor than an insulator.

Our attic, MAYBE, is R-21 right now.  Again, no excuses people. Most local insulation companies recommend an R-49. The US Department of Energy recommends between R-38 and R-60 for the St. Louis area.

St. Louis County requires a minimum of R-30 on new construction and industry-wide, but that is considered RIDICULOUSLY and INSANELY low for our extreme Midwest temperatures.

So these are the facts: Beefing up insulation and caulking/sealing air leaks is one of the best ways to improve energy efficiency in your home. It is a simple home project that a Homeowner can do on their own and it can reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to a whopping 30%!

In addition, per Remodeling Magazine, it has one of the best ROIs (return on investment) of all home improvement projects.

In other words, THIS HOME IMPROVEMENT PAYS FOR ITSELF while keeping your family warmer on chilly days like today!  Win/win.

Our contractor has graciously agreed to bring Casa de Nenonen to an R-60 once our project is complete...

While I am thankful that he alerted us to his discovery, we should have done our due-diligence and checked it prior to this renovation.  We should have done our due-diligence and checked it years ago.

Learn from my mistake, friends.  The cost of the project is nominal compared to the money saved.  Before temps plummet any further, walk around your home and pay special attention to these areas...

Your pocketbook will thank you!