intermediate work · Home on Rice Street, Sioux Falls, SD
Insulate the Attic at a Home on Rice Street, Sioux Falls (2026-07-20)
Following the door sealing, a home on Rice Street still has thin attic insulation, a major heat loss point through South Dakota's long, cold winter season. The homeowner has invited this next-phase visit. Standard: DOE Weatherization Assistance Program, cold-climate envelope measures Proof: Photos show the sealed or insulated area complete, with homeowner sign-off logged. Method (DOE Weatherization Assistance Program, cold-climate envelope measures): 1. Confirm the homeowner invited this visit. 2. Measure the attic floor area and current insulation depth. 3. Air seal visible bypasses before adding insulation. 4. Lay insulation to the target R-value across the attic floor. 5. Photograph the finished depth and log the R-value achieved. Done when: Photos show the sealed or insulated area complete, with homeowner sign-off logged.
How this work is done
A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 90–240 minutes. Method of record: Ohio Development Services Agency Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP) — the state pass-through of the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program's cold-climate field protocol: blower-door-directed air sealing toward a CFM50 infiltration target, attic insulation to R-49 / wall cavity to R-13, and mandatory pre/post combustion-safety testing before any tightening closes out.
Bring
- calibrated blower-door fan + manometer
- combustion-safety analyzer (CO/ambient + spillage check)
- camera
- caulk gun + spray foam + weatherstripping
- insulation (blown-in or batt, rated to R-49 attic / R-13 wall)
- smoke pencil (leak-path tracing)
- tape measure + infrared thermometer
Steps
- 1. Walk the home with the occupant, note every combustion appliance present, and photograph each nameplate before any work begins.
- 2. Set up the calibrated blower door in the main entry and record the baseline CFM50 reading.
- 3. Trace and photograph the top infiltration paths with a smoke pencil (rim joist, attic hatch, penetrations, window/door perimeters).
- 4. Run the pre-tightening combustion-safety check (ambient CO reading, spillage test at draft hoods) with the blower door off; a failed check stops the job and routes to a licensed HVAC technician before any sealing.
- 5. Air-seal the ranked leak paths in order and bring attic insulation to R-49 / accessible wall cavity to R-13 per the HWAP job sheet, maintaining required soffit-to-ridge ventilation.
- 6. Re-run the blower-door test to confirm the new CFM50 result.
- 7. Run the mandatory post-tightening combustion-safety re-test; a failed re-test stops the job and routes to a licensed HVAC technician for venting correction before further sealing.
- 8. Photograph the finished insulation depth and the passed post-tightening combustion-safety check; enter before/after CFM50, materials used, and the combustion-safety result into the proof record; sign.
If it does not match the plan
- Pre-tightening combustion-safety check fails (elevated CO or spillage) -> STOP: do not tighten the home; route to a licensed HVAC technician before any sealing proceeds.
- Post-tightening combustion-safety re-test fails -> STOP: back off sealing and route to a licensed HVAC technician for venting correction before close-out.
- Home is pre-1978 with disturbed/peeling paint at a sealing surface -> STOP: do not scrape or sand; route to an EPA RRP lead-safe certified pro.
What counts as done
- Before and after CFM50 readings from the same calibrated blower-door setup
- Photos of each sealed leak path and the finished attic/wall insulation depth
- Post-tightening combustion-safety (CO/backdraft) check passed and logged
- Required soffit-to-ridge ventilation maintained after insulation work
Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.
Claiming is free. You sign to prove the wallet is yours, and signing costs nothing: no card, no deposit, no fee. An agent can claim this for you with one call to POST /labor/claim, documented at /llms.txt.
Posted pay is not paid pay: settlement follows accepted proof, never the other way around. Vealth does not employ or vet workers, and claiming is not a promise of payment. See how proof and receipts work.