Hello all,
This is my first post, YAY. I had the warranty people on my new house in AZ come out and check the insulation in the garage. The master bedroom is above the garage and it is noticeably hotter then any other room in the house, including the garage below. They came and cut a hole in the ceiling of the garage and there is only a small piece of insulation stapled to the bedroom floor. There is about a foot and a half of just open area across the entire ceiling.

My question is if this is up to code? We paid for upgraded insulation and think there should be more than a piece of insulation about 2 inches thick stapled to the floor.

 

Well, no expert, but that doesn't sound right. You say you paid for upgraded insulation, what exactly does that mean? Increasing the minimum required by 20 R value? Were they going to build it with no insulation before?

There are inspections required and I think insulation is one of them.

Either way, there should be something in the home specs that list everything.

Was this a custom build or typical tract development?

 

AZ is divided into 4 different zones.
Here's a map to give you an idea of what should have been up there.
Recommended Levels of Insulation : ENERGY STAR

If these are batts that are up there, then the R value should be written on the paper that should be up against the subflooring.
A garage also should have been air sealed with high temp. caulking or expanding foam.

 

Sorry, it was a custom build. I also mean by upgrade insulation was there was the basic type they were going to put in and then there was a premium type, I assume with a higher R-value.

 

Stephen,
Looking at the map Joe posted, which zone are you in? It looks like your minimum requirement would range from r-13 to r-19, but remember, that is the absolute code minimum, not the best choice and certainly not what one would expect as "upgraded insulation". As for warranty it might depend upon what you had in writing.

Bud

 

How old is your house? Are you referring to the builder's warranty? or is this an extended plan?
I agree with the others that you should check your paper work to find out exactly what you paid for.

btw - welcome to the forums Stephen!

 

Thank you for the welcome My house is less than a year old. Also the upgraded insulation we paid for was for R38. I wish I could post pictures on here because they cut a hole in our ceiling and i have pics of it all. However there is a huge gap between the ceiling of the garage and where the insulation starts for the upstairs.

 

This link may help:
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html

R-38 is typically 12 inches of fiberglass insulation and should come close to filling a typical joist cavity. However, if you have web trusses up there, which are an up and down angled configuration that is not solid between the top and bottom, then obtaining r-38 is more challenging. Let us know what dimension wood is on each side of each joist bay and how deep each is?

Bud

 

Every where I've painted new houses the builder was required by law to warrant the house for at least 1 yr. If you can verify that you don't have the R38 - hold the builder's toes to the fire!
Let us know if you have joists or trusses between the garage ceiling and the master bed rm.