A bonus room in your Metro DC area home is a great idea, in theory. Maybe you had some unfinished space in the house—above the garage, or old storage space in an attic—and decided that rather than let that area of your home sit unused, you’d convert it into a living space. Maybe the bonus room was already converted when you bought your house. You could be using it as an extra bedroom when guests come, or an office space, or just as a hang out room with a TV and a couch.
The problem is, your bonus room just isn’t that comfortable—too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. What’s going on, and how can you fix it?
Why Isn’t Your Bonus Room Comfortable?
One of the most common shortcuts we see homeowners taking with renovations is inadequate home insulation, especially with bonus rooms. Whether it’s a homeowner taking on a DIY project or a contractor who cut corners to keep costs down, many people assume that whatever insulation they already had in their home will be enough, even if they are creating a new room and adding on their house’s living space, or they simply don’t know how much insulation to install and how to do it properly.
Insulation helps slow the transfer of heat between building materials in your home. When a bonus room is underinsulated or not insulated properly, your comfort will suffer as a result. In the summer, hot outdoor temperatures will find their way into your bonus room, and in the winter, warm air from your furnace will escape outside.
Properly Insulate Your Bonus Room
Just like homes that need upgraded attic insulation or crawlspace encapsulation, The Fifth Fuel has the materials and professional expertise to get a bonus room back on track by upgrading your insulation and air sealing.
The first step to fixing an insulation issue in a home is to find out exactly where the issue is, and we can do this with a home energy audit. An audit analyzes how heat and air move in a house, and through advanced technology like thermal imaging and blower door testing, we can pinpoint exactly where there are insulation issues and air leaks in your home.
Then, once we fully understand the problem, we’ll be in a position to recommend the best way to address the issue. We can use a number of insulation materials, from blown in cellulose insulation to fiberglass batts and even spray foam insulation, which acts as an insulator as well as an air and moisture barrier.
When you hire an expert insulation contractor to fix up your bonus room issue, you’ll end up with:
- More consistent and comfortable temperatures
- Reduced energy usage (lower utility bills)
- Higher indoor air quality in your house
Fix Your Bonus Room with Insulation Installation from The Fifth Fuel
Addressing home performance issues like insulation problems in a single area of your Falls Church, Arlington, or Alexandria home has house-wide benefits—while the difference might be most obvious in your bonus room, your whole home will be better protected against outdoor temperatures and air pollution. With a tight thermal boundary around your home, you’ll benefit year-round from decreased energy bills, and you’ll be able to fully enjoy your bonus room every month of the year.
