Hey all,
I posted in the Ask a Mustachian forum initially just asking for feedback/advice on attic insulation removal/installation on behalf of my in-laws (who are seeking to take advantage of a rebate program that offers money back on the installation):
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/attic-insulation-and-cleaning-costsWe ended up scheduling to have an attic insulation contractor take a look today - he found a number of other issues that we might consider having addressed. He seems honest and isn't a big time company - I believe he's the owner operator and may have one or two guys helping but he seems to do a lot of the actual work. Found him on Yelp and he doesn't have a ton of reviews but is local and very responsive. Anyway, I feel he gave a pretty thorough and honest assessment of what he found:
1) attic insulation is fairly dirty - old pieces of wood laying around from prior roof work (they had their roof replaced in 2016), dust, some rodent droppings (not a lot) toward garage. Per the contractor, all this may affect air quality (which is something my FIL has been complaining of)
2) missing insulation coverage in some areas - he can simply just blow in insulation to supplement what's there but it won't address the other issue of actually cleaning things up in the attic.
3) range hood isn't venting to roof (t-top flasher needs to be installed - I don't know if this was always this way *prior* to the re-roofing or if it was and the roofing company missed it. If the latter, is the roofing company supposed to come back out to address this on their dime?). The contractor mentioned he can run venting up to and connect to the t-top flashing but he won't install the flashing itself due to not wanting to invalidate the warranty on the roof work.
4) bathroom (i think for both their bathrooms) fans/ventilation not connected or exiting to gable vents -- the contractor is able to do this venting for at least one of the bathrooms, and it won't invalidate the roof warranty since the venting is exiting the side
5) Observed that the HVAC ducting is corrogated ducting and pointed out that it *may* contain asbestos. Some sections are disconnected, torn or holes in it --> should get HVAC contractor inspect and replace or repair
6) recessed lighting fixtures are non-insulation contact so he can't put insulation over those fixtures and has to leave a 3" gap around the hole where the lighting is. This would reduce the energy efficiency
7) one gable vent screen is torn, which he can repair/replace
I'm currently waiting on a quote for him for everything except for #3 and #5. Regarding the rodent droppings, I noticed that my FIL set out rat and mouse traps around his garage in various places and I don't think he ever caught anything. He never mentioned hiring a pest control company either so we have no idea if there are still rodents around. If there are, this is going to be yet another item to add to the list of expenses. Regarding #5, there is another rebate program in their area (LA) offering services for AC Optimization (where they have someone come out) as well as rebates for AC replacement. Their condenser unit is from 2000 and not sure how old the furnace is. The problem is that LADWP has indefinitely halted the program due to COVID (
https://www.ladwpactuneup.com/)
The home is a 4/2 SFH built in 1964 and is 1771sq feet. My FIL originally just wanted to get the attic insulation replaced and had been complaining about how he has been having some difficulties with breathing (he's been on an inhaler recently) and this became more of an issue in recent years. There was a gas leak in the surrounding area a couple years back, which we all think may have contributed to some of his problems too, but I think the roofing job in 2016 may also have contributed to this potentially via residual dust and potentially other VOCs that fell onto the insulation and ducting and has just been slowly circulating throughout their home ever since; especially considering how the contractor noted tears/holes/disconnections in the HVAC duct work.
All that said, my in-laws aren't in a great financial situation. They are retired and still have about 15 years left on a 30 mortgage they took in 2004 and got a loan modification on back in 2011. The loan modification was for the terms of a balloon payment at the end too where they have to give up 25% of the appreciated value to the loan company (smh... they mostly did this because the interest rate on it was down to around 2% and includes their property tax and insurance payments I believe). They're in their mid-70s right now and currently rent one room out to a roommate. This coupled with their SS payments *can* keep them treading water but more often than not they end up negative cash-flowing because they don't make good financial decisions overall (my FIL is impulsive and is a "yes" man - he has gotten better about this since retiring but it's still tough).
I don't know how much longer they'll be living in that place but they have shown little interest in moving. We have thought about the option, more recently, of looking for a duplex, multiplex or even a home with an ADU and to have them live in one unit and pay a subsidized amount of rent (if the financials can work out) but I don't know. I've been pushing my wife to get the pay-off quote on their home just to know what it would be (especially with the balloon payment). I'm just wondering if you guys think all these items are really worth addressing and having fixed. It seems like most people would want *all* the items remediated unless they were planning to sell the house and didn't want to deal with any of it.
Anyone have advice or feedback on the situation?
Would it be worth purchasing an air quality monitor, asbestos test kit, and airborne mold kit and to check for the presence of asbestos, old and to actually see how bad the AQ is? I guess the core issue still goes back to how long they plan to stay there though. On the other hand, if the quality of the air is impacting their livelihoods and they don't have much money, it seems like it might be better just to move out and sell (I have no doubt they would still be stubbornly against this though).