I"m researching this sealed attic concept for a renovation/addition in Virginia. It seems to me to make sense that if you seal your attic and your mechanical equipment is up there it will have less heat or cool loss - and the upstairs will be improved as it will be against a semi conditioned attic thus resulting in less heat or cool loss. I guess if you only insulated your ceiling - just the fact that your ac unit is running in a 130 degree attic or your furnace is running in a 30 degree attic - means you are losing cool/heat that you are paying for. A sealed attic (spray foam roof deck) would seem to be more efficient and result in lower energy usage. the closed cell/open cell decision and the the thoroughness of the sealing of the envelope would seem to be critical. Also - what are the real ramifications of roofing lifespan reductions due to hot sheathing. Will the sheathing really be that much hotter than when it isn't insulated under the roof sheathing? I suppose the heat cannot flow into the attic - but at some point doesn't the attic heat up to the point where there is no more heat flow and the roofing is as hot as it would be with a sprayed deck? HOw might metal roofing effect this consideration? What about solar PV or Hot Water above a sealed attic (seems like the solar hot water could only benefit - i guess the pv panels could get too hot if not spaced enough to 'cool' off. any thoughts?

Here in California the regulations require that a different company test the duct system for leaks (it can not be the outfit which installed the heating/cooling system) this is a good practice imo. wish we had those standards in place here. flex people diss hard pipe hard pipe people diss flex. here is my experience. flex leaks at the plenum and the supply box. hard pipe leaks at all 90's the long seams and all connections. most hard pipe that is unwrapped has dust marks at the leakage sites where air has moved thru insulation. flex usually is dirty at plenum and supply box. hard pipe is more expensive, and is wrapped when installed, leaving little time to mastic seal. and once it is covered up...who knows how well it was sealed? sealed hard pipe is a beautiful thing. flex does have more resistance to air flow, but the ducts are usually sized to overcome the resistance. pros and cons for both. try to avoid the companies that bad mouth the other ducting. make sure that connections are mastic sealed. not duct tape, foil tape. paint on mastic or mastic tape. I test both types, unsealed hard pipe leaks much more than unsealed flex due to the sheer amount of leakage areas. both can be well sealed. just takes the want to do so. best of luck

No such machine was used... They poured the entire garage at once which lasted from 8:15am-8:45am.. From that point until 1pm they were working the concrete by hand.. This is a quick shot of what they were doing: I just really can't believe that this company would allow this.. They are a higher end company and they do most of their work in high end neighborhoods.. I am actually getting a little concerned that its not even.. I went over while at work to take a quick pic but got their late and it was already dark.. I left the headlights of my car on and took a pic.. I can't tell if its the lighting combined with the trowel marks, but it almost looks like ripples.. This is what it looks like: At this point I don't know what to even do.. I feel like every time they get to the next stage I have to question what my options are because it wasn't done right.. I know I am not building a mansion or some multi million dollar home, but I just feel like I probably could have done a better job myself and I have absolutely no experience.. I know it's easy to second guess people, but I feel like this is not an acceptable finish.. I talked with a few people and they said there is no real way to "repair" this.. They would have to hammer it all out and pour again.. I had contemplated doing an epoxy finish but I don't even know if that would solve this.. Im sure it would help the finish look, but if this floor is in fact not level I am not sure an epoxy coating will level it out.. I am nervous to even go down to the basement.. I only saw a small portion from the upper level (no stairs installed yet) and everything was covered.. I can only assume the basement slab looks the same..

Elmer I suggest it doesn't really matter, the foil sticks fine to the metal and seals it just as fine. If you are using a ductboard or something the foil tape doesn't stick to then for sure the mastic tape. Foil tape doesn't stick very well to wood either for another example. So at boots the mastic tape would be better, or just mastic since it is cheaper. Foam would expand and fill gaps, but it doesn't particularly adhere well to metal. Maybe small areas that expanded into gaps would anchor it and keep it there. Not sure. Obviously a last resort sort of idea.