We recently assessed a property that the owner had decided to insulate himself. He had sourced a number of insulation offcuts and placed them throughout the ceiling of the house.

He advised us that he had made wire cages to go over the downlights so the insulation could be laid over the top of them.

On inspection, we found a complete mess of insulation offcuts and plastic packaging just strewn through the ceiling. The photo above is a good illustration of what we found.

So, what’s wrong with this picture?

The Residential Tenancy Act requires a full grade of R2.9 or higher to be installed if the property does not meet the minimum requirement. It also requires that insulation be installed to the NZ standard.

The product in the photo can’t be assessed for R-value because it is a mixture of all sorts of insulation leftovers. There are gaps throughout and the downlights have been covered. Lastly, there is plastic packaging rubbish amongst the insulation which is unacceptable.

The owner went further after we failed the property, pressuring us to reevaluate our assessment and provide a pass for the property. We have subsequently declined to do any further work for this customer.

Lesson: You can’t take short cuts with insulation.

Use the right product, installed properly and you will have a long term solution. Use a professional install company like The Insulation Warehouse if you aren’t confident doing the work yourself.

Here is a photo of what the ceiling should look like:

• Kevan
• 13 May