In Episode 2 of the "crappy 1970's house" remodel series, Matt Risinger brought in local (austin-based) energy pro Sean Harris to conduct a building performance assessment. The results were startling, even for an experienced home-performance contractor working in older homes. Blower door test results were a remarkable 27 ACH50! For perspective, Texas requires an ACH50 (air exchanges per hour at 50 pascals of pressure) of 5 or less on new construction. Matt estimated the current level of air leakage to be the equivalent to a 7 ft. square opening, like a large sliding door, left wide open all the time.

Things went from bad to worse in the attic, where Matt and Sean discovered that rats had tunneled everywhere through the insulation, and even chewed through the ductwork, and were using the ducts as their headquarters. The entire duct system will need to be ripped out, not to mention how completely gross!

Needless to say, the scope and budget of this real world remodel are rising substantially.