Insulation recommendation

When my wife and I bought our house, we knew next to nothing about home ownership.  We knew the obvious stuff (change your AC air filters, watch for leaks around the water heater, drip the faucets in really cold weather, etc), but we didn't know about the nuances of having to care for the entire structure and everything around it.

Once, when I was crawling around our not-too-spacious attic, I spotted a hole in the house.  Not a hole in the roof, mind you...a hole in the house.  Right next to the master bedroom, a "void," about three feet by three feet, was present that went all the way down to the foundation.  It was an area where the designer/builder couldn't make proper use of the space, so they just drywalled it off.  There is one huge problem with this:  there was nothing to insulate those interior walls against the hot/cold air in the attic.

I always noticed an extreme temperature change around this part of the house, but it never occured to me that there was a nine square foot hole in the attic insulation causing it.  To fix the problem, I took a large piece of styrofoam and blocked off the hole.  That did it.  The temperature in the house is much more even now.

I know that your house may not have that specific problem, but I wrote this post to encourage you to take a fresh look at your property (read:  investment) and see what you can do to increase the quality of life in your home.  Look for areas where extra insulation can benefit your utility bills.  Inspect your doors and windows for ways they can be sealed better.  Every little bit helps when it comes to keeping the cold and heat outside, and the comfortable temps inside.