Old Town Home Insulation, Waterproofing and Mold Removal

Mill-city housing

Old Town was set off from Orono in 1820, and the lumber mills and later the paper mill set the pattern of its neighbourhoods. About 14% of its homes are two-unit buildings, per Census estimates, and nearly half were built before 1960. Houses of that age usually have uninsulated walls, open attic bypasses around chimneys and plumbing, and fieldstone or brick foundations. Air sealing those bypasses and adding blown-in cellulose to walls and attics is the usual starting point.

Island ground between two rivers

Downtown sits on Marsh Island, French Island sits in the Penobscot itself, and Pushaw Lake lies partly within the city. River-valley soils in this part of Maine can include the slow-draining glacial marine clay geologists call the Presumpscot Formation, and on any low lot the water table rises with the spring melt. Hydrostatic pressure pushes water through cracks and the floor joint; sealing foundation cracks and interior drainage take care of most of it. Once the basement stays dry through a full spring, it can be insulated and finished as living space without trapping moisture behind the walls.

Heating an older house

Fuel oil or kerosene heats about 44% of occupied Old Town homes, per Census estimates, with electricity near 20% and utility gas about 19%. Bangor-area winters bring roughly 160 nights at or below freezing, according to NOAA normals, and about 20 below zero. A two-unit building shares walls and often an attic, so sealing the gaps between units cuts drafts for both households. An energy audit ranks the leaks by size, and insulation projects may qualify for Efficiency Maine rebates.

Riverside damp and mold

Homes near water sit in humid air through the summer, and a cool basement is where that moisture condenses. A two-unit house usually shares one cellar, so a damp basement affects both households. Mold on sill plates, joists and stored belongings means the moisture source has to be fixed first; IICRC and MICRO certified mold removal then clears what has grown.

City services and neighbours

Old Town has its own Code Enforcement office for permits, public water from the Old Town Water District, and a city wastewater pollution control department. Orono, Bangor and Hermon are within easy reach for the same services.

Areas We Serve in Old Town