Fort McMurray attics face the most severe winter in Alberta, and much of the housing is newer - a lot rebuilt after 2016. That makes the local attic job about maximizing a modern attic's performance against extreme, sustained cold, not restoring an old one. In this climate, an average attic simply loses too much for too long.
Why the extreme north demands a true air-seal
When the cold sits at minus-thirty for weeks, the stack effect drives heat out through every attic gap non-stop, and the loss compounds over an exceptionally long heating season. A real air-seal - not just piled-on R - is what keeps the heat in.
The approach
- Vented attic: air-seal the ceiling plane with foam, then top with blown-in to R-38.
- Unvented / complex rooflines: closed-cell to the roof deck, common in newer subdivisions like Parsons Creek and Stone Creek.
R-38 is about 6" closed-cell or 11" open-cell - and this far north, going tight pays back over the long winter. Estimate yours, then get a free Fort McMurray quote. See attic foam province-wide.