what is the best insulation for a new home
ldg4511
13 years ago
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Epiarch Designs
13 years agoRelated Discussions
New Home/wall construction and insulation assembly
Comments (3)I would take another look at SIP's- they're really easier than stick, IMO. Check out greenbuilding.com to get some very specific answers to your questions. The problem with stick construction is all the places that air can infiltrate. You can build a good tight house that way, but you need to be thorough in stopping air flow. Nowadays, they caulk wiring and plumbing penetrations, and of course any seams. One nice thing about sprayed-in foam is that it tends to seal everything up. Also, studs conduct heat, so you want to create a thermal break. One of the easiest ways to do this is apply foam over the outside of your sheathing. Firring strips are then applied to create a nailing surface for your exterior siding, and to create a drainage plane behind the siding. Even if no water ever penetrates your siding, condensation can build up....See MoreWhat type of insulation are you using for your new home?
Comments (23)I sprayfoamed the rim joists (headers) on both floors, in addition to the underside of my balcony which rests over living, heated space. I'm up in North Dakota, so similar weather to you. It was pretty expensive, so I opted to do Roxul for the remainder. I heard that loose can settle over time, which was a concern on my vaulted ceilings. So I chose Roxul batts everywhere, doubling or tripling them to achieve over R40. My walls are all 2x6 and R24. Roxul product is really nice because unlike fiberglass the squirrels and creatures don't like living in it (problem around here). Really, the insulation ISN'T what's going to make your house tight. It's the vapour-barrier. My Building Inspector said that as soon as you cut close-cell spray foam, it's no longer closed cell and therefore no longer a vapour barrier. And my spray foamers cut LOTS when they trimmed back the over spray (okay for an attic but doesn't work where you're drywalling). My place is SO tight that opening a door causes some windows to flex. Yeah. Because every gap and crack is accoustically sealed, vapour barrier is overlapped by 2-stud lengths (and then caulked AND taped), all seams are taped, caulked, openings, like crazy. $400 in caulk and tape alone. But it's tight. And it's warm to be honest. My spray-foamer was still only getting something like R22 in between 2x6 studs so I don't know if I see how you're getting extra insulation by sprayfoaming. It just makes it a hell of a lot easier to get it sealed up and means you're not covered in gooey black tar for weeks on end (ugh)....See MoreNeed help deciding on HVAC / insulation for our new construction home
Comments (1)Now that you have discovered you have natural gas, are you going to investigate who much it will cost to bring a pipe into your house? I don't see in the load calculation the R values for the walls and attic? Do you know what values were used for spray foam and batt insulation? Do you know how the spray insulation will be installed in the attic? Will it be open or closed cell? The firs quote is for a 4 ton single stage heat pump (XR15) while the second is for a 5 ton variable speed heat pump (XV20i) which is Trane's top of the line product. It is not a fair apples to apples comparison, but the price gap is big. You need to ask about the size for the second quote....See MoreWhat type of insulation to use on new home build?
Comments (10)I suppose it depends but often time you have to follow the code in place when the house was permitted. If you have HVAC ducts in attic (most common in the South), then foaming the roof deck has good payback (not great). We designed our piling house with ducts under each floor. You can then save the $5000 or so that foaming the roof deck costs. We have one unit hanging under the house and one on the 2nd floor. Foam in walls is not worth it financially in energy savings. There are other benefits but not financial. You get much more bang from your buck in air sealing and an inch of foam sheathing. I have analyzed this to death, read GBA forums etc. Spray foam in the walls is never the wise financial decision. If you compare typical construction to foam - the foam wins. But it wasn't the cheapest way of getting there. You can foam sheath the wall for less cost and get better performance. In some markets, spray foam may be the easiest way to get a decent performing homes but that is pretty sad and is changing rapidly. There is little chance they are going to start spending $10k extra on spray foam on a spec house just to meet the blower door test - they will actually learn how to seal a house. Rigidity - I suppose that may be partly true. But I'd much rather spend the money on nails and plywood. Have you looked into fortified homes? Too late now probably - it is mostly a framing plan. We got some discount on our wind insurance for doing a hip roof for example. There are higher levels of discount by using the fortified plan. Our wind insurance has doubled in 5 years - - I guess I blame Sandy because a lot of the decision makers are in the NE. We haven't had a significant wind event on the NC coast since Fran in 1997....See MoreEpiarch Designs
13 years agocountryboymo
13 years agoB F
7 years agoRyan Olivieri, Inc.
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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