Yup That's Ohio for ya. 2 weeks ago it was subzero and today it was 60's. Go figure!!. We will be doing most of the work on the basement ourselves without a defined time-line. Some things we do plan on hiring out but for the most part are hoping to DIY. WE could probably do the XPS, particularly since we are not on a time line but have to consider the value of our time as well. My hubby travels for work a fair amount and that may prolong our installation period. We are going to call a few guys out for quotes and see what they come back with and try and do a direct cost comparison and see where we fall. We talked to a guy the other day that does the soy-based closed cell foam so I suppose we will start there. I am still confused as to whether or not to insulate the floor with XPS or put down a plastic layer product such as the DeltaFl I have heard about. My biggest concerns is to have a warm and comfortable floor. We will most likely use a combination of flooring materials including tile, engineered HW, and carpet. I have hear that a lot of people simply put down a thick pad with carpet and call it a day but I am not sure if that really is the way to go. Thanks so much for your information. I greatly appreciate it. Kristen

flex in a crawl...sigh the things we do... you don't get into specifics about the audit and I've learned not to expect much from a lot of 'audits'. but... ducts leak.flex less than hard pipe. where they connect to the plenum @ start collar where they terminate at supply box and where supply box connects to floor. just by removing a supply grill inside the house you can see the poorly sealed cut. before you spray foam..mastic seal these areas I listed above. paint on mastic or mastic tape like hardcast brand #1402 duct leakage is high in existing house. sealing the ducts with acca ul approved products should be done prior to foam don't let foam company sell you duct sealing with foam foam is not a duct sealant. not approved & over time fails quickly. if ducts are strapped in between floor joists..how will foam company get foam to floors? better take a look under there and see if ducts are strapped or loose or lying on the ground. (ducts shouldnt lie on the ground) do any duct sealing first...its a pita to dig out foam to work with ducts...been there done that. I'd use closed cell. if you use open cell then a vapor barrier has to be installed on the face of the open cell once install is complete. unless you have a perfect vapor barrier on the ground...that is still perfect after foam install. while closed cell will trap moisture it is the way that it is installed that will make the difference. install is 2-3" of closed cell in between floor joists. the joists themselves are not encapsulated in foam (directly opposite from unvented attics..different product different needs = different install) where the foam meets the floor joist is where the future leaks will exit. if you go under a house that has had closed cell installed you will see that in a couple of years the foam seperates a bit from the joists. closed cell is rigid when dried and doesn't expand and contract like open cell. this seperation helps to aid exit of water from leaks. did the audit cover duct leakage and how to address? what shape are the ducts in currently? are they strapped up or not? your system is in the house in a closet? shop your foam companies wisely. ask for customers names that have had similar installs and speak with them. as for as offgassing..all foams offgas. but it is outside of the living space and shoudn't be a problem as long as there are no gaps for the foam to enter the house or the ductwork. you may want to spend the night somewhere else if you worry that it will make you ill. any plumbing work in the future will have to be re-foamed once work is complete. usually cans of great stuff can be used to seal these smallish areas. if not the foam company has a bigger can of foam that will cover most of these larger areas. best of luck

this is the trade off Richard. Time, materials and effort to air seal vs cost to foam insulate& air seal in one step. one takes considerable effort and time although materials are less the other takes little time little effort and higher cost. air sealing is the KEY to insulation performing as spec'ed. foam just makes it easier. And haven't you noticed that FAQ's are ok for the other guy..but this is MY house ans I have specific to me questions...LOL! Just the way it is... OP, in my cooling climate we insulate to R-38 there is a diminished return on investment with more insulation..but it starts diminishing when you insulate over R-19 as the first few inches of insulation work the best.However most states mandate R-30 and above and there is a good savings in higer values. Just how much for above R-38?? Don't know for heating climates..ask Joe @ bulding science! I'm glad to hear that you would remove the batts before foam sealing the attic floor. Personally this is the location I would purchase in your situation. No mechanicals or ducts in the attic make the roofline install more of a profit for the foam co than actual benefit to you. If I were you I would opt for this, but with the specification that the insulation at the eaves of the house be installed from attic floor to soffits to roof making this an air tight install. (it won't be 100% air tight...even though they sell it as such) This will seal exterior walls at top plates which is always an air infiltration site. Oh and WELCOME YOU! Merry Christmas all!

"madpebs87 "plus then you might actually have to seal some of the holes in the ceilings." Wouldn't you do this anyway? You foam the roof deck/rafters, do nothing to the ceiling for insulation, why would you not seal all the plumbing/lighting etc holes that go up into attic? Great thread (bookmarked) giving me lots of info when i build in 3 years in coastal ga." been out of town so just getting to answer this. when the attic is vented, you absolutely want to seal all openings between living & attic space. when the attic is unvented & foam sealed, then you want air exchange between living & attic space. you can get this exchange from not sealing the openings that trades make & never seal, or seal it up tight and dedicate an exchange air pathway. problem is...seldom does anyone seal these openings, so adding a dedicated pathway is redundant. people think they built tighter than they actually did in my experience. but it is all just a guess until you blower door test to see what leakage actually exists. build tight, ventilate right, and TEST to find out what performance actually is. OP, I have to defer to folks in climates with basements, as we have too high of a water table in La. for basements. I have no hands on experience with basements, best of luck.