Another insulation thread. But

Thanks for the info Marty
I think my biggest problem will be the roof
My house is a Cape cod so getting enough insulation from the knee wall to the ceiling will be interesting. Everything up there is 2x6 construction. There is only 6" of fiberglass bats that are in poor condition there now so anything would be an improvement

 

From my reading. Older houses that are not as tight before you use spray foam need to consider air handling. Older homes breath normally. Newer homes are a great deal tighter and you need to consider how you replace fresh air in the home.

 

I'm not sure if it's feasible for your situation but I'm planning on implementing the REMOTE system on our current abode in increments over the warmer months this year. It was developed in Alaska as a high performance thermal shield that can be done by homeowners DIY-style. It mainly consists of adding 3+" of foam board over the entire outer shell of the house, poly-iso above grade and polystyrene (XPS) below grade at least down to the frost level if not right down to the footings. Since it's pretty expensive to source and purchase a full 3" thickness I'll be going with two layers of 1.5" with fully taped seams on both layers. I haven't decided on what siding I'll put over it on the south side of the house but I'll be re-applying the cedar lap that I have to remove on the east and west sides of the addition. I hope to do the two most egregious sides of the house this year and then continue around the rest next year but we'll see what funds allow.

I like this system because it's simple enough that anyone can tackle it. It doesn't require any specialized equipment beyond a utility knife,circular saw, hammer, and screw gun/impact driver. Yes the sub-grade stuff isn't going to be a real good time but I need to put in an egress window on one side anyway so it won't be that big of a deal. The only other "issue" is framing out and sealing up the window/door jambs but that's detailed pretty well at the link above.

Those knee walls and the sloped portion of the ceiling might be the perfect candidate for spray foam. I have seen (or read) of a retrofit that a guy did on a cape cod where he put foam board on the walls and roof deck then re-roofed right over the top of it. It eliminated the issue of the knee-walls altogether and had the added benefit of sealing between the walls and roof which is a classic problem area.

 

I was reading about passive houses, I think thats a little tighter than I prefer. But there is a lot that can be done here. I really like the idea of spray foam, but it seems there are not any contractors here doing it. I understand the initial cost but I also understand ROI. Or if I burn wood for heat, it would save me a lot of wood processing.

I'm on track to use 3-4 cords of wood and one tank of oil for this year. (last year was 5 cords and one tank.) If I could cut it to 3 cords and little to no oil that would be perfect. I think this woodstove saved me about $2800 last year in heating oil(3 1/2 tanks at $4.00+/gallon). It was enough savings to pay for the used stove, 2 years of wood purchased and the new flue liner. I'm still using the wood from last year.
I would like to figure out how to get the most out of our 2x4 stud walls. I was thinking about a layer of R-max under the drywall on the interior and another layer under the vinyl siding when I redo the exterior with either spray foam or fiberglass in the stud cavity.
I've also thought about furring out the 2x4's with another 2x2 so I could use thicker foam/fiberglass.

 

Did you order a new scoop for the Fireview?

 

Not yet
I have some metal plate on top to protect the cat. Need to get it done though. Wanna help me recondition it over the summer?

 

Sure! I've got a big hammer here somewhere...

 

Recondition not ruin! lol

 

Turbo, we built a new home in 2010 and went with spray foam over bat insulation. If I remember correctly it was a little over 2x the price of regular. I sold the home last summer and the buyer wanted to know the benefit of the foam. I printed out the last 12 months of power bills (only electric heat, no backup gas, no OWB) and 12 mo average was $175. I heated 2900 sq ft with 1 3.5 ton (if I remember right) 13-seer heat pump. Was able to go smaller on the unit due to the foam. I did have to install a fresh-air return to get air into the house so it could breath. It had humidity control with it.

We are building again now and there was no debating about it that we would do the foam again. This time, I'm installing a OWB so I'm hoping the power bills will be even lower. I do, again, have to add the fresh air return but it's well worth it.

On an older home you can probably spray the eves of the house and seal it up pretty good. I wouldn't think you'd have to worry about the fresh air return since it won't be sprayed top to bottom on exterior walls - but I'm no expert on that.

Bottom line - it turns your home into a life-sized styrofoam cooler! Good luck with it and if you do it be sure to report back with your opinion of it!

 

Turbo, there are a couple guys on here who had their homes retrosprayed with foam. Backwoods Savage is one of them.
I'm sure he'd be willing to give you some info.

 

Thanks D2082 and Papadave for the info.
Of coarse this will all take time. I'm going to do this a little at a time. I appreciate your opinions. I've been in commercial construction all my life, building homes is not my thing.

 

8 ft. high??? Don't think that's a crawl space...Unless you got 10 ft. giants at you house....

 

Little hard work hurts nobody even though it sucks at the time....

 

hey turbo, if you are considering replacing the roof THAT is the time to spray foam! I assume you are going to strip the roof, it's mandatory here. if you also pull the decking you can spray from ceiling up to 1 inch below deck of roof for venting. most of my decking could be re used except for an old water leak area I would have replaced anyway! I used 2 pound closed cell. good luck.. and post pics.
pro of spray foam.
It stops wind plastic does not! first thing with plastic is to staple it holes in plastic make a strainer
more r value per inch than fiberglass
it keeps moisture out I have argued with so many people about this vinyl siding only stops 90% of water house wrap over ply wood supposed to do rest.. it doesn't if you have wind.. plywood breathes moisture goes up and down hey its wood.. fiberglass holds water forever. the vapor barrier inside of fiberglass makes no sense. foam goes against sheeting so there is your moisture barrier. underneath wood that breathes.

cons
expensive
toxic in a fire must be covered in case fire so u get enough time to get out.

if you have 2x6 walls and money is issue do 2 inches of foam and 4 inch Batts over it. hey I live in real world too and you got to pay bills or bank will rake the house..good luck

 

It can be done but from the inside

 

Aren't some (most?) brick homes a double brick wall with a void in the center? If so I'd try to have that void injected with foam.