The Lowest Price isn't always the Best Choice when it comes to Insulation.
When it comes to choosing an insulation contractor, or just insulation material, the lowest price isn't always the best choice. With almost 4 decades in the insulation field I have practically seen it all. This week I was called out to meet with an engineer to review the countless issues a 6 year old community of 240 homes in Methuen Massachusetts has been experiencing. Most of the issues are with the insulation and ice dams. I will not mention the builder however they are one of the top builders in the nation. The homes are beautiful with high vaulted ceilings, stunning kitchens and more.
The insulation installation however was completed very unsatisfactory. As I crawled around in the attic space that had blown insulation, I noticed several issues. The eaves were extremely low, the ventilation baffles had fallen and insulation had blown back from the eaves. In my opinion some of the areas of the attic should not have been blown after the sheet rock was installed as they were too low and with duct work in the way it must have been tough.
The biggest mind-blowing problem I found in two of the homes was that the dormer ceilings with living space below them was not insulated. You could see the sheet rock exposed from a 3" or 4" gap. Normally a dormer or any ceiling that is restricted to blow would have been insulated with fiberglass batt or other insulation material but prior to hanging board.
Here in New England most of your ceilings have strapping below the joist or rafters and the insulation must be in contact with the sheetrock or plaster. So often, blown insulation is used or spray foam since SPF provides an air barrier. The Engineer had a thermal imaging camera and found countless cold spots. You could see where an inaccessible knee wall's insulation had pulled away and where the insulation was missing or there were large gaps and voids.
Today homes are built tighter and that's a great thing. Inspections are done not only by the town/County but often times HERS raters. This did not happen properly here in these homes. Knee walls get insulated with rigid boards which are air sealed in place to keep that insulation between the studs from pulling away and provides an air-barrier. Accu-Vents (ventilation baffles) are sealed in place with foam to eliminate the chance for them to fall over time.
I personally work with several multi-family custom home builders here in Massachusetts. They like how we at Anchor Insulation net and blow and dense pack ceilings and floors with cellulose insulation prior to board being hung. You can clearly see that all ceilings have been insulated and nothing missed. Most folks who know me know that I favor spray foam insulation or a hybrid system which includes spray foam. There are lots of ways to insulate a home but a builder should never go with the lowest price.
Look who is stuck with the issues later along with the higher than necessary heating and cooling bills. For these home owners the nightmares exist with water damage from ice dams and damage to their property. Insurance companies will pay for the damage only once. To remedy the issues for these homes is now worse and more costly than doing the work right the first time. There had to be no supervision from the insulation contractor during or after installation. I don't understand how a building inspector did not catch the issues especially with the dormer ceilings.
Whenever you choose a piece working installer you may not get a professional installation. I love how our company, Anchor Insulation, pays the installers by the hour. It does takes more time to insulate a home, 2 to 3 days and not one day. It's the builders reputation and ours that are at risk of being tarnished for poor workmanship and issues like these.
This is 2019. Let's end the madness, Let's not go with the lowest price and look for ways to cut costs on insulation. Insulation that is hidden behind walls and floors should be a top priority. And if installed properly will provide a lifetime of comfort and acceptable heating and cooling costs for the home owner. Enough venting for now.
Visit Showroompartners.com where for almost 12 years I have provided a place everyone can review various insulation materials as well as other building materials.
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5 年It’s hard to believe that the insulators really dropped the ball on these homes. They installed baffles at the eaves of a bedroom ceiling and figured that they would be blown after sheet rock but no one had sense enough to look to see that these ceilings were not accessible to blow from the trap door access. NOT EVEN THE BUILDING INSPECTOR? I have never witnessed anything like this in my 40 years of installing and selling insulation. Picture shown is a dormer area which is above a bedroom. Imagine the heat loss for the last 4 to 5 years.
Division Manager of ABS Insulating, Spray Foam, and Gutters
5 年Great Discussion Gentlemen! I love the passion and enthusiasm.
President of Davenport Impact
5 年Great observations Vic. ?Maybe we should quit thinking of a seamless thermal barrier and its communication with the air barrier and simply think in terms of a single PERFORMANCE BARRIER that stops air absolutely and provides adequate thermal performance at the same time. ?We have to stop air from permeating the enclosure especially at the top ceiling plane where the home can experience attic by-pass that leads to all the issues you describe and comfort problems as well. ?Stop the Air and slow the Heat transfer and the need for ventilation in the attic is dramatically reduced (and so are problems like ice daming). ?The problem is that it's almost impossible to dense pack fiber products to densities that will stop air and its expensive to try. ?1/2 lb foam is a great solution because it stops air at approximately 3 1/2" and provides good thermal controls, HOWEVER, IT BURNS with a toxic smoke if left exposed to a condition living space without an ignition barrier which cost money. ?Regardless of how we solve these problems it cost money and that's always been the issue. ?Your observation that the "lowest price isn't always the best choice" is spot on. ?So lets not think in terms of price, lets think in terms of AFFORDABILITY where cost equals value. ?There's a lot of value in solving your described problems particularly if you can monotize them. What if there was a way to provide the Performance Barrier at a competitive cost to traditional systems and we could pick up the values provided by taking the home below 3ACH50 and provide fire safety (and those values) as well. ?1/2 lb. foam that doesn't burn is the answer. ?Sugar Foam..... ?SES Foam or BASF IB418. ? Just a thought.. ?This also might be a great way to correct existing home issues as well....? Rick