Spray Foam Insulation – Building Envelope Needs

The Building Envelope of your home plays a very big role in the comfortability of occupants. When you’re experiencing conditions in your home that are not “normal”,  building envelope basic principles come into play in finding the solutions. Common problems will include:

–  Moisture

–  Pests (Spiders, mice, etc.)

–  Toxic Mold/Mildew

–  Odors

HVAC Runs “All the Time”

–  Temperature Inconsistencies

–  Seasonal “Hot/Cold” Rooms

–  Pipes Freezing

Spray Foam Insulation and the Air Seal 

The reason spray foam insulation is a major component in your building envelope and not products like fiberglass or blown-in, is that spray foam insulation is the only product that will actually create the building envelope. These other products only provide an R-Value, that even at their best will never come close to the r-value of spray foam insulation, and will never be a component in creating the building envelope.  Creating a building envelope is essential to the health and comfort of the structures occupants.  In fact, most municipalities understand this and require blower door test to make sure that the basic air sealing is achieved – don’t be fooled – there is more to the building envelope than the air seal.  In contrast, while air sealing is a major component, it does not address moisture, toxic mold, mildew, pests, freezing pipes, hot/cold rooms, and so on . . . . . . . 

Your Insulation has FAILED YOU

To be frank, the reason you have read this far is that these products have FAILED you. Fiberglass and blown-in insulation are subpar products that are used to decrease the cost of building your home. Spray Foam Insulation is a superior product that brings so much more value to all structures.  In the near future, spray foam insulation and newer technology will be used to zip up building envelopes to serve the occupants and the environment.

It all boils down to money – Who makes it?

The only reason spray foam insulation is not used as a standard is that it is more expensive – that’s it! It is so effective, that even the DOE has estimated that the return on investment of installing spray foam insulation as an air seal and insulation will be 2.5-5 years.  Since the home buyer will NEVER ask about the insulation, this topic is never discussed or given the same “cred” as countertops and cabinets.  Your house is only as comfortable as the building envelope.  In conclusion, countertops and cabinets will never control the environmental health and safety of your home or the occupants.

Building Envelope Audits

Commercial Property Owners, renters, or property managers – GET A BUILDING ENVELOPE AUDIT!   

If you are spending thousands on energy costs every month, the single most important task you can perform to decrease your costs is to get a Building Envelope Audit completed and then implement the upgrades. The cost savings in energy costs and the ROI are (buy themselves) reasons enough to get this audit done.  this is equivalent to hiring an Electrician to work on your electrical problems.  We know building envelopes!

Roofing

Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) adheres to just about every traditional roofing material so it can be installed over concrete, wood, steel, and most existing roof systems. This saves on the expense of roof removal and landfill fees, and is considered to be more environmentally friendly. SPF Roofing installers can spray apply a tapered roof system with the foam which eliminates the need for costly tapered insulation systems. The cants and vertical wall terminations are also spray applied making them an integral part of the roof system and minimizing additional component costs and flashing materials. Spray foam roofs can be installed in a timely manner, and can offer less downtime during installation than other roofing systems.