Just dropping in quickly to show you some phone pics of the spray foam insulation now that it’s installed. Like I mentioned before, we hired pros to handle this one since spray foam is beyond the realm of our DIY capabilities.
{view from the front door}
It took the installers three days to complete the job. No one else was permitted inside the house while the foam was being sprayed and the workers donned special suits to protect them from any harmful off-gasing.
{view towards the mudroom/dining room from the front door}
The foam can continue to off-gas while it cures, so we’ve stayed out of the Underdog for nearly a week although Handy Hubby has stopped in {wearing his respirator mask} to open windows and doors to further air out the house.
{fireplace mantel}
Spray foam insulation does come with some controversy. While its energy efficiency can be hard to beat, there are some people who argue that the foam has led to health problems. We did a lot of research on spray foam insulation in general and on installers beforehand. From what we can decipher, it all depends on the skill of the installer. No matter what a manufacturer claims about a particular product, if it’s not installed correctly it’s not going to function correctly. As long as the foam is mixed, installed and allowed to cure properly then it shouldn’t pose a problem.
{mudroom/dining room}
We are looking into installing a heat recovery ventilation system which will supply the home with fresh air since the foam tends to seal homes up so tightly. Of course, I’ll continue to grow my arsenal of houseplants to aide in healthy indoor air as well.
{master bedroom}
The choice to use spray foam should not be made on a whim. Please do your research if it’s something you are considering for your own home!
{master bathroom – we have a bathtub!}
We chose not to re-insulate the in tact interior walls – only the exposed block walls to the exterior/garage. The newly vaulted ceiling and attic walls were insulated as well.
With insulation in place, drywall installation will begin tomorrow. We’re going to have real walls soon! HH and I think they’ll probably make the house feel smaller {although more finished} since we won’t be able to ‘see through’ walls that have only been framed out up until now. Then the fun stuff can go in: flooring, tile, kitchen cabinetry, paint, appliances, yadda, yadda, yadda. She’s going to resemble a house soon!
images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
renovation