Any Icynene Insulation Installers Here?

thepawnshop

I am building my personal home right now and I want to use foam insulation. I had an Icynene rep come out and price my house and it seems a bit high. What are you all charging for foam insulation and what are any of your thoughts regarding it's use, pro or con?

Thanks!

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Doug Brandt
Class "A" Contractor
Brandt Custom Homes
Roanoke, VA

Teetorbilt

I've looked into doing it a few times but my local GC's can't justify the cost. As fuel costs rise it will become more viable.

It is a rather expensive business to enter into.

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thepawnshop

I'm more interested in installation costs instead of operation costs. I can only imagine how much the equipment would be to get into...

I own a few pieces of excavating equipment and with every piece, you have to justify it's cost with increased revenues.

Installers, let me know your thoughts as well!

__________________
Doug Brandt
Class "A" Contractor
Brandt Custom Homes
Roanoke, VA

wolffhomerepair

I had it quoted on a remodel house we are doing. It is about 40% more than fiberglass but The benefits of sealing all the cracks on an older home may be worth it.

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sprayfoamguy

i represent a closed cell (2lb foam) co. we charge 1.00 per board foot. spray foam is a great product. the cons of icynene are its only r-3.5 per inch (2lb is r-7 per inch), and there is no water vapor barrier present. if water gets into the sheathing, you will have problems down the road with mold, rot etc.

mdshunk

This confuses me. What's a "board foot" when you're talking about foam? Per lineal foot of stud bay?

house bldr

I am thinking of using it in my next home also, but am a bit skeptical.I live in kansas where it gets very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.I can see where it would be beneficial in the summer where the uninsulated ceiling would act as a barrier between the cooler house area and the warmer attic area,but in the winter it seems that even though the house may be tighter you would be loosing heat into the conditioned attic area, in effect heating a larger area? From what I here it sounds as if closed cell is the way to go, any positives to open cell or negatives to closed cell? If anyone has any experience with this I would appreciate your opinion!

747

The majority of homes which use this insulation are so tight you must install a airhandler in them. To the original poster this insulation will be far more expensive then any other insulation.

InsulPro

If you want a better insulation for a lesser cost than foam or icynene,
why not get a bid on BIBS or a spray on fiberglass?

thepawnshop

How different is "board foot" versus "square foot"?

__________________
Doug Brandt
Class "A" Contractor
Brandt Custom Homes
Roanoke, VA

TexasTimbers

One board foot is equivalent to a 1" thick board (or foam) that is 12" wide and 12" long. So a 2" x 6" x 12" board, or piece of foam of that same dimension is also a board foot.

I suppose I could post soem pictures of my project. I bought a reactor/proportioner and made my own SIPs, so I have alot of the answers, well, SOME of the answers you are asking.
I don't have time to go into all right now but I made enough SIPs to build my kilns also. I intend to sell them to a couplke of timber framers as well, in non-code areas (which is where the vast majority of TFs are built) when the dust settles on my current projefcts.
IMHO you can't beat foam for insulation effectiveness in many applications but yes it is an initial otlay you have to determine if you will recoup.
"Flash and Batt" is a popular alternative where you spray a 1"ish layer of foam (you get 7+ R-value PLUS the tightness) and then come back an install regular FG batts.

In my attic, even though I went with SIP walls, I plan to blow in about an R-45 of something, probably cellulose. For the timber frame addition next year, I will pour some 8" thick SIPs for the roof, as it would be a sin to hide all my TFing joinery in the truss work.

thepawnshop

The folks that quoted me originally stopped by today. I asked them about "closed cell foam", which they also install and the guy told me that closed cell costs twice as much as open cell. Does that sound right to you guys? I plan on shopping more quotes, but I am layed up rehabbing from knee surgery so I am kind of limited as to what I can and can't do (other than go stir crazy!).

__________________
Doug Brandt
Class "A" Contractor
Brandt Custom Homes
Roanoke, VA