This beautiful home in the Town and Country area of St Louis, built by Muehlemann Signature Homes, was insulated by Foam Engineers using closed cell spray foam.
About 2 inches of spray foam insulation was applied to the basement foundation walls and 3 inches of foam insulation was applied to the 1st and 2nd floor walls.
The 1st floor walls were 2×6 construction so it was relatively easy to spray 3″ of foam in them to achieve an R-Value of R21. The 2nd floor walls were only 2×4 construction so it was necessary to be very careful with the spray application so the cavities were filled while the amount of foam to be trimmed away was minimized. Note: Foam needs to be trimmed flush to the face of the studs before drywall is hung. Below is a picture of the 2nd floor 2×4 walls insulated with R21 closed-cell spray foam.
Conventional wall insulation materials, such as fiberglass and cellulose, are specified to be enclosed by drywall, studs, and the exterior sheathing; in other words, they need to be enclosed on all 6 sides. Enclosing them prevents them from falling out of position and also helps them provide their best R-Value. Spray foam does not need to be enclosed because it fully adheres to the surface it is applied against. This next picture shows what a difference spray foam insulation makes in an installation. Look at the foam applied in the rim joists above the exterior walls. It provides a complete air seal and insulates; but just as importantly it will not fall out of position over time so the house will continue to be energy efficient and comfortable.
When quality minded contractors and insulators think about building an efficient home that is going to save money over the long haul, they think about air sealing. There is no better time to plug the leaks that when you are building. Below you see a quality builder that asked us to spray foam over all the HVAC connections to ensure there was not going to be air leakage. Air leakage in HVAC ducting run in the attic means the air you paid to heat or cool is dumped outside; not an affordable option. I have seen ducting completely disconnected and blowing air into the attic which does no good at all. Anyway, take a look below at the picture of the air sealed and insulated ducting – a good way to prevent problems before they occur!
And below is another picture showing the air sealed and insulated ducting in a room that is ready for drywall. Notice that every odd shaped wall cavity is perfectly insulated with spray applied foam!
Two pictures of the Great Room are shown below…
Because spray foam insulation costs more than conventional fiberglass or cellulose insulation we work mostly with individual homeowners and quality builders who are willing to invest more now to save energy and costs for the life of the home. We typically find that spray foam can pay for itself in about 5 years. With interest rates near 4% there has never been a better time to invest in energy efficiency!
