How to Conduct an Insulation Inspection | This Old House
38,068
Published 2021-07-19
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Norm Abram and Tom Silva welcome back Fred Lonardo to review the various ways to achieve the insulation value needed for the Lexington house walls to meet building codes.
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This Old House is America’s first and most trusted home improvement show. Each season, we renovate two different historic homes—one step at a time—featuring quality craftsmanship and the latest in modern technology. We demystify home improvement and provide ideas and information so, whether you are doing it yourself or hiring out contractors, you’ll know the right way to do things or the questions to ask. Our experts including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor give you the tools you need to protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.
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How to Conduct an Insulation Inspection | This Old House
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All Comments (21)
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More Norm !
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My grandfathers were alcoholic losers. I’m glad I’ve had Tommy and Norm All these years.
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Wish they would focus more on the requirement to cover foam with fireblocking material. I only ever hear it mentioned as people are signing off on blog posts or panning away to the next shot in videos, but it is super important!
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Can also furr the 2x4s out another ~2“ and stuff the cavities with r23 rockwool.
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Polyiso gets you the highest R-value per inch, but it's still only 6 at its best, which is NOT enough to get you R-20 if you add 1 inch of it to an R-13 fiberglass wall. (Tho if your local code includes the sheathing and you have 1 inch of sheathing and sheetrock you can just barely get to R-20.) BUT polyiso's R-value drops dramatically as temperature drops, so the R-6 per inch rating is only valid at ~ 60 degrees. Drop down to 0 degrees on a cold January morning and your polyiso is giving you an R-3 per inch. XPS is by far superior, with R-5 per inch but that R-value is consistent across a very wide temperature range.
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Been living in a spray foam insulated house for 10 years, only problems are the low energy bills, but everyone’s an expert on YouTube.
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Question, if the spray foam has serious problems if installed wrong, then why is this inspector and builder pushing something that may be hazardous. Since you won't know if it's off gassing until after someone moves in and gets sick.
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Wow R38! It must get bloody cold. Where I live it is R1.8 to R4.
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If they used an R-15 in the studs, then the poly-iso board, it would meet code. Also the fact that the board covers the studs is even better.
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Why does it have to be polyiso foam? What's wrong with EPS or XPS (white, blue, or pink "styrofoam")?
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homes built before 1950 used newspaper as insulation lol
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What R value in 2x4 walls does the closed cell foam give you?
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Norm!
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Today’s standard is R20? Where exactly was this location. I live in Austin Texas and my house was built 2 months ago and this builders put in R13..
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More Tommy
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Is this IBC or local building codes that require these numbers?
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My house doesn't even have insulation. Walls are totally empty. I put R19 in the rooms that I've worked on. Waaaay better. I live in probably the most moderate climate in the US though.
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Oh yeah lets have some off gassing foam sprayed in.
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Fiberglass loses a bit of R value when it's -40 out due to air flow. Cellulose settles. So the solution for R60 in the attic is to use both. Edit: spelling. Loses, Cellulose
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My house isn’t insulated at all. It’s double brick with an air gap between bricks. Attic s insulated though.
