green design - energy efficient home plans

What this blog will offer.

This blog will be focused on discussing Natural
Residential Architecture, proper design, building
products, and aesthetics. I plan to share my
experience, professional opinion, tips and my
passion for Architecture. I look forward to
feedback and sharing ideas. If you have ideas,
tips or advice of your own you would like to
share please send me an Email.

Wade Fox, AIBD

Foam Insulation, R-Value is over R-ated

For those of us in the building and design business we hear it often,
Actual R-Value is not as important as a sealing the building envelope.
What I hope to accomplish with this post is yet another attempt to
get the word out to homeowners. I constantly find myself in a
passionate discussion with the majority of my clients as to why I
highly recommend they do not build a new house and fill it with the
"pink stuff". A list of reasons any homeowner should utilize the
benefits of foam insulation could go on for miles. I am going to list
two of the main elements I admire most about this product.

Save up to 50% on utility bills...
Yes, there is an increase of initial cost for foam insulation. This may
deter most contractors and lower end spec home builders however;
my clients build their final dream homes. This is where they plan to
retire, and live out the rest of their lives. The cost savings over the
years are well worth the initial expense. One particular house we
designed costs under $500.00 per year to heat! Even with the huge
increase of cost for fuel, his heating bill hardly budged.
A healthy alternative for a healthier home...
Let's start with this, the amount of moisture that will pass through a
4x8 sheet of drywall due to vapor diffusion in one heating season is
about 1/3 of a quart. If you were to add a 3/4 inch hole to this sheet
of drywall, the amount of water from air leakage would be around 30
QUARTS! Now, let’s think for a minute about all of the holes we have
in our walls from electrical outlets, cables, telephones, photos and
pictures nailed to the wall.... This translates to major air leakage!
With soft foam, these cavities are sealed and remain sealed
throughout the life of the home. (Hard foam can allow air gaps to
form from the structure moving, studs shrinking and so on, but that is
a different conversation) No matter where you punch a hole into a
wall filled with foam, this puncture will not allow moisture to flow into
the wall. A wall filled with a fibrous material will let the moisture in and
allow it to move throughout the entire wall cavity. What does this
mean? Fibrous insulation can promote moisture, (which results in mold
and mildew) sound, heat and drafts to travel freely, foam will not.
Why is this important? No one likes a loud home, Heat is something
we never want to loose and what happens when we leave an ice cold
glass out during a hot humid day? Condensation! Is this what you
want to happen in your walls when the warm, moist air of you home
travels through the fibrous insulation and comes into contact with the
cold exterior wall? Not in my house. That being said, not in my client’s
homes either.

There are many other good reasons to use foam insulation.
-Foam expands into holes, cracks, rim joists and areas other
insulation can not.
-Foam seals around plumbing, wiring and electrical.
-Contractors receive less callback due to moisture related issues.
-Foam does not settle or compact.
-Homeowners benefit from reduced heating and cooling costs.
-Foam reduces airborne dust and fibers.
-Foam reduces the size requirement of HVAC equipment.

Quality home builders, Architects and Designers around the globe are
specifying foam as the only insulation they will accept in their homes.
Homeowners need to demand that it be used in their homes and when
their contractor fights to use the pink stuff, well; maybe it is time to
find a new contractor. Let's face it, everything has its time to come
and go. The time has come and gone for fiberglass insulation.

Wade Fox, AIBD - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - Fox Design Studio