Wade's expertise in insulation is impressive! I appreciate the insights on using different materials strategically for optimal home efficiency.👍

Wade's job sites are extremely orginazed and kept neat. There are not many issues when the steps for the build are not clearly laid out, established, and executed to give owners a real hidden value behind the finishes that will pay dividends far into the future. It's not cheap at inception to make this type of commitment, however far into the future an owner will still be extracting benifits from thoughtful construction techniques. I would not hesitate to use Wade's firm for any of my residential needs. Ray Stormont

I can watch these videos over and over again.

Awesome video! Thank you to Wade for sharing his build!! Thank you Matt for your effort to Keep Knocking it Out of the Park on The Build Show!!

I’d like to know more about that septic system!!

Heck yeah, insulation 😎

I like Aero Barrier then RockWool on the inside as well as the outside! I do like the idea of spray foam in a crawl space though…affordability!

up here in Maine they have started having problems with close cell spray foam on the underside of the roof deck. as the rafters or trusses shrink a small air cap is created which cause condensation.

@Onward1969

2 ай бұрын

Happened to friend of mine.

@vapeurdepisse

2 ай бұрын

Can you attach links that talk about this? Very interested as I am about to embark on a roof deck closed-cell foam project on an OLD home. Should I expect enough seasonal movement to see gaps. Does that include walls as well? I don't see what could be different with walls. You need to comment over at the Spray Jones channel to see his reaction....

@vapeurdepisse

2 ай бұрын

Can you attach links that talk about this? Very interested as I am about to embark on a roof deck closed-cell foam project on an OLD home. Should I expect enough seasonal movement to see gaps. Does that include walls as well? I don't see what could be different with walls.

@robertszynal4745

Ай бұрын

This is the idea behind Gapotape that we have in the UK. It's basically memory foam strips attached to aluminium tape which you attach to the edges of your PIR boards. This allows it to expand and contract along with the timber preventing those gaps.

@vapeurdepisse

Ай бұрын

@@robertszynal4745 Since the UK doesn't use spray foam, how do you know it's a legit fix? After looking at this product, it's meant to be compressed during installation, so if the wood shrinks it will decompress (not stretch). With spray foam the tape will be set in a neutral state, not in a compressed state. So it won't decompress or otherwise stretch when the wood shrinks, leading to a gap. I feel like you're onto something, but we need a slightly different product meant for spray foam that can stretch outwards.

When you talk insulation you use the jacket analogy.....when you talk about air sealing it could relate as well. A fleece jacket would be ok for some times but on a cold windy day you REALLY notice good wind protection

The lack of ICF houses on the Build Show surprises me, when it’s extremely air tight. If you watch Up to Kode with Kody you’ll see his run of the mill ICF houses are less than 1 ACH. Way more cost effective than the extreme measures taken on a stick built house to get those kind of numbers.

@aljawisa

2 ай бұрын

He can't go against his sponsors. Just like how he pushes that toxic cancerous rockwool. Dude never brings up hemp concrete either.

@tdmallet

2 ай бұрын

Very true.

@ColeSpolaric

2 ай бұрын

How is it more cost efficient? The amount of concrete alone will far exceed the cost of materials here.

@DeuceDeuceBravo

2 ай бұрын

Would like to see some numbers to justify the "more cost effective" comment. Also, concrete has an enormous environmental impact (which is even worse when you're wrapping it in foam) while wood is carbon sequestering and renewable.

@andykross7242

2 ай бұрын

@@DeuceDeuceBravo the upcharge over a bare minimum code build stick frame house is only 3-5% on the total cost. In this instance they've had to add plywood for shear to the entire house! ICF is disaster resistant to ~ 250mph winds, it's one step vs. stick build, plywood, Zip R, and spray foam. Not to mention all the attention to detail for air sealing that they've had to nail to get a low ACH number. Check out Up to Kode with Kody if you want to see some good ICF videos, especially his blower door test for comparison.

Any concerns about moisture stacking in the open cell foam?

@idanko731

Ай бұрын

2 inches of closed cell doesn't provide a vapor barrier, you need 3 at a minimum. So spraying open cell behind it is ok as long as you install a poly vapor barrier over it. All the insulation should breath still.

Building science golden mantra: Build tight, ventilate right. If it can't dry, it will die. Rockwool is an outstanding product and great customer service as well. The only drawback is the thickness. But, always my first choice before polyisocyanurate.

been watching for several years now but wish you would do some more budget friendly stuff for the personnal home builder. i was estimated 18k to do spray foam and thats way outta my budget all at once. if i could piece meal it would b better but...

@scotts2181

2 ай бұрын

I had the same issue: m.kzread.info/dash/bejne/mnxrxqacl6vOgpc.html&pp=ygUnZm9hbSBib2FyZCBhdHRpYyBpbnN1bGF0aW9uIGdyZWF0IHNjb3R0

@davepetrakos1192

2 ай бұрын

Have provisions for adding air quality appliances to your HVAC. In other words, build ducts as such that dehumidifier, humidifier, and maybe an EVR can be tapped in when you can justify the expenditure. Air sealed should be your focus with whichever insulation you can afford. For instance, if I put 4 inches of pink stuff in exterior walls of my house, the wind still blows thru the shiplap and comes into basement, back up thru floor boards. However, it possibly helped blow heat around from wood stoves, as electric fans had not been invented in 1870. Blower door score on my house?... Just set it up in front yard, ha!

In our market, Rockwool (or other mineral wool products) is 2x the cost of Fiberglass insulation. I am curious what you are referring to when you say it's not much more money.

@Switcher05

2 ай бұрын

If you do find it then you will be limited to only one product SKU. Not found 24 inch within 300 miles yet the plant is only 150...

So Matt if u we’re building right now 2024 in Alabama for insulation and not worried about money for insulation is closed cell the no.1. Or is there another insulation better?

Like most things the devil is in the details - using a higher r-value per inch close cell foam breaks the model for the argument of cc spf + open cell spf. It’s all priced off board foot, you use more BF for oc spf, and end up paying same amount or marginally the same for the cc spf/oc spf option. Moreover, even in the cc spf + oc spf hybrid, you’re still paying considerably more than a cc spf + r-30 batt. Target a cc spf with 7.4r/inch - which is out there, and yields 5k bf per set, and you’re at a better, cost effective, and safer solution.

Lots of insulation then huge windows. Wonder what portion of the heat/AC load is due to the walls.

Going the full thickness with closed cell foam would be so much slower too. Closed cell should be installed in thin layers of 1-5" inches because it gets so hot and wouldn't cure properly if thicker (can also combust and cause fires, I know someone who burned his own 10k sq foot house down from it). Open cell foam expands at a 100:1 ratio so a single pass on top of the closed cell would give you what you need, saving hours and hours on the install.

@alansnyder8448

2 ай бұрын

I'm just someone learning. So here is my question. How much time would you need between doing the open-cell or the closed-cell? Could they do it the same day?

@jpdavis129

Ай бұрын

@@alansnyder8448 definitely. Changing over from the closed cell foam to the open cell foam in the foam rig takes a little time and produces a lot of waste, so you'd only want to do it once for the job. you'd do all spaces in the entire home with the closed, and then go to the open cell. Most likely it would be the next day anyways, but even if it was a small home where they were flying, the closed cell would be ready for the next layer within a short amount of time (no more than an hour).

What is the performance difference between rock wool insulation between floors vs having dual drywall layers from a noise barrier perspective?

@davepetrakos1192

2 ай бұрын

Labor costs is a huge difference.

I just don't trust spray foam in cavities that will be closed up and hidden forever. It's not a matter of "if" it will crack, but when - and that's with darn near perfect installation conditions. I'm assuming this foam was applied when that roof deck was a little chilly, which is even worse. I realize that with this much foam it probably won't be an issue, but I would much rather have the majority of my insulation on the exterior and fill the bays with breathable mineral wool. That being said... 1 ACH50 with double-hung windows is impressive.

I wish I could afford to hire Wade for our future house expansion, but I have a feeling my bank account is lacking a few zeros!

@workinalaska3964

Ай бұрын

You need to find someone who is using Wade as a mentor. Some of us builders are using these guys as our personal teachers

Spray foam is the way to go, it's not cheap but it pays for itself. Increases the racking strength of your framing, seals, sound proofs, etc. What's crazy is you quote someone a kitchen for 50-80k and they don't bat an eye. Tell them it's going to cost 40-50 k to insulate their entire house with spray foam and they look at you like you killed their entire family. Folks just don't realize that you can always change the floors, cabinets, fixtures, trim, doors fairly easily, but try ripping off all your drywall and changing the insulation when your house is insulated like crap and it's cold in the winter or hot in the summer.

@Eric998765

Ай бұрын

Its not even that bad. I'm about to have my new house spray foamed. 5" on roof deck, 3" on walls of both house and garage. several thousand square feet of wall and its going to run me $18k

you didn't really explain why you used spray foam above the window and rockwool below. My assumption is for overall R-value, and above the window you have a header which means you needed the extra R-value or the spray foam to make up for the loss of cavity space.

Blower door testing and air sealing under appreciated tools for reducing energy bills and adding comfort. All new builds residential and commercial as well as remodels should be air sealed.

@DeuceDeuceBravo

Ай бұрын

Blower door testing is part of building code in most places now

Why doesn't the vapor barrier cover the studs? It should.

Matt, why don’t you use spray in rock wool for the walls?

@DeuceDeuceBravo

2 ай бұрын

That stuff works a lot better for floors. Much bigger hassle putting it in the walls. The batts are great because they can be moved out of the way and replaced when needed.

@markturner5207

2 ай бұрын

@@DeuceDeuceBravo I have spray in rock wool in my house, all exterior walls and most interior walls for sound. It works great. It was not a hassle at all to install. I was just wondering why Matt doesn’t use it.

So who should I call for a attic ventilation problem? A roofer or HVAC contractor? Or some other expert? I have more than enough insulation in my Florida home attic but my upstairs gets hotter than downstairs and the upstairs HVAC is working overtime as usual to keep the upstairs cool. I have a feeling regardless of the contractor I call their solution will be to sell me a solar attic fan. I think I have a ventilation problem.

@DeuceDeuceBravo

2 ай бұрын

Find a company that will do a full energy audit. Not sure about Florida, but usually your local utility company will cover some or all of the cost.

How do I find a great builder in my area. What question do I ask, what do I listen for to tell if a builder is good or just telling me what he thinks I want to hear, then doing a subpar job to save a buck?

Climate zone 5 in RI requires R-60 roofs -- @buildshow what am I missing?

@christhompson8938

2 ай бұрын

In my area,sloped roofs are R 32 while flat ciellings are R 50.

man, these folks wanna adopt me?lmao thats a huge kids room w a solo bathroom for them

While spray foam has many benefits, I’d stick with Rockwool over it any day simply because of the off gassing and the risk associated with hiding leaks (not to mention its horrible environmental impacts).

@davelindgren5245

2 ай бұрын

I have seen a brand of spray foam that has solved the off gassing problem. I can't remember the name and I have no idea what the cost difference is.

@philiparmand3534

2 ай бұрын

Agree!!

@LoveGrowsAdam

2 ай бұрын

I'm excited to see a zero voc foam like Matt uses in his house.

@whymindsetmatters

2 ай бұрын

There are green spray foams out there

@dtemp132

2 ай бұрын

Look for UL GreenGuard Gold foams and there’s no off gassing problem. Open cell foam won’t hide leaks and has a small environmental impact.

I'm wondering about companies, that use a tri-polymer resin uses two water-soluble components of a free-flowing powdered resin and an aqueous based foaming agent. There are companies in the Midwest, that use this mainly on houses, where you can't or don't want to remove the interior drywall. .

Sorry, but I am confused-- at 2:47 you say 2" closed cell plus open cell to fill the bay for the roof. Doesn't that put the open cell foam in the condensation zone for that climate? I thought that was a no-no.

@davepetrakos1192

2 ай бұрын

Air sealed home with the best indoor air quality management and an average low temperatures @ 20f, r13 should be fine.

@patrickkenny2077

2 ай бұрын

@@davepetrakos1192 Thanks; I assumed the design temperature was significantly lower.

As a building designer, I always advocate the benefits of insulation, but I personally live with all the windows open, front and back door open, like virtually all the time. If it gets hot I turn on a small fan and when it is cold I put a jacket on.

How bad is it to reuse old pink insulation from other buildings?

@LarkOfTheWoods

2 ай бұрын

It is not pleasant to work with, but might be usable if it is not matted down or damp. I have done that for unconditioned spaces, but would not want to use it for insulation around interior rooms.

Why is clear plastic over the Rock Wool?

@jeffmasengale6348

2 ай бұрын

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I thought by doing exterior insulation , plus Rockwool, that the moisture would pass through and not get trapped inside the walls.

@morganoverstreet6824

2 ай бұрын

It’s a smart membrane and not regular plastic

@peteyou2325

2 ай бұрын

Go watch the video again. The membrane prevents warm and moist indoor air from diffusing into the stud cavity.

Still can’t get over the fact that if you have a leak in your roof or 20 years down the road you need a new roof and new osb your up a creek

Rockwool all the way....after watching fire testing, I'd never use spray foam.

I really hate the comparison of all the little air leaks in a home to an open window. They really don't equate. Air flows through a large opening with much less resistance than a small opening. Not to say that it's not important. Just that it's a bad comparison.

Matt, Why did he use closed cell foam on the garage wall, but not on outside walls of interior space?

Sooner or later, I somehow knew this would turn into a rockwool commercial.

Hey Matt, you mentioned healthy, so I have to ask.. how healthy do you think it is to be surrounded by fire retardants? They are known to cause cancer and have been banned from consumer products. I'm curious how can one explain putting it in insulation. Do you come across this concern often? What's your response?

@Jaker788

Ай бұрын

When it's all cured there shouldn't be any chemical release. But simply using an air quality meter that measures TVOC would give you a good idea. Ultimately these tight homes should have better fresh air ventilation and exchange than an older home. Having an ERV with balanced or adjustable intake/exhaust means you can guarantee 67% air change per hour that's filtered and evenly distributed by mechanical ventilation and ducting to each room. Rather than sucking in air from the crawl space or attic and walls with mold and any other bad air quality from those spaces

@Jaker788

Ай бұрын

I'm not sure about fire retardants being banned from products either. Maybe specific ones? Furniture and stuff like curtains still have stuff to decrease flammability, you can buy fire resistant rated clothing with additives in it to have that quality.

First to comment??? Sweeeeeet!! 😊

@DrMJJr

2 ай бұрын

Ok calm down Michael, lololol

Not a fan of the patchwork approach.

Does Matt still have time to build homes or does he just do KZread?

@MrCannonls

2 ай бұрын

My bet is he runs a good company, trains people well, and sets the vision for how his project managers run the builds. Gives him time for big picture work.

@dondumitru7093

2 ай бұрын

Product placements, and also working on getting their own branded trade show going. I generally agree with your comment. That said, it is also the case that the best people who are designing building products are those that were experienced builders themselves. So it isn't necessarily bad that an experienced builder is migrating upstream.

@DeuceDeuceBravo

2 ай бұрын

Keep in mind that these guys can visit a site for a day or two and then generate many, many videos from that one visit.

no competent structural engineer is even remotely considering using spray foam (closed or open) as part of the structural system. none. its not even a debateable topic. if they are asking you about the insulation, its probably just for adding up the superimposed dead load for what the actual structure will have to resist.

Thank goodness you shaved that mustache.

Please stop telling people that putting insulation in by itself is soundproofing. Yes it's one aspect of soundproofing to get a true soundproofed space you need to add mass and decoupling. I have so many people that tell us that they just want to blow in dense pack cellulose and that'll soundproof your existing wall and a majority of the time it doesn't work and people get upset. You can't just blow in a good product and hope it'll fix a problem there's usually more problems that need to be corrected.

Two worst insulation materials for health.

it's 2024. can we stop pretending foam, or any other insulative product has anything to do with air sealing? it's just pathetic.

@Jaker788

Ай бұрын

But it's literally one of the standard things to use in air sealing. If you're air sealing an attic, you use foam in the gaps between plumbing, electrical, lights, and wall top plates. Certainly as Matt said in the video, foam is not to be solely relied upon for sealing and won't get you to the very best possible seal. But it still has a place in air sealing spots and in existing construction sealing.