How is Spray Foam Insulation Cost Effective with the High Cost of Installation?
Ask any homeowner who has paid for termite control, replacement of wood rot, and high utility bills, and they will tell it is absolutely cost-effective.
Spray foam insulation is cost-effective for any home. That’s because the spray foam insulation cost is more than offset by the energy savings the home owner will experience over time.
Throughout New Orleans, you’ll find quaint cottages raised high above the damp soil, protected from the rising waters that notoriously and consistently claim their stake each stormy season. It’s to be expected that a city built below sea level will experience flooding, and early builders anticipated the problems inherent in the situation. Unfortunately, raised cottages also raise their own set of problems.
Many of these older homes have original hardwood floors that allow the bitter cold to snake in during the winter and precious (not to mention costly) air-conditioned cool to seep out during the summer. In either case, homeowners are stuck with a higher bill for less comfort.
In addition to allowing the passage of air, cracks in floorboards are gateways for spiders, termites, fleas, and other insects. And if there’s a way in, those enormous tree roaches will wriggle through it?
Then there’s the problem of moisture trapped beneath the house. The presence of perpetually damp soil may seem less pernicious than the onslaught of floodwaters, whose effects are immediate and obvious, but in reality, that dampness does interact with old wood floors. Over time, rot, mold, and mildew set in. Add an army of termites, and you’ve got a booby trap waiting to happen.
While some homeowners have attempted to resolve these issues with traditional insulation like fiberglass batting, those methods prove less than effective. Batting will droop over time, allowing the continued buildup of moisture and a cozy bedding for insects as well as rodents.
Conversely, spray foam insulation clings to the underside of floorboards, both insulating and sealing the crawlspace tightly. Neither air nor water nor insects pass through the spray foam. Termites and other insects choose not to gnaw through the unappetizing foam, which leaves your floorboards safe from infestations.
These beautiful old homes were built with forethought. New Orleans homeowners of the past saw problems that lay ahead and prepared for them. Unfortunately for them, the technology to make homes entirely resistant to the problems of air loss, moisture, and infestation didn’t exist when most of these structures were built. Fortunately for you, they exist now. Give us a call at Sunlight Contractors and let’s discuss how our certified spray foam installers can help you correct the problems created by your raised home.