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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Spray Foam insulation
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Jimbohlia
Member
# Posted: 28 Aug 2011 01:49pm
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Hello everyone,
Wondering if anyone has had any experience with spray foam insulation, or more specifically, the cost of spray foam insulation. There is only one company in my neck of the woods that does it and to do just the underside of my cabin '12x'24 they said it would run between 8 and 9 hundred dollars. That definitely seems high to me but I am considering it anyway because I think it would end up paying for itself. I guess my question is basically, is $900 a high price to do a '12x'24 ("10 deep) spray foam insulation job ? Thanks in advance!

bobrok
Member
# Posted: 28 Aug 2011 03:17pm
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It probably is not an outrageous price given the cost of hired labor + materials, but my advice is to do a return on investment and calculate what you would save in heating costs vs. the cost of having a professional installation. How much time you actually spend there during heating season? Are there any utilities underneath that may have to be serviced in the future? Do you already have sufficient top and sidewall insulation? Good windows and doors? The underside is probably the least of your heat loss worries compared to all else IMO.

GonHuntin
Member
# Posted: 28 Aug 2011 08:05pm
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Recently had a 20' shipping container sprayed (sides, roof and both ends).....1.5" thick......$750 for approximately 600 square feet. I had estimates that were twice that price. I told the guy that sprayed it to work me in when he had leftover materials from another job.

Jimbohlia
Member
# Posted: 29 Aug 2011 10:54am
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Thanks for the info, I was planning on having it done even if I wasn't getting the best deal, because the foam is going to solve a bunch of problems for me, but definitely happy to have a little piece of mind knowing I'm not over paying.

Malamute
Member
# Posted: 30 Aug 2011 01:35am - Edited by: Malamute
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I worked on a shed that the pople wanted ti turn into living/work space. we were planning on building up the floor with 2x4's on edge, and they were going to have that space spray insulated. I asked on the price and R value, and I checked on fiberglass batts. Theyw ere going to get an R-15 aprayed in, and when I priced R-11 in fiberglass, and the labor, it was about 1/4 or less of the sprayed in foam, and it didnt have that much greater R value for the increased price. The savings paid for a large part of the project they wanted to do.

Just do an honest evaluation of your needs. I don't know what all the problems it will solve for you, but it may take an awful long time to actually pay for itself if the insulative difference is only as great as what the project I mentioned is, compard to the cost.

Are they actually going to fill the entire 10" deep bay, or just give you X amount of inches for a given R value? Several spray foam jobs I've seen only had a portion of the bay filled with foam. A 10" deep bay would take R-30 fibergalss insulation if you utilized the entire depth of the bay.

I used fibergalss under my cabin, I think it was R-19, and nailed OSB under it to keep varmints out of it, and it's worked very well. I also skirted around the bottom to keep errant drafts out in winter.

Ann
Member
# Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:24pm
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I had 5 inches of spray foam insulation installed under my floor, in a crawlspace. I thought it would hold up better than fiberglass, should it get wet for any reason (it dries out and will not mold or sag). It is also a bit less attractive to mice as a nesting material.

I believe it is R-21. Should help keep the water line and pipes from freezing. They sealed around the sill plate at the top of the foundation also. It cost around $3 a square foot, which I thought was doable for a small space.

Jimbohlia
Member
# Posted: 2 Sep 2011 10:26am
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Thanks for all the info. I think I am going to wait one more season before making the investment in the foam because I just bought fiberglass last winter but I'll probably end up doing foam next season.
Thanks again!

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