hey guys im new to this forum but i have been reading allot so i just wanna run my plan for my new house by you guys to see what you think if i should chnage anything. to make a long story short my house burnt down 4 months ago and i got money from the insurance to rebuild. i had a 1275 square foot house with r 27 walls (r 22 bat and 1 inc foam on outside) and r 60 in the attic and nothing in the basement and two stage furnace. i payed 3000$ for heating last year so i wanna insulate more to help with that. this is how i plan on insulating ceiling:r 60 blown fiberglass with 6 in cellulose on top with energie heel trusses walls: 5 in of closed cell foam in 2x6 wall and 1 inc of foil covered foam board taped on outside onder ciding basement: 1 in closed cell spray foam with 2x4 wall 2 in away from foam with r22 fiberglass bat the furnace is a 2 stage and ill have a hrv(im just geting the builders furnace and hrv but is there a really good brand that i should look into geting? windows: inline fibeglass windows this is the plan so far and like always im already over budget lol i really wanted to go geothermal but its not gona happen. thnx for looking and if i have over looked something plz reply ill take all the advice i can get. i live in ontario canada in a town called chelmsford so it get cold here, i think are coldest day last winter was -44c not counting the wind.

Hello Grenade

I read your post and believe you are on the right track. However, for your attic forget the fiberglass and go with R50/ 13 inches of blown cellulose, that will be far more effective and less costly. You could go to R60 but may not be necessary. For the 2x6 walls, 3 -4 inches of closed cell spray foam will be lots. After three inches you gain more depth, but you don't really gain in efficiency. Spray foam is very efficient and once you reach the three inch level you are basically spending money for no further gain. I would also recommend at least three inches in the basement. The Ontario Eco Energy program is actually looking for 4 inches or R24 in the basement. This is because the basement accounts for approximately 40 % of heat loss.

I am located in Orillia, Ontario. I would be pleased to work with you on this project, we install soya based closed cell spray foam and blown cellulose. Feel free to call me to discuss this project. 705-329-3972.

hey and thnx for the reply. i was thinking of using all blown cellulose but i was reading that its heavier then fiberglass and at 60 it might bow the drywall? i caqnt find the post right now but i think thats waht it said. i just read about the spray foam peaking at 3 inc and barely inproving after that a cuple hours ago. im now thinking of spraying 4 inc and then adding more foam board to the outside but i gota talk to my builder to see the cost diff. i plan on having r12 on the basement walls of spray foam (min coad) and then ading r22 in the walls later when i have more money lol.

i would love to have somone like you that knows lots about insulation in high r ratings (my builder looks at me crazy when i talk about the insulation i want) but i cant. i have been fighting for over 4 months ( on the 19th of this month its will be 5 months) and i finally got them to give me 170000$ to fix my house. i wanted to the general contractor but the bank wont let me controle the money they said i had to have a general contractor. they also said that with that 170k i must have a house that will pass the final inspection (the house must be finished) so i must get the contractor to do all the work. its hard to explane but what it comes down to is i cant do any of the work myself and i cant do any hiring and the contractor has all his own guys for everything. so thnx for the advice but sorry i cant give you any business

Small insurance claims are usually paid to the owner, but I have seen this  many times, the insurance company (and the bank) probably want to make sure the $170k goes back into the house instead of some going to buy a new car.

I have also seen many owner-builder mortgage companies that require a GC to sign-off and be responsible for the overall outcome of the completed home, to ensure codes are met and that their money is secure in a home that is not sub-standard by a Bob Villa wannabe

New home construction is different, in that there is a GC required by the bank, the money is dispersed as approved by the bank inspector AND the homeowner

I could be wrong, but I'd be concerned about the FG getting packed down over time by the cellulose on top of it. FG will squash pretty easily and lose R value.

I'm not a builder, energy expert, or engineer, but I sell rigid foam insulation of all types at 50% to 70% less then market value. All of our insulation is 100% recycled/reclaimed product and depending on the quantity we can for example supply R-18 insulation for under $ .60 per square foot. If you're interested in learning about our company, give me a call @ 888 820-2760. We are Insulation Depot and have 50+ warehouses throughout the country to serve our customers. Good luck.

 

David Volpe

hey sorry for taking so long to reply iv been bouncing from hotel rooms to friends houses for the last cuple days. the insurance wont give me the 170000$ unless there is 3 names on the check, my name/the banks name/the contractors name. thats why i cant change contractors or anything like that. the bank gave me 3 options 1 pay off the house with the money( i dont have the money to do this) 2 pay off the house and get another load to rebuild. 3 the option i had to take is iv gota rebuild the house to the same size/quality of the house i had before and they will keep track of the money by sending there own inspectors to the house before giving any money out. in this option it also sais that the bank must make sure there is enough money to complete the house in the account. this is the big problem because there is no way that i can have the house rebuilt with 170000. i was told that if the house is not finished the bank wont give the contractor the last of the money till its livable. i got a quote from my builder for 176000 for the house with r60 attic r40 walls r30 basment with a 2 stage furnace. that quote is with the shell with a bathroom and kitchen sink and drywall.im gona install/buy the floors,paint,kitchen cabenits/countertops,and wall trim and i also need a water filter system to be able to drink the water(6000$). its also gona cost me 9000$ to take down the old house so with my count if i get all cheap finishes inside i will still be over 200000$ for the house.im hoping to meet with the contractor so see if i can work out a deal to do some work myself ( i work for Inco thats on strike) because i got lots of time and now money. sorry for the long story and thnx for the advice and yes im writing notes lol.

This may be a textbook case of " too little too late ", but did you have your own Public Adjuster acting on your behalf in this entire mess?
It may not be too late! Yuo've got to Stop letting the tail wag the dog, before you do anything else!! Been there, done that.. These guy's can make your life a nightmare, Forget the insulation specs !! You've got to start rowing the boat !!!

the insurance has an adjuster but hes just trying the f me over. i got ahold of a adjuster that i could hire but they wanted 10% of the claym so 170000 for the house a lil over 100000 for the stuff in the house so there fee would be 27000. i almost feel over when they said there price. the only reason i told the insurance i would take the 170k (my contractor quoted 182k the fix the cracked foundation and replace the top lvl) is because if i dont start the house this month i wont have a house till next summer. i dont want them to be building my house when the snow is falling because i know how the work quality will go down big time. i have tryed everything i could think of to get them to pay for the full price to rebuild the house but there cheap.

In a deal like this :: 1st Regogmize that insurance companies like collecting premiums, NOT PAYING CLAIMS, 2nd Act as your own contractor and sub work out yourself { Never put a contractor signature in the mix}, 3rd that adjuster you referred to Works for the Insurance Company NOT YOU! 4th, Hire and pay your own Public Adjuster [some will negotiate their fee] who will work for You, NOT your carrier. A good adjuster is well worth a fee.
My last experience with a house claim, MY adjuster increased the the claim amount almost four times what was originally offered by the insurance company. I jokingly asked the guy, "Could you have gotten more". He said, "No, we got your FULL policy limit and they won't go over that amount, no matter what". I gave him a Bonus!
Rather than make a Big Mistake, you might consider taking the time to do this right and forget your seasonal time constraints on construction. Realize your in a battle with the insurance people, disregard construction details and and contractors for now and get control of the money before you do anything Else.

Spray in foam gets my vote.