I live in Rhode Island.. lots-o-snow in the winter (especially this recent one). We are building a new 4300sq/foot home with walk out basement and 2 floors with GeoThermal Heat/AC. I am specing the insulation now and understand how important the seal is. I am wondering what your opinion on the best insulation type/cost ratio. Spray foam on roof rafters and ridged on the exterior and fiberglass in walls? with a wrap on exterior? Also basement floor insulation.. is it needed beyond the crushed stone under the slab? There are so many options.. I want to get the best price/value point I can.. and it looks like this is a good place to ask. PS.. the search tool on the website crashes when used (I am in chrome) -Ken

Sounds like you are starting with the idea of a typical "house built to code" and trying to improve on a couple on the insulation in a some areas. You'll get several ideas here on how to improve your "basic" house, but consider building a better, much more cost efficient house from the ground up. Rather than trying to make a Ford F150 into an electric car by adding gadgets, its much better to start with the basic design and structure. There is a young builder in Rhode Island in the middle of building a house to Passive House standards - PH is the highest building efficiency standard in the world. (www.phius.org). I'll bet he'll be happy to show you what the differences are and why they matter for your wallet, your comfort and your health. This is not about adding gadgets or buying a special plan or deal - this is simply spreading the word about what has been learned about why houses are built so poorly, and what has to be done differently to build a good, long lasting, inexpensive house.