Because of your content I now use Rockwool products almost exclusively. This is a very fine build and you have brought many high performance techniques to more modest priced builds. You have in my opinion done a great service for your industry. Thanks!!
I essentially can never settle on a mass produced builder home after watching you for years, i have to implement most if not all your techniques into my future build. Would love to see a Risinger/bldrplan barndominium build
interesting, it seemed like until recently Matt Rising was all-in on Rockwool and now he says fiberglass is adequate? I think one issue with this channel is it's become a marketing arm for various building materials companies, so it's hard to piece out what is truly a best-practice vs making a video based on a sponsor's sell sheet.
He’s a very honest guy and is clear and open about sponsors… this isn’t rocket science guys but some folks are just lame haters no matter what you do. 😂
Anomalies: I also missed hearing about Rockwool. He used Rockwool it all over his home, but not here! At 1:02:55, he says no sound insulation around the kid's bathroom - why not? But he does the bedrooms. Don't want to hear about nightmares, but farts are OK? Then at 1:03:10, he mentioned the Atlas poly sheeting on the exterior that effectively creates 3 moisture barriers in the wall: I don't follow the logic, other than there must be money to help him make his statements.
Skip the foam, says I. Better to have ducts buried under the blown-in insulation. 1. You don't shorten the life of the shingles 2. Code considers buried ducts to be within conditioned space 3. No offgassing 4. Underside of roof sheathing is visible for inspection and the insulation can be moved to access the ceiling if need be 5. Fiberglass is much less flammable than foam 6. Cheaper. Just make sure your AC is in a closet and not the attic and you're golden. PS. had a great time at the Build Show Live last weekend, by the way. Learned so much and met some great folks!
@@idanko731are you qualified ? What proof of your qualifications besides because you say so ? Lol. You insult others with zero evidence to justify yourself.
@@idanko731 thanks professor. Here's what I can tell you, having inspected countless older homes, the majority and I mean more than 50% of older homes that have had spray foam applied to the attic space have leaking that was caught way too late. When you see the tea stain bleeding through, it's way too late. You've got deterioration. Also, I would invite anyone reading this to do some research on how applying spray foam to the underside of asphalt shingles reduces their life expectancy.
Normally the comments indicate less expensive options to build are wanted. If my coffee cup is on roof of my Chevy, it bounces when I close the door with window up. Not so on my Mercedes. 2 different builds at two different costs points.
I live in an attached townhome with the triple thick drywall fire block system. A neighbor gutted their house to the studs and rebuilt inside and they used to spray. The sound deadening is awful now we can hear every time someone goes up or down the stairs or makes the loud noise where has before we didn’t with standard fiberglass installation it may be working for them Temperature wise, but it sucks for us neighbors. If I were reworking things here, I would probably use the Rockwool, I remember we had that in our last house and really liked it.
Spray foam is definitely an effective insulation. Just keep in mind that in more and more places, insurance companies will no longer insure houses with sprayed insulation both because it's not possible to understand if the underlying structure has damage and that once spray foam ignites, you're house is gone. Rockwool is a far better choice in my mind. Other than your insulation choice, I always enjoy your builds.
As usual excellent video and content. I liked the specifics on the R values and how you get to that value for a wall. I would really like to see in your videos a cost breakdown for a specific insulation type on standard size for comparison. For example a 10' length wall with an 8' height costs $$ with 2x4 with R15 batt insulation. Or with blown in it costs $$$ and with closed cell foam it costs $$$$. If you always use the same dimension then it is easier for builders and customers to compare for desired needs and budget. The same would go for the exterior materials cost for the same coverage area of using ZipR6 or the R10 panels etc.
I have never understood why Texas builders (Matt not included) always claim they don’t need that much insulation because it’s not that cold, well it is that hot so instead of insulating to keep the heat in you are insulating to keep the ac air in.
Matt..... I'm admittedly at a bit of a loss here because I thoroughly trust your expertise and wisdom with regards to building energy efficient, properly air sealed and comfortable dwellings for Texas in particular & across the U.S. generally speaking. That said, i can't help wondering why you didn't choose Rockwool, particularly where sound deadening was the goal. Over the years I know I've seen a bunch of Build Show episodes and channel related content you've produced in which I distinctly remember you touting the numerous benefits of Rockwool insulation--specifically noting its extreme effectiveness in damping vibration & significant lowering of sound transmission through treated wall cavities and rim joists / separations between ceiling & flooring above in 2-story construction, with additional emphasis on safety benefits pertaining to Rockwool's unique fire retardant characteristics. I certainly understand wanting to maximize project savings and the impact made by those big corporate sponsorships on the bottom line expenditure, but I'm curious if that alone was enough to go exclusively with products from the Pink Panther portfolio--their acquisition of your long-time favorite manufacturer of earth friendly closed-cel spray foam, notwithstanding of course. I honestly expected to see you using Rockwool in certain critical areas of this build where it could be most beneficial, thus I admit being somewhat surprised by its omission. You certainly sold me on Rockwool long ago, so I'd be grateful for your thoughts on the subject. Thanks in advance.
I put bib insulation in after aerobarrier on 2x6 walls. After the drywall PVA was used to slow down moisture into the wall. Plastic is not a good idea for a moisture barrier. In the Pacific Northwest, it's just too wet. I know lots of people that had trapped moisture do to Plastic and PVA is better because it will allow moisture movement.
What is the point of using Zip-R and then Atlas insulation on top of the zip sheathing? Wouldnt standard zip plus thicker exterior foam be better? That way there is extra fire blocking, and also the osb sheathing has more insulation on the cold site to avoid condensation.
Yeah, in the separate video on the Atlas, I could not understand why he creates at least 3 moisture barriers: Zip, Atlas foil, Atlas foil. Money made him do it.
@13:05 I would be livid if those wires&mechanicals were spray foamed instead of using blown-in insulation. The homeowner would have to pay a ridiculous amount to have the spray foam removed to service any part of that area. The difference in insulation for that small area would in no way save the home owner any significant money in heating/cooling.
Can you go over your Attic conditioning/recommendations, when your mechanicals are inside, not in the attic. That may include budget friendly, i.e. maybe even using Attic Foil or not.
5:27 Re: either open or closed cell foam on the underside of attic sheathing roof deck - You may want to add the caveat that your roof deck under your composition shingles is an exterior vented roof deck because it is essentially a roof over the roof. Without having an exterior vented roof deck, spray foam on the interior can raise the temperature of the shingles to be outside of the shingle manufacturer’s warranty temperature range.
This build is a FOR-SPONSOR Franken-Monster build. They are stuffing competing technologies into various parts of the house just for show, changing wall widths just for the sake of creating problems they later solve by using different products saying they are saving money and then saying we need to use this other tech because the wall depth is smaller. While the person buying this house will be comfortable, because in the end it'll be a quality build, but with every wall being different, it'll be one fugged up repair/remodel sometime in the future because nothing is consistent. Also, spray foam is trash, both meanings, rockwool is better. Not sure how to insulate roofline with rockwool though, strapping perhaps, seems like more work?
Matt has a video that emphasizes moisture control, and how one should make sure that it vents easily. He sold me on the concept, but everything that I've come up with, including foam sealing, ends up trapping the moisture. I'd sure like to know how to actually apply the concept. Closed cell spray foam is a great insulator, but it's also a choice that traps the moisture inside.
@@lanewhite5928 That was a comparison that I never thought about. I've done the mechanical control in crawl spaces, but always vented attics. I'll definitely take your advice since it is so very logical.
25 yeara ago I insulated all of our bedroom 2 X 4 bedroom walls with fiberglass. We got done and we could barely tell the difference. The opening under the doors lets the sound go right into the next room.
00:50 "...Sound Batts...sound transmission...". Okay, thanks for the trigger warning. You caught me off-guard with the networking debacle so I appreciate the heads-up. Loins girded!
31:49 And there it is. "Spray foam is a little more noisy so the sound does bounce around a little bit more". This is, on its face, a nonsensical statement. One material is not noisier than another, and unless you're planning to leave your walls uncovered, the drywall is the primary material interacting with sound within a space and preventing transmission between spaces. The most generous interpretation I can conceive for this statement is, _batt insulation is more effective at attenuating sound transmission between spaces than closed-cell foam,_ because (and I'm speculating, here) since spray foam becomes integral to the studs and to one side of the wall, it might mechanically transmit resonances of certain frequencies from one side of a wall to the other, whereas batt insulation, which is mechanically decoupled from the drywall will tend to dampen resonances within the cavity.
If you’re running dehum, it’s hard to justify closed cell on the bottom of your roof deck. Open cell and closed cell are pretty close with cost per R, but open will bury the whole cord, the connection, and half the web are sealed.
Is there some independent reports / Studies on closed foam use and duriablelity. Risk of timber decay. In the UK morgage providers will often refuse tio give a morgage to a house where it has been used. So it would be nice ti have some resurch on it.
Curious, what’s the reason you can’t (or won’t) build a basement in Texas? Just the extra cost? If so, why are they standard for new and old) builds even in rocky / wet areas like New England?
With land prices increasing there are more basements being built in Texas. In some areas, the top soil is thin, then some clay, then rock. An excavator may be able to remove the rock, but you usually must pay to haul rock away. More high-end home should use basements - basements have passive geothermal benefits - cooler in the summer.
@ interesting, thanks. It seems crazy short sighted to miss out on all that extra square footage to save what, $10K up front? Up here most of the excavated material can be used right on the site for grading. I can see how it might not be worth it for a cookie cutter mass developer, but maybe building codes should require them in most cases.
I’m spitballing here… but I think it’s because most homes aren’t custom. So while it may seem shortsighted to try to save $10k upfront, your production builders might only be working with that $10k (just reusing your number) in profit on each build. They’ll avoid doing anything that won’t add more value to the home in an appraisal vs. the cost to build it. Basements seem to be one of those.
@@lanewhite5928 yeah I’m sure if the economic incentive was there, the builders would do it. It just seems crazy to me that the all the benefits (especially the added square footage) don’t add up to enough reason to do so. That’s a lot of potential in law apartments!
I'll tell you the exact reason. I grew up in Iowa = everyone has a basement. I have lived in Texas for 40+ years = "nobody" has a basement. The reason is cost per SF. Where there is frozen ground, the footers must extend below the frost line. In Iowa, footers had to be 4 feet deep. To make a basement, changing from 4 to 8 feet is little extra cost per SF gained. Without freezing ground, construction of a big hole in the ground is a lot higher cost than adding ground-level SF on a slab. If you have ground rock to deal with, it gets financially challenging.
please note the term you're looking for is "damping". "dampening" can technically work for sound treatment in terms of mitigation, but "damping" is always the intended word
I am in southwest Virginia in the mountains.........our home was damaged from Hurricane Helene. Our basement and crawlspace flooded........all insulation had to be ripped out, lost our HVAC system and all duct work. What would be the best insulation to go back under the house? Trying to make some smart decisions on how we build back and hopefully get back into our house soon........
Blown in insulation use to have the problem of settling over time and leaving a portion of the cavities open and uninsulated. Does this still happen with new blow in insulation ?
Interesting. I never see HVAC mechanicals in attics here in upper New England (VT/NH). They are always located in the basement with duct work going inside the 2x10 floor joists.
I am in CT and one of my HVAC air handlers is in my attic. I built the house 16 years ago and have since learn a lot about building science. I made 1/2 of my attic conditioned(esp. where the unit is located, after the build. What a difference. Also, in the winter , I do not even have the amount of R value as shown, I can see the frost or snow on my roof above this area but not over the unconditioned space. I definitely would condition the entire attic when I build again.
I don't quite understand the financial calculation of using thick ZipR (3-4x more expensive than standard 7/16 zip board), but only 2x4 walls. It hardly costs any more money to step up to at least a 2x6. I do post frame and either use 2x8 girts or double-girt design (for 7-1/4 or 9" cavities) for R30 or R38 rock wool. Much cheaper than ZipR for the same or higher r-value.
Curious. What is the preferred ("best") insulation approach to use in the case of CBC exterior walls w/o any cladding other than a light stucco or a textured paint finish? ...
If anybody can answer this question or ask Matt to make a video? What are the draw backs of icf vs stone and steel. A different channel suggested building with stone and using steel beams for support. ( longevity, cost, repair cost, type of environments either thrive in, any special equipment needed, companies that have experience in stone and steel, any mandatory design features needed and design features a person would not have to worry about). Thanks
Not sure about encapsulating electrical cables in insulation. In Europe that's not advisable with twice the power in 240V and you really don't want any overheating cables inside foam. 🔥 It's a great way of air sealing complex structures, but as others have noted, insurers are raising issues with it hiding structural damage or moisture build-up. Carry on with the great content!
Closed cell off gases though. And not just for a little bit after, for its whole life. Basically when it stops off gassing it has shrunk (the gas bubbles are deflated) and it has gaps that aren't air tight anymore. I don't get spray foam as a premium and reliable product.
VOC might might have a link to cancer. I don't know that flame retardant chemicals do. FRC might have some health related issues. I'm still investigating.
Only if you are in the Republic of California, Ha! If you're in an airtight home, then to a great degree, the insulation will be encapsulated in the wall after off gassing before drywall is installed.
Usually lists of “chemicals known to cause cancer” in any jurisdiction translate into industrial hazards and not occasional contact. If you live in the home, don’t eat the insulation. If you work in the chemical plant or install the stuff you need gear and to limit your contact. Think of it this way, Coal miners without safety equipment get Coal lung. Hipster pizza shops in Brooklyn with coal ovens do not. When clamping down on chemical hysteria Doctors will be the first to point out that it’s the dose that makes the poison . If something is wildly hazardous like industrial herbicides, you’re not buying it from a supplier without a license of some kind.
Didn't see any rock whool insulation. My question is why is insulation so expensive, if codes want a more efficient structures then we need better prices.
What u think about Tesla roof on modern design facing south thinking of building a house like ur way of building. Present ly have Tesla. Roof on traditional house
After 15 years of being certified in building science and crawling through a million attics, I’m surprised by how many people don’t like spray foam from the comments. I assume it’s due to experiencing poor applications? Spray foam is far superior to anything except rock wool that’s installed within a properly sealed envelope. Fiberglass is completely worthless and doesn’t stop airflow, which is why you can walk in attics and see dirty spots where can lights and penetrations are allowing airflow. Conditioned attics and crawl spaces are the only proper way to build a home today, and spray foam accomplishes that incredibly. Again, rock wool is great but costly and tough to adhere to roof deck.
Thinking of going close cell for the roof deck in a home I just bought here in North Georgia. Is it a myth that it could void the roof shingle warranty? And also curious about using rock wool instead. Any good videos or reading materials you would suggest on either of those?
@@user-my3pv9kx2hThe warranty thing is nonsense and comes from lazy dealers or manufacturers. Foil-back decking provides much more stress on shingles than foam will ever do and it is the standard in most new construction. Closed cell foam on roof deck is used in many places, especially in hurricane zones. The benefits would be that it adds 200% structural rigidity, locks in the decking and rafter connections really well, will hold no moisture, and seals incredibly. The only downsides are that a leak from the roof would not drop into your attic since it is sealed and it would slowly rot roof decking. In my opinion, with good roofing you should have no issue and if you have some decking exposed to water, you can replace the decking during roof upgrade in 25 years. This leads to the second issue of closed cell which is that it is a pain to remove if needed. Replacing roof decking for example would require you to cut the joints with saw and remove sheet with foam on it. Extremely low probability you'd need this to ever happen, but worth noting. I love rock wool due to it being more natural product and completely fireproof. Only issue on a roof is that it is labor intensive to install and you have to strap it up properly. If you have a low enough roof pitch it may not be terrible to access. The other issue is that you still need to ensure you are sealed for airflow behind it. Some people use closed cell foam to spray a think layer everywhere, or even picture frame openings to ensure connections and seams are sealed. Then they install the rock wool behind that. There are companies that specialize in air sealing using a thin layer of spray, but I am only familiar with foam application. Best of luck!
@@user-my3pv9kx2h also wanted to add consideration for open cell foam on roof deck. It expands 100:1 so it fills gaps and craps even better. Also, because it is going to be much thicker than closed cell, it fully covers the rafters and eliminates thermal bridging (heat transferred from roof to attic through rafters). If your roof were to leak, it would leak down through the open cell int your ceiling so you'd know. Only real downside is that it doesnt add structural strength (which may not matter to you) and it can hold moisture; so if your attic is very humid it can begin to build up moisture in the foam. Proper design will eliminate this, and you can also just add dehumidifier if needed to maintain conditions in attic. Ive installed hundreds of the big name dehums and just recently tried out VEVOR dehumidifiers that are under half the price. They honestly may even be better built and I love them. Time will tell the lifespan but you can buy another and still be cheaper on investment. Id recommend you buy the VEVOR and just install it yourself. just plugs into an outlet, and you can add duct kit if desired.
@ great thanks. So to retrofit this house you would likely either go closed cell foam to whatever thickness i can afford, or flash and batt with closed cell plus rockwool? This house is was only built in 2021 but already has a roof leak in an area of a dead valley that also doesn't have proper kick out flashing so we are about to correct that problem but the overall roof has a lot of wear from other trades people walking all over it right after construction. I was given some money at closing to fix most of this and I'm thinking about just having the whole thing re-roof and fixed by a quality roofing contractor. Some parts of the roof have standing seam metal already so I will leave that alone but replace all of the shingles and put new synthetic underlayment and or peel and stick on the roof.
@ ill check out these Vevor units. In my last two homes that I put open cell in the attic, I just used consumer grade dehumidifiers and all worked fine. In fact the only really nice dehumidifier I ever bought was a Santa Fe advance two model and it's the only one that's ever failed on me lol. The $200 ones from Costco or wherever keep running strong. i'm very curious about going with closed cell on this house so may move forward with that. I also really like the idea of putting a rigid foam insulation product on the roof before I have the roof redone but not sure if it's worth taking it that far. Looks like Atlas has a product that has both rigid foam and a piece of OSB on the top as well as an air channel in it for circulation that is designed to be put on the roof before the underlayment. Not sure how expensive that is but sounds interesting.
Insurance and morgage companies dont like spray foam concealing roof structures. So up north we have spray foam removal companies. So we need another way.
The COMPLETE OMISSION OF ROCKWOOL in this entire discussion is a tragedy, and it makes me question Matt’s willingness to endorse whomever product sponsor of the day he’s hosting. SMDH. 🤦🏽♂️
"We really want that insulation touching that outside sheathing." Why specifically? I still feel uncomfortable in my humid climate sandwiching roof decking between vapor barriers
I love watching these 'money is no object' builds, but realistically (for us normal folks who don't have manufacturers giving us product?') Let in 1x4 on all of your exterior walls for shear, and use polyiso......the difference is unreal.
I'd consider using spray foam over conduit or in the outer wall of a double-wall construction, but watching all those plumbing and electrical runs get cast in spray foam gives me the willies. I'd hate to be the guy tasked with moving a fixture or repairing a fault. Imagine excavating all that. What a nightmare!
Disclaimer this is a spray foam commercial. too many risks, including prolonged off gassing, improper or poor installation or expansion and contraction of building materials both can lead to spray foam breaking its seal and result in extensive damage to structure. Costly, labor intensive to remove or replace in the future. ASIRI Designs RUclips building science channel has talked about issues with spray foam.
Starting to realize Matt only talks about/installs who pays him. Builders and people in the trade all know the drawbacks with open and closed cell spray foam. It is far inferior to rockwool and foam sheets and even fiberglass batts. I would never do spray foam for many reasons outlined in the comments but of course Matt won’t say this because he’s getting paid by them.. He does the same with zip system. I’m sick of biased commercials on the build show
You're JUST realizing this? There's zero content for builders on this channel. It's just advertising targeting ignorant home owners. Also, watch him handle a framing nailer.. it's laughable.
This is to much insulation probably over 30k easy told my uncle the other day about this builds he is a contractor he said go standard anyone can work on it and save your money and go solar. Dont pass a dollar to pick up a dime
@@davepetrakos475then I guess you’ll enjoy suffocating to death in your sleep from VOCs in a fire…what a ridiculous thing to say, as if SAFETY weren’t worth being told what to avoid in advance
Hey got an idea!!!! Spray enough of that foam in your house so when it floods the sucker will float and you can just bob around till water recedes and then screw it back down!!!!!!!!!!!!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Fyi- you cover up stuff with that foam crap and you will regret it. Bugs love it and water will dismantle the encased wood, that is if you dont suffercate from all the chemicals the stuff vents off. A house needs to vent and breathe to stay dry. If you create an entirely seperate environment you will never know when it fails until it falls. Over engineered crap has a habit of sooner or latter biting you in the arse. Proof???? Bridges fall dams collapse and twin towers fall with well placed charges......
I am all good with product placement but this goes against what he typically promotes. Was excited for a 1hr episode but could only watch 5 mins of this advertisement.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Because of your content I now use Rockwool products almost exclusively. This is a very fine build and you have brought many high performance techniques to more modest priced builds. You have in my opinion done a great service for your industry. Thanks!!
I essentially can never settle on a mass produced builder home after watching you for years, i have to implement most if not all your techniques into my future build. Would love to see a Risinger/bldrplan barndominium build
interesting, it seemed like until recently Matt Rising was all-in on Rockwool and now he says fiberglass is adequate? I think one issue with this channel is it's become a marketing arm for various building materials companies, so it's hard to piece out what is truly a best-practice vs making a video based on a sponsor's sell sheet.
Ya totally, Rockwool probably wouldn’t give free product and they would. Very strange he used spray foam.
@@paybax If you watch the video he actually explains why they used the insulation they did.
He’s a very honest guy and is clear and open about sponsors… this isn’t rocket science guys but some folks are just lame haters no matter what you do. 😂
Anomalies: I also missed hearing about Rockwool. He used Rockwool it all over his home, but not here! At 1:02:55, he says no sound insulation around the kid's bathroom - why not? But he does the bedrooms. Don't want to hear about nightmares, but farts are OK? Then at 1:03:10, he mentioned the Atlas poly sheeting on the exterior that effectively creates 3 moisture barriers in the wall: I don't follow the logic, other than there must be money to help him make his statements.
Agree
Skip the foam, says I. Better to have ducts buried under the blown-in insulation.
1. You don't shorten the life of the shingles
2. Code considers buried ducts to be within conditioned space
3. No offgassing
4. Underside of roof sheathing is visible for inspection and the insulation can be moved to access the ceiling if need be
5. Fiberglass is much less flammable than foam
6. Cheaper.
Just make sure your AC is in a closet and not the attic and you're golden.
PS. had a great time at the Build Show Live last weekend, by the way. Learned so much and met some great folks!
@@idanko731are you qualified ? What proof of your qualifications besides because you say so ? Lol. You insult others with zero evidence to justify yourself.
@@idanko731 thanks professor. Here's what I can tell you, having inspected countless older homes, the majority and I mean more than 50% of older homes that have had spray foam applied to the attic space have leaking that was caught way too late. When you see the tea stain bleeding through, it's way too late. You've got deterioration. Also, I would invite anyone reading this to do some research on how applying spray foam to the underside of asphalt shingles reduces their life expectancy.
Spray foam is nice but if you need to do any repairs or add things have fun removing it!
The lack of any mention/use of rock wool when showing multiple insulating options is disconcerting.
Which is sad because I’d use Rockwool before ANYTHING else (except maybe blown in sheep’s wool like Havlock).
Normally the comments indicate less expensive options to build are wanted.
If my coffee cup is on roof of my Chevy, it bounces when I close the door with window up. Not so on my Mercedes. 2 different builds at two different costs points.
Perhaps because the video is sponsored by Owens Corning ?
@@ericsimonson3128 Owens Corning sells rock wool.
This channel is pay to play only.
Can't say I'm a fan of spray foam but great video as always Matt!
I live in an attached townhome with the triple thick drywall fire block system. A neighbor gutted their house to the studs and rebuilt inside and they used to spray. The sound deadening is awful now we can hear every time someone goes up or down the stairs or makes the loud noise where has before we didn’t with standard fiberglass installation it may be working for them Temperature wise, but it sucks for us neighbors. If I were reworking things here, I would probably use the Rockwool, I remember we had that in our last house and really liked it.
Matt should have add more focus on the disadvantages, like you mention. This is a "sales" house; I'm afraid that dictates what he says.
Take a drink every time he says, "belt and suspenders"
I can't find my keys... Thank God!!
Closed cell spray foam commerical!!!
Another awesome video! Hope to come out to Vegas and see you again in Febuary!
Spray foam is definitely an effective insulation. Just keep in mind that in more and more places, insurance companies will no longer insure houses with sprayed insulation both because it's not possible to understand if the underlying structure has damage and that once spray foam ignites, you're house is gone.
Rockwool is a far better choice in my mind.
Other than your insulation choice, I always enjoy your builds.
As usual excellent video and content. I liked the specifics on the R values and how you get to that value for a wall. I would really like to see in your videos a cost breakdown for a specific insulation type on standard size for comparison. For example a 10' length wall with an 8' height costs $$ with 2x4 with R15 batt insulation. Or with blown in it costs $$$ and with closed cell foam it costs $$$$. If you always use the same dimension then it is easier for builders and customers to compare for desired needs and budget. The same would go for the exterior materials cost for the same coverage area of using ZipR6 or the R10 panels etc.
No burn/flame test on the insulation types used???
I have never understood why Texas builders (Matt not included) always claim they don’t need that much insulation because it’s not that cold, well it is that hot so instead of insulating to keep the heat in you are insulating to keep the ac air in.
It’s because of the inside to outside temperature delta 105° outside 70° inside is only 35° delta where as 10° outside 70° inside is a 60° delta
he literally explained it in the video....
@@edwardmead7448 no it’s because most, not all, Texas builders are shisters
@ you must be a builder. Throw enough excrement at the homeowner and you’re good…
Matt..... I'm admittedly at a bit of a loss here because I thoroughly trust your expertise and wisdom with regards to building energy efficient, properly air sealed and comfortable dwellings for Texas in particular & across the U.S. generally speaking. That said, i can't help wondering why you didn't choose Rockwool, particularly where sound deadening was the goal.
Over the years I know I've seen a bunch of Build Show episodes and channel related content you've produced in which I distinctly remember you touting the numerous benefits of Rockwool insulation--specifically noting its extreme effectiveness in damping vibration & significant lowering of sound transmission through treated wall cavities and rim joists / separations between ceiling & flooring above in 2-story construction, with additional emphasis on safety benefits pertaining to Rockwool's unique fire retardant characteristics.
I certainly understand wanting to maximize project savings and the impact made by those big corporate sponsorships on the bottom line expenditure, but I'm curious if that alone was enough to go exclusively with products from the Pink Panther portfolio--their acquisition of your long-time favorite manufacturer of earth friendly closed-cel spray foam, notwithstanding of course. I honestly expected to see you using Rockwool in certain critical areas of this build where it could be most beneficial, thus I admit being somewhat surprised by its omission.
You certainly sold me on Rockwool long ago, so I'd be grateful for your thoughts on the subject.
Thanks in advance.
I put bib insulation in after aerobarrier on 2x6 walls. After the drywall PVA was used to slow down moisture into the wall. Plastic is not a good idea for a moisture barrier. In the Pacific Northwest, it's just too wet. I know lots of people that had trapped moisture do to Plastic and PVA is better because it will allow moisture movement.
What is the point of using Zip-R and then Atlas insulation on top of the zip sheathing? Wouldnt standard zip plus thicker exterior foam be better? That way there is extra fire blocking, and also the osb sheathing has more insulation on the cold site to avoid condensation.
Yeah, in the separate video on the Atlas, I could not understand why he creates at least 3 moisture barriers: Zip, Atlas foil, Atlas foil. Money made him do it.
@13:05 I would be livid if those wires&mechanicals were spray foamed instead of using blown-in insulation. The homeowner would have to pay a ridiculous amount to have the spray foam removed to service any part of that area. The difference in insulation for that small area would in no way save the home owner any significant money in heating/cooling.
Can you go over your Attic conditioning/recommendations, when your mechanicals are inside, not in the attic. That may include budget friendly, i.e. maybe even using Attic Foil or not.
5:27 Re: either open or closed cell foam on the underside of attic sheathing roof deck - You may want to add the caveat that your roof deck under your composition shingles is an exterior vented roof deck because it is essentially a roof over the roof. Without having an exterior vented roof deck, spray foam on the interior can raise the temperature of the shingles to be outside of the shingle manufacturer’s warranty temperature range.
This build is a FOR-SPONSOR Franken-Monster build. They are stuffing competing technologies into various parts of the house just for show, changing wall widths just for the sake of creating problems they later solve by using different products saying they are saving money and then saying we need to use this other tech because the wall depth is smaller. While the person buying this house will be comfortable, because in the end it'll be a quality build, but with every wall being different, it'll be one fugged up repair/remodel sometime in the future because nothing is consistent. Also, spray foam is trash, both meanings, rockwool is better. Not sure how to insulate roofline with rockwool though, strapping perhaps, seems like more work?
Matt has a video that emphasizes moisture control, and how one should make sure that it vents easily. He sold me on the concept, but everything that I've come up with, including foam sealing, ends up trapping the moisture. I'd sure like to know how to actually apply the concept. Closed cell spray foam is a great insulator, but it's also a choice that traps the moisture inside.
One needs to control humidity indoors. Having a dehumidifier installed into the HVAC will certainly help with your moisture issue.
You also need to have dedicated source and return hvac vents in the attic to get rid of the moisture that will rise to the highest point
@@davepetrakos475 I've never used, nor even considered dehumidifiers, so that option just plain old didn't occur to me. Thanks much.
@@ytorwoody You want to treat a sealed attic just like a sealed crawl space and control that moisture mechanically!
@@lanewhite5928 That was a comparison that I never thought about. I've done the mechanical control in crawl spaces, but always vented attics. I'll definitely take your advice since it is so very logical.
25 yeara ago I insulated all of our bedroom 2 X 4 bedroom walls with fiberglass. We got done and we could barely tell the difference.
The opening under the doors lets the sound go right into the next room.
00:50 "...Sound Batts...sound transmission...". Okay, thanks for the trigger warning. You caught me off-guard with the networking debacle so I appreciate the heads-up. Loins girded!
31:49 And there it is. "Spray foam is a little more noisy so the sound does bounce around a little bit more". This is, on its face, a nonsensical statement. One material is not noisier than another, and unless you're planning to leave your walls uncovered, the drywall is the primary material interacting with sound within a space and preventing transmission between spaces.
The most generous interpretation I can conceive for this statement is, _batt insulation is more effective at attenuating sound transmission between spaces than closed-cell foam,_ because (and I'm speculating, here) since spray foam becomes integral to the studs and to one side of the wall, it might mechanically transmit resonances of certain frequencies from one side of a wall to the other, whereas batt insulation, which is mechanically decoupled from the drywall will tend to dampen resonances within the cavity.
If you’re running dehum, it’s hard to justify closed cell on the bottom of your roof deck. Open cell and closed cell are pretty close with cost per R, but open will bury the whole cord, the connection, and half the web are sealed.
Is there some independent reports / Studies on closed foam use and duriablelity. Risk of timber decay.
In the UK morgage providers will often refuse tio give a morgage to a house where it has been used.
So it would be nice ti have some resurch on it.
UK: he just did a separate video on that specific topic. I suggest looking it up - very informative.
Vented with blown in eco friendly insulation that buries the duct work. Much less expensive to install and eliminates spray foam.
Curious, what’s the reason you can’t (or won’t) build a basement in Texas? Just the extra cost? If so, why are they standard for new and old) builds even in rocky / wet areas like New England?
With land prices increasing there are more basements being built in Texas. In some areas, the top soil is thin, then some clay, then rock. An excavator may be able to remove the rock, but you usually must pay to haul rock away. More high-end home should use basements - basements have passive geothermal benefits - cooler in the summer.
@ interesting, thanks. It seems crazy short sighted to miss out on all that extra square footage to save what, $10K up front? Up here most of the excavated material can be used right on the site for grading.
I can see how it might not be worth it for a cookie cutter mass developer, but maybe building codes should require them in most cases.
I’m spitballing here… but I think it’s because most homes aren’t custom. So while it may seem shortsighted to try to save $10k upfront, your production builders might only be working with that $10k (just reusing your number) in profit on each build.
They’ll avoid doing anything that won’t add more value to the home in an appraisal vs. the cost to build it. Basements seem to be one of those.
@@lanewhite5928 yeah I’m sure if the economic incentive was there, the builders would do it. It just seems crazy to me that the all the benefits (especially the added square footage) don’t add up to enough reason to do so. That’s a lot of potential in law apartments!
I'll tell you the exact reason. I grew up in Iowa = everyone has a basement. I have lived in Texas for 40+ years = "nobody" has a basement. The reason is cost per SF. Where there is frozen ground, the footers must extend below the frost line. In Iowa, footers had to be 4 feet deep. To make a basement, changing from 4 to 8 feet is little extra cost per SF gained. Without freezing ground, construction of a big hole in the ground is a lot higher cost than adding ground-level SF on a slab. If you have ground rock to deal with, it gets financially challenging.
With how much you use the belt and suspenders metaphor you should consider actually wearing belt and suspenders :D
please note the term you're looking for is "damping". "dampening" can technically work for sound treatment in terms of mitigation, but "damping" is always the intended word
I am in southwest Virginia in the mountains.........our home was damaged from Hurricane Helene. Our basement and crawlspace flooded........all insulation had to be ripped out, lost our HVAC system and all duct work. What would be the best insulation to go back under the house? Trying to make some smart decisions on how we build back and hopefully get back into our house soon........
Blown in insulation use to have the problem of settling over time and leaving a portion of the cavities open and uninsulated. Does this still happen with new blow in insulation ?
Interesting. I never see HVAC mechanicals in attics here in upper New England (VT/NH). They are always located in the basement with duct work going inside the 2x10 floor joists.
I am in CT and one of my HVAC air handlers is in my attic. I built the house 16 years ago and have since learn a lot about building science. I made 1/2 of my attic conditioned(esp. where the unit is located, after the build. What a difference. Also, in the winter , I do not even have the amount of R value as shown, I can see the frost or snow on my roof above this area but not over the unconditioned space. I definitely would condition the entire attic when I build again.
Not all houses have basements, Texas homes are usually slab on grade
I don't quite understand the financial calculation of using thick ZipR (3-4x more expensive than standard 7/16 zip board), but only 2x4 walls. It hardly costs any more money to step up to at least a 2x6. I do post frame and either use 2x8 girts or double-girt design (for 7-1/4 or 9" cavities) for R30 or R38 rock wool. Much cheaper than ZipR for the same or higher r-value.
Curious. What is the preferred ("best") insulation approach to use in the case of CBC exterior walls w/o any cladding other than a light stucco or a textured paint finish? ...
So you are saying even in the south (north georgia) we can/ should use closed cell in the attic / roof? How many inches?
Within the midwest, would an open cell in the wall dividing house/garage work well?
It’s there any reason why staggered 2x4 studs couldn’t be used on outside walls for 6 inch deep stud bay?
Oh boy I saw the prosoco on the rim joint 👀👍
have you though about using V-Gass vs 3 pane argon filled? V-Glass will give you R values up to and above R20
😳 R20!!!!
Does code allow spray foam in residential without some type of flame/ignition barrier?
If anybody can answer this question or ask Matt to make a video? What are the draw backs of icf vs stone and steel. A different channel suggested building with stone and using steel beams for support. ( longevity, cost, repair cost, type of environments either thrive in, any special equipment needed, companies that have experience in stone and steel, any mandatory design features needed and design features a person would not have to worry about). Thanks
Not sure about encapsulating electrical cables in insulation. In Europe that's not advisable with twice the power in 240V and you really don't want any overheating cables inside foam. 🔥
It's a great way of air sealing complex structures, but as others have noted, insurers are raising issues with it hiding structural damage or moisture build-up.
Carry on with the great content!
Closed cell off gases though. And not just for a little bit after, for its whole life. Basically when it stops off gassing it has shrunk (the gas bubbles are deflated) and it has gaps that aren't air tight anymore. I don't get spray foam as a premium and reliable product.
Doesn’t spray foam have cancer causing flame retardant chemicals?
VOC might might have a link to cancer. I don't know that flame retardant chemicals do. FRC might have some health related issues. I'm still investigating.
The EPA regulates them but...seems like their isn't a definitive answer to it concerning safety🧐🤷
Only if you are in the Republic of California, Ha!
If you're in an airtight home, then to a great degree, the insulation will be encapsulated in the wall after off gassing before drywall is installed.
Usually lists of “chemicals known to cause cancer” in any jurisdiction translate into industrial hazards and not occasional contact. If you live in the home, don’t eat the insulation. If you work in the chemical plant or install the stuff you need gear and to limit your contact.
Think of it this way, Coal miners without safety equipment get Coal lung. Hipster pizza shops in Brooklyn with coal ovens do not. When clamping down on chemical hysteria Doctors will be the first to point out that it’s the dose that makes the poison .
If something is wildly hazardous like industrial herbicides, you’re not buying it from a supplier without a license of some kind.
Just don’t eat it. Ok?
Didn't see any rock whool insulation.
My question is why is insulation so expensive, if codes want a more efficient structures then we need better prices.
It's an investment in rising fuel/electric costs.
What u think about Tesla roof on modern design facing south thinking of building a house like ur way of building. Present ly have Tesla. Roof on traditional house
After 15 years of being certified in building science and crawling through a million attics, I’m surprised by how many people don’t like spray foam from the comments. I assume it’s due to experiencing poor applications?
Spray foam is far superior to anything except rock wool that’s installed within a properly sealed envelope.
Fiberglass is completely worthless and doesn’t stop airflow, which is why you can walk in attics and see dirty spots where can lights and penetrations are allowing airflow.
Conditioned attics and crawl spaces are the only proper way to build a home today, and spray foam accomplishes that incredibly. Again, rock wool is great but costly and tough to adhere to roof deck.
Thinking of going close cell for the roof deck in a home I just bought here in North Georgia. Is it a myth that it could void the roof shingle warranty? And also curious about using rock wool instead. Any good videos or reading materials you would suggest on either of those?
@@user-my3pv9kx2hThe warranty thing is nonsense and comes from lazy dealers or manufacturers. Foil-back decking provides much more stress on shingles than foam will ever do and it is the standard in most new construction. Closed cell foam on roof deck is used in many places, especially in hurricane zones. The benefits would be that it adds 200% structural rigidity, locks in the decking and rafter connections really well, will hold no moisture, and seals incredibly.
The only downsides are that a leak from the roof would not drop into your attic since it is sealed and it would slowly rot roof decking. In my opinion, with good roofing you should have no issue and if you have some decking exposed to water, you can replace the decking during roof upgrade in 25 years. This leads to the second issue of closed cell which is that it is a pain to remove if needed. Replacing roof decking for example would require you to cut the joints with saw and remove sheet with foam on it. Extremely low probability you'd need this to ever happen, but worth noting.
I love rock wool due to it being more natural product and completely fireproof. Only issue on a roof is that it is labor intensive to install and you have to strap it up properly. If you have a low enough roof pitch it may not be terrible to access. The other issue is that you still need to ensure you are sealed for airflow behind it. Some people use closed cell foam to spray a think layer everywhere, or even picture frame openings to ensure connections and seams are sealed. Then they install the rock wool behind that. There are companies that specialize in air sealing using a thin layer of spray, but I am only familiar with foam application.
Best of luck!
@@user-my3pv9kx2h also wanted to add consideration for open cell foam on roof deck. It expands 100:1 so it fills gaps and craps even better. Also, because it is going to be much thicker than closed cell, it fully covers the rafters and eliminates thermal bridging (heat transferred from roof to attic through rafters). If your roof were to leak, it would leak down through the open cell int your ceiling so you'd know.
Only real downside is that it doesnt add structural strength (which may not matter to you) and it can hold moisture; so if your attic is very humid it can begin to build up moisture in the foam. Proper design will eliminate this, and you can also just add dehumidifier if needed to maintain conditions in attic. Ive installed hundreds of the big name dehums and just recently tried out VEVOR dehumidifiers that are under half the price. They honestly may even be better built and I love them. Time will tell the lifespan but you can buy another and still be cheaper on investment. Id recommend you buy the VEVOR and just install it yourself. just plugs into an outlet, and you can add duct kit if desired.
@ great thanks. So to retrofit this house you would likely either go closed cell foam to whatever thickness i can afford, or flash and batt with closed cell plus rockwool? This house is was only built in 2021 but already has a roof leak in an area of a dead valley that also doesn't have proper kick out flashing so we are about to correct that problem but the overall roof has a lot of wear from other trades people walking all over it right after construction. I was given some money at closing to fix most of this and I'm thinking about just having the whole thing re-roof and fixed by a quality roofing contractor. Some parts of the roof have standing seam metal already so I will leave that alone but replace all of the shingles and put new synthetic underlayment and or peel and stick on the roof.
@ ill check out these Vevor units. In my last two homes that I put open cell in the attic, I just used consumer grade dehumidifiers and all worked fine. In fact the only really nice dehumidifier I ever bought was a Santa Fe advance two model and it's the only one that's ever failed on me lol. The $200 ones from Costco or wherever keep running strong. i'm very curious about going with closed cell on this house so may move forward with that. I also really like the idea of putting a rigid foam insulation product on the roof before I have the roof redone but not sure if it's worth taking it that far. Looks like Atlas has a product that has both rigid foam and a piece of OSB on the top as well as an air channel in it for circulation that is designed to be put on the roof before the underlayment. Not sure how expensive that is but sounds interesting.
I like hempcrete vs spray foam
Insurance and morgage companies dont like spray foam concealing roof structures. So up north we have spray foam removal companies. So we need another way.
this song is called ROCK BI-BAY-B
The COMPLETE OMISSION OF ROCKWOOL in this entire discussion is a tragedy, and it makes me question Matt’s willingness to endorse whomever product sponsor of the day he’s hosting. SMDH. 🤦🏽♂️
Just look at what he used for his own home. Rockwool! He is showing you the options out there.
@@myhandletre3 I thought this IS his own home, hence the name “The Risinger Build”
Mr. Risinger did you lose tour rock-wool sponsorship as I don't see any in this video.
"We really want that insulation touching that outside sheathing."
Why specifically? I still feel uncomfortable in my humid climate sandwiching roof decking between vapor barriers
I love watching these 'money is no object' builds, but realistically (for us normal folks who don't have manufacturers giving us product?')
Let in 1x4 on all of your exterior walls for shear, and use polyiso......the difference is unreal.
I relate to the money is no object stance, however it’s still awesome to see and I’m learning a ton from these videos
As a retired indoor air quality expert with over 30 years experience and 6000 investigations, I would NEVER use spray foam. The risk is too high,
Interesting. Any where in the house like attic? Any difference of opinion between open or closed cell?
Or you saying no spray foam. Period.
I smell off gassing with open cell but never have with closed cell. How would you create a condition/ventless attic?
I'd consider using spray foam over conduit or in the outer wall of a double-wall construction, but watching all those plumbing and electrical runs get cast in spray foam gives me the willies. I'd hate to be the guy tasked with moving a fixture or repairing a fault. Imagine excavating all that. What a nightmare!
Don't like hose connections inside a wall!
No ROCKWOOL?? I thought Rockwool was your go-to???
❤ Guess spray foam would insulate great but alway wondered if pluming or wiring problem came up 😮
Disclaimer this is a spray foam commercial. too many risks, including prolonged off gassing, improper or poor installation or expansion and contraction of building materials both can lead to spray foam breaking its seal and result in extensive damage to structure. Costly, labor intensive to remove or replace in the future. ASIRI Designs RUclips building science channel has talked about issues with spray foam.
ruclips.net/video/3MmLv3u6aw8/видео.htmlsi=KeqtZ2ck9nOaqvyg
But works great….
All that is if you have a poor installation, someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing
They use three different types and talk about all of the pro and cons of each. You're wrong and probably didn't even finish the video.
The nightmares from spray were from urea aldehyde
Starting to realize Matt only talks about/installs who pays him. Builders and people in the trade all know the drawbacks with open and closed cell spray foam. It is far inferior to rockwool and foam sheets and even fiberglass batts.
I would never do spray foam for many reasons outlined in the comments but of course Matt won’t say this because he’s getting paid by them..
He does the same with zip system. I’m sick of biased commercials on the build show
You're JUST realizing this? There's zero content for builders on this channel. It's just advertising targeting ignorant home owners. Also, watch him handle a framing nailer.. it's laughable.
That's typical...
Is Zip a bad thing?
@lavachemist there are better wall assembly options. Zip is like the cheapest BMW.
If you spray foam in a house in the UK, you'll have a very hard job trying to sell it if not impossible.
Welcome to a Texan's video of how he builds in the U.S.
This is to much insulation probably over 30k easy told my uncle the other day about this builds he is a contractor he said go standard anyone can work on it and save your money and go solar. Dont pass a dollar to pick up a dime
Spray foam should be outlawed inside of homes
That is why untreated foam must be covered by drywall in living spaces. The drywall is the fire barrier.
I don't like the idea of someone telling me what I may or may not use in my home.
@@davepetrakos475then I guess you’ll enjoy suffocating to death in your sleep from VOCs in a fire…what a ridiculous thing to say, as if SAFETY weren’t worth being told what to avoid in advance
Hey got an idea!!!! Spray enough of that foam in your house so when it floods the sucker will float and you can just bob around till water recedes and then screw it back down!!!!!!!!!!!!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Fyi- you cover up stuff with that foam crap and you will regret it. Bugs love it and water will dismantle the encased wood, that is if you dont suffercate from all the chemicals the stuff vents off. A house needs to vent and breathe to stay dry. If you create an entirely seperate environment you will never know when it fails until it falls. Over engineered crap has a habit of sooner or latter biting you in the arse. Proof???? Bridges fall dams collapse and twin towers fall with well placed charges......
U-factor is 0.28 not 0.23, a small mistake 🍺
Natural materials are best when In a home. Homes need to breath so if you do spray foam u better have make up air.
There's no way I'd buy Pella
I am all good with product placement but this goes against what he typically promotes. Was excited for a 1hr episode but could only watch 5 mins of this advertisement.