Building a home requires making lots of choices: location, size, design, finish, the list goes on and on. For most people, it’s easy to move quickly through the specifics of the building envelope and focus on the finishes. Although these details certainly add the ‘wow’ factor, a seasoned home builder will emphasize the importance of how the structure is put together. One such area is the insulation of your home. Nowadays there are really only 3 options: batts, blown or sprayed.

Batts

Most often batt insulation is made from interwoven fiberglass or cellulose fibers in combination with a binding agent. They come in pre-determined dimensions specific to their application. They are typically the least expensive application, but will certainly cost more to the homeowner over time because of its inefficiency. It will often leave gaps between framing and other materials that typically pass through the inside of your home(wires, plumbing, HVAC components, etc.).

Blow-in

Similar to batt insulation, blown in insulation is most commonly made of fiberglass or cellulose. A large machine churns the chunks of material and the smaller pieces are forced through a hose by air pressure into sealed cavities within the home. The smaller pieces easily fill all the small gaps and spaces typically missed by batts. This process yields a much tighter insulation package but will cost more than batts up front because of the labour and equipment required.

Spray foam

Like batts and blown-in, there are two types of spray foam: open cell and closed cell.Both share similar characteristics, but closed cell is generally the superior material in regard to insulation as it offers a much higher R-value. Spray foam can be mold resistant, sound absorbing, and provide the ability to move the envelope of your home without having to undergo a redesign. The major downside, however, is the price. Typically, spray foam will cost 3 to 4 times as much as blown in.

Recommendation

Every project is different, so it’s great to have options! When making your decision consider how long you plan on living in your home. Although spray foam can be expensive up front, it’s been known to last for upward of 80 years. Not a bad investment if you’re building your forever home, but probably not worth it for a flip.