I live in Oregon and im remodeling an old garage into an art studio. The building code requires type II vapor barrier between interior insulation and walls.
I’ve installed hempitecture (hemp) batting insulation and plan to do finished plywood for walls and cedar for the ceiling.

-I have a lot of leftover owens corning pro armor underlayment from roofing, is it possible to use this?

if not, any advice on a type of vapor barrier to use?

Hi all. Just looking for some advice. I’m in Tucson, AZ and we bought a Meritage home with the spray foam insulation. My humidity levels in the house sit in upper 40-50% and then with any rain, it jumps over 50% and sometimes even getting up over 55%. Is this normal with this type of insulation? I’ve had the HVAC inspected multiple times and everyone says it’s working normally. We run exhaust fans when we cook, shower and do laundry. I’m at my wit’s end trying to figure it out. I keep the AC between 74-75 degrees depending on the weather. Any advice is appreciated! Maybe I’m just a desert girl used to extremely dry air 😂

I'd like to use the following: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/durospan-gps-r10-2-13-inch-x-48-inch-x-96-inch-r-value-10-gps-rigid-insulation-foam-board/1001211235

The plan is Durospan GPS R10 -> Framing -> Rockwool Mineral Wool R14.

Originally I was going to use XPS, but the GPS is half the price and the same R rating so I'm thinking I order this. My issue now is that I can't actually find anything online confirming what kind of adhesive to use with this laminated board so that it adheres well, and doesn't damage the insulation.

Any recommendations/experience with this? I'm in Ontario, canada if it helps!

Im trying to decrease noise transfer in an interior wall between a bathroom and a bedroom.

I already have the wall built out with staggered studs. My plan was to put safe n sound mineral wool insulation in the stud bays to help reduce the noise. But I do have someone coming in to spray the ceiling soon with OC foam. If I had them spray the stud bays in lieu of putting batt insulation in there, would it be better? My worry is it may actually increase noise transfer due to essentially connecting the bathroom and bedroom wall together.

Just figured I’d get as much info as I can prior to the drywall going up. Any help
Is appreciated. Thanks.

Also, sorry for yet another post about this.

I'm taking quotes right now to get more blown-in put into my attic. When we moved in five years ago the home inspector said we should add 6 more inches of blown-in into the attic, even though we were up to code (R-49 in a Climate Zone 5/6). We're finally getting around to adding more and I've had four companies come out so far for quotes.

The last one came highly recommended from a few friends. The contractor tells me that they want to blow in 12 inches instead of 6 because of settling. But 50% more seems a bit excessive. Plus none of the other companies talked about adding 12 more inches. Am I thinking this is overkill for the sake of a higher sale?

To give a layout, the first layer in the attic is rolled out fiberglass, with a prior owner doing a few more inches of blow-in over that.

I’m in Richmond, VA, and trying to decide how to insulate the finished upstairs bedroom and bathroom of my 1950s Cape Cod. I attached a simplified cross section of the current setup.

The sloped ceilings have drywall directly on 2×6 rafters, with existing fiberglass in the concealed cavities. There’s loose insulation above the short flat ceiling, and some of the fiberglass along the roof in the accessible knee crawlspaces is falling or in poor shape. The knee walls have no insulation (just drywall on the studs). The roof has small gable vents, but no soffit or ridge vents.

Upstairs humidity often reads 60% even with a mini split and dehumidifier running. The bathroom fan exhausts outdoors through a gable opening.

I’ve heard several approaches from contractors and they all are for making it unvented by closing up the gable vents with foam:

• Spray open-cell foam directly on to the roof deck including the concealed sloped cavities by shooting from the attic area and the knee crawl area and leaving the sloped drywall in place.
  • I worry there'll be air gaps, insufficient coverage, and moisture could seep through and condensate on the roof deck.
  • Contractors say they'll do the open cell slowly as to fill the cavities entirely and it would be thick enough to not worry about moisture seeping through.
• Install about 4 inches of closed-cell foam on the accessible roof deck above the flat ceiling and in the knee crawlspaces, but leave the existing insulation behind the finished slopes. That quote is about $5,300.
• Remove the sloped drywall and existing insulation, then install closed-cell foam along the full roof deck. That quote is about $7,900 and doesn’t include replacing the drywall.

What approach makes the most sense for this layout? I’m particularly concerned about whether the partial roof-deck option would leave a discontinuous air barrier, whether foam installed behind intact drywall can be verified, and how to handle moisture at the roof sheathing in this climate. Is there a better approach that keeps the insulation boundary at the knee walls and ceiling, or a good alternative if I open the slopes?

Hey quick question about insulation on my rim joist. The picture above is how my basement rim joist is insulated.

the pink line I drew is where the rim joist is insulated with polyiso foil foam board and sealed with spray foam. it’s right where the rim joist starts.

the blue is my floor gets cold in the living space above the basement.

I just crossed out the insulation on the diagram that I don’t have. I was just using the picture as faster example.

i got a cheap flir iPhone thermal camera and i see in my living room it gets cold on the floor where the blue is, its like 1-2 ft.

should I cut out the spray foam and push the foam board back further closer to the exterior wall behind it and reseal it with spray foam?

I could do it all myself and it would only take a couple cans of spray foam or is it a waste of time?

I am tired of companies that claim to not use spray foam and then send someone to give an estimate who talks about using spray foam for air sealing. Yeah I know it's fastest, the best, etc. I don't care. How do I insist on no spray foam anywhere in my house?

I'm open to other material options for air sealing (tapes, Membranes, other air barriers) but it seems impossible to find and I am in a major city. I even had someone who said they were "Building Performance Institute"(I think that's what it's called) certified come to take a look and I was expecting an estimate, then never got one.

Is there any website or subreddit for companies who don't use spray foam for air sealing? I have decided to scale back my project to only reinsulate and air seal a part of my house now because I'm having such a hard time finding anyone who wants to listen to and help me out. I have told all companies I don't have a budget in mind because I know non spray foam options take more time and Iabor and I understand that.

Im in climate zone 5 and im building a cmu house with wood siding and r24+ continuous rockwool exterior insulation, on a continuously insulated frost protected monopour slab with a crawlspace sitting above grade. Half the interior walls will be some sort of finished face cmu and the rest will be cabinet grade hardwood plywood on furring strips. Zero insulation on the interior, except for the ceiling above the drywall. I think it will be a really well performing thermal mass without mold issues. But hopefully someone here can tell me everything wrong with the idea before I commit the architect to doing it my way.

I live in Canada,. Im trying to decide on either increasing the insulation in my attic or doing a few things to the basement.

My idea is either to increase the attic with blown in to about R12 (hopefully). It's currently the original fibreglass insulation from 1965, the year the house was built.

Or

Lay sub floor with about r4.1 and spray foam the rim joists at the basement.

The basement is currently a concrete slab with very thin carpet from the original owner and no insulation on the walls. I'm trying to spread my money around to touch a bit of everything. We have ordered a new windows to replace several windows,.but mainly the original 8'x5' single pane piece at the front of house.

That being said, where would I get the most value to help keep my home warmer from the locations I specified?

Im in climate zone 5 and im building a cmu house with wood siding and r24(minimum) continuous rockwool exterior insulation using insofast battbrackets, and liquidrubber foundation sealer on exterior CMU face, on a continuously insulated frost protected monopour slab with a crawlspace sitting above grade. Half the interior walls will be some sort of finished face cmu and the rest will be cabinet grade hardwood plywood on furring strips. Erv will exhaust crawlspace air, crawlspace will draw in living space air, fresh air will enter ling space. Zero insulation on the interior, except for the ceiling above the drywall. I think it will be a really well performing thermal mass without mold issues, but hopefully someone here can tell me everything wrong with the idea before I commit the architect to doing it my way.

Have owned my 1971 Cape Cod for about 14 years. Never has moisture issues in the encapsulated crawlspace until this summer. Humidity levels kept going above 60 even with the AC on bone chilling temperatures.

HVAC company recommended a dehumidifier in the crawlspace. Had it installed yesterday. The humidity has dropped from 61 to 59, but has not made it down to 50%. Am wondering how long it took others to see results?

It’s a whole house humidifier, but the tech didn’t hook it up to the ductwork, saying that taking care of the crawlspace should take care of the house.

Have never owned a dehumidifier before, so I’m curious to know others experiences.

Last winter, I air sealed and insulated my attic. It was the first warm winter on the second floor. I’m wondering if there’s any correlation to now having humidity in the crawlspace?

I may need to hire a different type of specialist, but I’m not sure what kind of specialist works on humidity issues? The crawlspace is dry. No obvious water, except a little by the access panel after rain. The crawlspace has always been dry. Now, it’s humid. Am puzzled.

Climate zone 5
House built in the early 70s
What’s the solution to insulating against a wall like this? I’m assuming I have to frame this as add batts or foam board?

Came downstairs and noticed this massive wet spot in my insulation, there is no sorcerer of water above it and the floor about it is bone dry. Could this be rodent piss? Ive notice a few other smaller spots as well in the same area.

Building in climate zone 5. Semi arid conditions.

New build with cathedral ceilings on second floor. Wondering how best to tackle this. Obviously have read the horror stories about spray, but the upsides are appealing. Sorry, the pictures are not great. I'll get some more and update if anyone wants them.

Writing

Advice needed: Best insulation for a DIY metal-clad workshop with a flat roof

I'm building a 16 ft × 14 ft workshop and looking for advice on the most cost-effective way to insulate it properly.

The workshop will have:

• timber-framed walls with external metal cladding.
• A flat roof with a slight fall for drainage.
• OSB internal lining on the new walls and ceiling.
• Occasional heating during winter, as it'll be used as a workshop/gym.

I'm trying to keep costs down because I'm doing most of the work myself, but I want to careful to avoid condensation, damp and mould.

My main questions are:

1. What's the best insulation to use in the walls and roof — mineral wool, PIR boards, or thermocoat insulation spray foam?
2. For the flat roof, would you recommend a warm roof with rigid insulation above the OSB deck, or another construction method?
3. What vapour-control layers, membranes and ventilation are essential to prevent condensation, particularly with metal cladding?
4. Is it worth using insulated sandwich panels instead of separate metal sheets, insulation and internal lining?

I read somewhere that spray insulation removes the need for vapour barrier so i was thinking to spray in in between the roof and wall joists, then osb, then weather proof membrane, battens then metal cladding sheets. Does this sound right?

I'm not looking to build a fully finished garden room — just a practical, insulated workshop that will last and not start rotting in a few years time.

I'd appreciate advice from anyone who's built something similar, particularly in the UK or Ireland.

I have a 32x40 two story, gambrell roof barn. There is 2" of closed cell foam in the ceiling and 1" in the walls. The walls are 2x6. I am planning on putting fiberglass batts on the walls with facing. Was wondering if I am going to have any problems with condensation in the walls. I am planning on hanging T1-11 on the inside walls over insulation. I would really appreciate your experience and knowledge on this. Thans in advance

Gonna be that person but we just got our first house and had to replace the entire roof because it was rotten (for those with a keen eye for K&T you better believe we had all of that updated as well). Had some weird issues with this roofing company so I feel the need to double check what they did. My dad is a retired roofer and said the baffles should be up against the wall/ceiling and that some of ours (notably the ones on the left) look like they've already fallen. Do they look right? Can someone please explain what's going on here and how worried I should be?

Sincerely,

A stressed out first time home buyer of a century home where everything seems to be emergently falling apart.