True Cost Comparison of Icynene Vs Other Insulation

 I am doing a remodel where I am going to have cathedral ceilings and I
am trying to figure out how I am going to insulate the ceilings.  I am
considering using Icynene.  I have an estimate of around $1.70 per
foot.  I hear and see everywhere about how expensive this is compared
to batts or cellulose insulation.  However, I can not quite see how it
is 3x more expensive or, even, how it is more than rigid panels.  If I
look at batts or cellulose or fiberglass UNistalled  I see this but
the price for Icynene is an installed price.  My question I guess is
does anybody know what the true comparison would be for Icynene
version cellulose installed or has anyone done this comparison?

My problem is a little more complex.  Because I have the cathedral
ceiling I will need to build them (rafters) down to get the depth for
the r-value code.  So I have the time and materials for the build down
plus the insulation plus the time to fill the void or cut and staple
the batts.  Given all this, it seems that Icynene is an equal value.
What am I missing here?

  Jeff Skelton wrote:

I subcontracted for my first icynene job just yesterday after getting a
green light from my framing inspector.  Previously I had preferred
cellulose over fiberglass.  The icynene contract entailed both thermal
and acoustical insulation and involved a variety of substrates: fir,
yellow pine, spruce, treated, untreated, asphalt impregnated felt and
tyvek.  Yesterday evening the completed job looked beautiful and I
congratulated myself on making the switch to Icynene.  However, when I
re-examined the job early this morning, there were a dozen or so 1/4"
gaps in some studbays where the icynene had demonstrably shrunk.  By
late afternoon there were hundreds of such gaps, averaging two or three
feet along the stud edge and almost always 1/4" wide (although a few
gaps are nearly 1/2" in width.)  As I was analyzing the problem at one
point late in the afternoon -- trying to figure out a solution, I could
actually hear noises from the walls... presumably caused by the breaking
of adhesive bonds between the icynene and the wood.   The problem is bad
enough as it is, but I'm a bit worried that it will continue to get
worse over time.  My icynene subcontractor seems knowledgeable and
honest and claims that this is his first (ever) experience involving
shrinking icynene: "Icynene never shrinks".   Wrong!    The bottom line
is that I'm going to discuss this matter with the Icynene company on
Monday morning and if their explanation is inadequate I intend to rip
the material out and redo the job with cellulose and/or a different type
of foam.  The climate in my area is both hot and humid and I can't risk
liability problems that could ensue from crappy insulation.  Yes, I
know.  Icynene is supposed to be the premier problem-solving insulation,
but then again, Icynene is NEVER supposed to shrink.  It just ain't so,
folks.

 Home Builder wrote:

I'm always skeptical when I hear the word never used.  However, I
haven't heard of this being a problem with icynene insulation, then
again, I haven't seen it used much around here.  Were all of the
installation guidelines followed with respect to temperature, humidity
level, etc.?  Does the material come premixed from the manufacturer or
is it mixed onsite in the application machine?  If the latter, could be
a setting was wrong causing incorrect composition of the material.


Matt

 Matthew S. Whiting:

I just had some icynene insulation installed. It's been in
there a week without the least evidence of shrinkage. The far
more likely scenario is that (knowledgeable and honest
subcontractor notwithstanding), the installation was not done
correctly. I think the logical thing would be to get the
sub to repair or remove and repeat as necessary.

--
[] Loyalty to petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed
[] a human soul.
[] -- Mark Twain
--
*  Copyright 2004 Jess Anderson
*  www.jessanderson.org  *  anderson@wisc.edu
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