Thursday, June 4, 2009

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Those reading the blog in the DC area probably have figured out already that the final grading has not been done, since we've had too much rain each day this week. The folks from Bartley were set to do the job, but it is not ideal to grade our clay soil when it's wet. So we're waiting until we have a dry spell - perhaps Monday morning. I know I'll feel better about the house project when the lot starts to look much better. I am fully aware that we've probably overstayed our welcome using the back yard of the house next door (that's on the market for sale) to store a lot of the soil that was excavated. I'm in a hurry to get our grading done and her yard cleaned up!

We're receiving quotes for ceiling and wall insulation (the wood-framed clerestory wall, not the Terrabrick wall). Closed cell spray foam is the best choice, but it's the most expensive by far. So we're considering a hybrid which will be a closed cell spray foam application that would be about 2-3" thick and then a zero formaldehyde blown in fiber (it's called the spider system, since a web holds it all in). Combined, we will have an R50 insulation value for the ceiling and R23 for the clerestory walls. That option is several thousand dollars less expensive than 100% closed cell spray foam, which would give us about an R41 insulation value. We're still receiving quotes, so if anyone has a good company that's experienced in spray-foam insulation, please let us know.

Importantly, all of the quotes we received also include a foam sealant or high-grade caulking to seal all penetrations in the thermal envelope. This will be a very tight house!