The Joy of Soy

So the insulation guys are gone. And, aside from the nasty black stain left on the concrete from the smoke belched out of their diesel generator, I am pretty impressed. It was already hard and rigid (the insulation...) just a bit after they left. As noted in the previous post, it is kinda like the "Great Stuff" cans you get at the hardware store---minus the high petroleum, CFCs, and dangerous propellant chemical content. Once they left, there was almost no smell which is a big improvement over cellulose spray. That is another inexpensive and effective green insulation alternative---but it goes in wet and leaves a really acrid smell for days. The soy stuff that we used offers the same insulation in less space. Pretty cool.

More video of the installation below. As you can see it goes on wet and green, but quickly expands and turns white. They have to apply it in layers---each expanding to about 1" thick---to ensure that they don't get gloopy and flow out. Here they are applying by the "wide window." We put the stuff in all of the new walls and ceiling, as well as the entire north side of the kitchen/addition/bathroom and along the original foundation wall in the basement addition. Honestly, it feels warmer in those spaces already.