Insulation Options For Your Barndominium | Full Price Breakdown + Comparison

During this episode Paul + Emily discuss various barndominium insulation options. They breakdown each type and also provide an in-depth price comparison of each option. In this video they cover closed cell spray foam, Rockwool, Siga Majrex, fiberglass batt, and polystyrene or pink board.

More Information + Hybrid Insulation Document

Spray Jones For In Depth Spray Foam @SprayJones

RR Buildings - Rockwool + Siga Majrex Video

0:00 Intro
1:17 Our Experience
5:21 Fiberglass Batt
7:54 Rockwool + SIGA Majrex
11:00 Spray Foam
17:14 Polystyrene
20:29 Cost Comparison
22:39 Ranking

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[mattdeloff]

Paul and Emily.. I have a whole new level of respect for you both. It’s one thing to display your accomplishments on YouTube with thousands of viewers. But it’s another to post the pitfalls and adversity you’ve come across along the way. That’s how we learn, and I am grateful for you sharing the entire story.

[ThraX_]

Hey Paul, really enjoyed the video and the information that you share. I also follow Kyle, but one thing I really like about your videos is how you have really explained the ins and outs of the entire process, along with pricing. I know this takes a lot of personal time for your team to compile and do, so just know we appreciate that. I would be interested in learning about the attic/conditioning if and/or when you decide to share that information. Also, noticed the new apparel and was wondering if you will start selling those? Keep up the great videos.

[everydreamai]

Great break down! Thanks for taking the time to share your trade with everyone. I really enjoy your videos.

Glad to see you and your family make it through the moisture issues, was very heartbreaking to see, but you're really saving a lot of others by sharing that experience.

[g.g]

Thank you for making this video it has given me excellent information because I have seen a build of BM and I hadn’t heard about it but I like it much better than a conventional model I’m a recycled seasoned teenager of 76 and I’m looking forward to trying to live in a home made this way the first time seen one was here in Michigan but it has given me a great insight of wanting a new home made by this process thank you for giving such great information.

[scottsprecher]

Thank you for the openness of what happened to you, and your expertise. 🙏👍

[dfrazao]

I love that material too, i've used it a lot in my house, when installed properly its the best insulation and i'm glad to see your going to cover it up with sheet metal because that will give you some fire protection and allow you to hang stuff off the walls. great job

[ndothager]

Some of my best learning lessons were also my most expensive. I appreciate your candidness on your mistakes.

[Shasta]

Great information! I love your home. As a homeowner with very high ceilings I can tell you from experience you are going to have fun window cleaning!

[JL-hnhi]

Brilliant episode! This stuff is a brain strain- you did a great job of explaining.

[ts-qxmw]

I have a 36x48 post frame I put up last year, and when doing so I made sure to have house wrap put on it anticipating spray foam. I didn't want the foam adhering directly to the steel for future panel replacement issues, etc. Anyway, I got around to pricing spray foam, and 3" is coming in at $11, 900 (walls only). To get a comparison, I decided to look into a DIY version of flash and bat: 1.5" pink foam all around (including behind the posts because it's the same thickness as the girts) and R19 of post-frame specific fiberglass bats that come with a plastic face. This combination will get me R26.5, and cost me a couple dollars short of $5, 000. No, this doesn't account for cans of foam to seal the panels together, but at almost $7, 000 in savings, I think I can more than cover that expense and still come out ahead.

I love the idea of spray foam, but it has absolutely turned into a racket. They are charging whatever they want and getting away with it, part of the current building craze were people are just going insane and paying anything in the process. I will look into the installation spec you mentioned about making sure the vapor barriers are in the right location and all that, but so far I just can't see any justifiable reason to tell people to go with spray foam. If you put your panels together with canned foam and tape those joints, you're going to end up with the same sealing effect you would get with spray. Sure, it will take a little more effort to make sure you're doing it right, but again... At $7, 000 savings, there's a lot of incentive to take your time and mind the details.

Your mileage may vary, but I certainly don't think this option should end up at the bottom of the list.

[woodman]

Great Video. I for one would like to see the ceiling brake down an install options.

[sooperdave]

Goid stuff here. I am learning a ton. The flaw that I see from your hybrid system, if I listened correctly, was the double vapor barrier on the exterior wall. Because the closed cell created the vapor barrier on the exterior and the 6 mil was applied interior, it didn't allow for the cavity to breathe. The batt became the sponge in the dew point zone and it just went down hill from there. I love the idea of CCSF from the application and function stand points. The problem is being of the interior vapor land you have to switch your mindset and knowledge to how it's done down south. Thank you tor sharing your knowledge and experience. I will definitely be watching you guys more.

[davidhorton]

Really good information! I would really enjoy and appreciate a video on the actual wall system construction. I am in the process of designing my own Post Frame building to be used as living space and shop. I am in E Texas so my weather extremes are not what yours are. The wall system is quite a lot to plan, but this video helped.

[mattsullivan]

Glad you mentioned one product per cavity I got 3” pink board and was going to top it with r15 rockwool for r 30 In Cathedral ceilings. I have surplus for free so need to find uses for it likely encapsulated crawl. I'm in zone 3 might not effect due point like it did you.

[johnhouseman]

Thank you for going through the insulation options & price. ( I'm sure price is always #1 question U receive) This something I remember you had mentioned briefly in past video. Gald you stuck with it to hold accountability & found correct information. This was a very good video one of great value to all....

[larryb]

Paul did you spray foam your roof? if you used blown in how did you do that? if there is no deck or something to walk on how did you accomplish that? Also what would be your thoughts on putting up some foam board strips over the exterior side of your posts before putting up your girts?

[rickreed]

I've watched your channel for awhile, really the whole thing from start to now and that particular insulation install and issues you had. So glad you did this video and shared on Pole Barn home builds with insulation and the right way to do it. We did insulation about 10 years ago in our stick built home and loved it! It was an older leaky home and I was concerned with the spray foam until I saw it go up and the results that first cold, cold winter day. Spray foam was relatively new at the time and I just wondered about it. We actually almost built a pole Barn home a few years ago and decided not to because of cost for us.. I know we most likely would have had similar issues, but you have really been great at educating people on this. You had an issue no one would have, could have thought of, and it just helps people who built Pole Barn homes and what one needs to think about not cutting corners with any insulation job on any build. Thanks for being a Great Contractor, Builder and teacher as well!

[joen]

Thanks for all the great information! Working on building my first semi-tiny home and this really helps... 😊👍

[waterwayinsulation]

Paul - I appreciate your latest video of costs breakdowns to the general public on insulation. Watching your project unfold as you discovered these problems was rather frustrating to watch. We have been advocating for many years on how to select a contractor with proper credentials, knowledge and experience in the insulation industry. A good reference for people looking to have spray foam installed is thru the SPFA, where Master Certified spray foam insulation installers can be searched for by state. Another subject that I feel needs more attention would be energy savings comparisons of traditional fibrous compared to spray foam. Thanks for making these videos.

[larryb]

Excellent video! You can definitely tell that you and Emily really care about your viewers, to take the time to do this. This was very helpful. Kyles video on the Rockwool/Majrex was good too. I have concerns about spray foam because there are so many people out there doing it that really don't know what they are doing. Also I worry about the VOC off gassing which I understand can occur for a couple of years. Was wondering if you could comment a little more on exactly what caused the problem in your house. Was it a bad spray foam job, or was it the addition of the batts or both?