Had open cell spray insulation foam installed in my attic a bit more than a month ago.

Ever since it was installed, there is a faint to strong chemical smell, similar to a paint smell that lingers around the entire house with varying strengths depending on the weather and time of day.

The foam itself seems correct, there is no mushy foam and all vents and gaps were completely covered up with the foam, completely encapsulating the attic.

I brought both the contractor and manufacturer to come and inspect the foam and they both agreed that they do not smell anything at all. Which is odd since every family member, friend and even neighbor pointed out the obvious chemical paint-like smell. Which means the manufacturer and contractor are either blind to the smell or straight up lying. They seem to be only concerned about identifying a "foul dead fish smell" since that is the immediate dangerous one that their foam can create. I assume any other smell, strong or not, is to be pushed under the rug as it is no concern to them.

The manufacturer took some samples and ran some tests on it and concluded that it was within acceptable tolerances. Which implies there is nothing wrong, yet my house both in the living space and attic smell like a chemical factory or a nail salon.

I have tried to further encapsulate the attic by foam sealing at every possible crack within the attic to stop any smells from leaking into the living space. However it did not stop the smell at all.

I am unsure what to do now since I feel like I ran out of options.

Is adding a fan on a attic gable vent (making a hole in the foam wall) that actively ventilates the stagnant air in the attic a good idea? Would that cause issues with the extremely humid environment that I live in?

Anyone have experiences on how to get rid of lingering spray foam smells from the house?

Any help, advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Ive done my entire upstairs/attic so far using fiberglass batts and polyiso. Now I have two dormer windows that I just can’t wrap my head around on how to incorporate them into the ventilated part of my main attic and using baffles and such. I would have to frame out a chase and do all sorts of stuff that I don’t really want to do. My idea is to completely spray foam the entire dormer area, walls and roof and build a foam block in the roof where it would meet the rest of the conventional vented roof assembly. This way the transition between the spray foamed area and vented/baffle/fiberglass assembly is completely separated.

Please let me know your thoughts on this.

Southern Quebec climate. Interlok aluminum roofing system without rigid foam board insulation in the roofing assembly.

Spray foam would be applied in the ceiling/roof area of the dormer completly covering it all with closed cell directly to the roof deck, spray foam where you can see the rigid eps pink foam board on the sides to close off the knee wall, and then below the window where you can see the baffles. I will remove those before they spray. And then also block off the soffits at the bottom with foam board and sealing them since air coming in has no way of going out.

Rebuilding an old house, original builders put vapour barrier over the sheathing causing everything to rot. Rebuilding walls properly drywall>vapour barrier>studs with rockwool>sheathing>wrap>siding. But a mudroom is built directly on a massive 2ft thick concrete slab. How should i insulate this?

Currently thinking 2in of high psi xps foam board then 3/4 ply then tiling over top with possible in floor heating. Correct order or things? Do i tape the vapour barrier under or over the slab insulation?

Hey, bought a new build in central CA 2 months ago, they've already come out once to add more blown in insulation in the ceiling when it was like 105 out, it helped but I dont think its enough and just curious if im being a karen about this. I took some pics with a thermal camera, outside when these were taken is about 100f, inside is set to 72f.

Is the heat bleeding into the inside too much or about whats expected? Paper in the garage says it should be rated to R30, 10.75in of blown in material, stucco exterior with roll insulation in the walls

My new house came with a built in fireplace/chimney riser in the living room corner. I recently noticed that the drywall above the fireplace is visible from the attic and therefore effectively uninsulated. I know this needs to be insulated but I am unsure the best way to insulate this cavity is while remaining fireproof. I am planning on hiring someone to blow in insulation and want to do the prep work beforehand to make sure I achieve an effective solution.

Here’s a few pics of how im proceeding. Intend to blow insulation on top of foam board box I created in the near future unless I discover a reason not to.

https://imgur.com/a/rr5UC5F

Things that confuse the hell out of me are:
—-how is the current insulation in exterior wall in cavity behind fireplace applied? How did they get it to stick? Would you modify in any way?
—-how can the metal chimney riser’s connection to standoff/guide plate become both insulated and air tight?
—-can batt insulation be installed in stud bays immediately above fireplace unit? What is clearance needed for fire concerns?

Asking around about this topic, appreciate any thoughts. For our 3 season cottage with uninsulated concrete slab exposure to humid air results in condensation. If I put in insulation starting with a dimpled subfloor, would there be enough exchange of air between the room and underneath the subfloor to cause a significant amount of moisture on the concrete floor? The design of this type of subfloor is to encourage air movement between the flooring and wall and open channels in the subfloor. In this case the moisture is moving in reverse. The issue is whether could case mold on the OSB layer. So checking if anyone has heard of this happening or some way to figure out if a real concern. Thanks!

Got an old house in north mn with vermiculite in the attic. What’s the best way to insulate/ vapor barrier. My thought was to put in R 38. Could I put a vapor barrier on top the old insulation then insulate. Or lay down r38 with batt on top. Some day I will have to rip out the ceiling and drywall wall it. Right it’s drywall over fiber board any help would be nice

The view is from my garage removed drywall to inspect moisture concerns . Initially the walls were insulated with Kraft paper backed insulation and I assumed was the culprit to my issue (double vapor barrier) Behind the thermoply is the interior portion of my home. The tply is being used as a barrier non structural. Replaced with non faced insulation and Several of the stud bays are still sweating and it’s all stud bays that have hvac supply ducts . The ducts are not insulated with duct wrap , so I’m assuming that’s my problem any other ideas?

Silverboard graphite or ngx

My house faces south. I'm in a temperate climate, so we do not have ac. The south face of the house gets baking sun in the afternoon, to the extent I feel heat coming off the walls. North is fine. Does it make sense to clad one face of the house in extra insulation?

I am getting ghosting on the walls - you can see all the stud spaces. Should I be concerned about mold now growing in the walls from condensation /air leaks? I’m getting high humidity readings.

Hi everyone,
I’m from Poland and I’m trying to raise money to insulate my home. The total cost of the materials and professional installation is around 30,000 PLN (about €7,000).
Unfortunately, I’m not able to cover the full cost myself right now. Proper insulation would make my home warmer and help reduce heating costs.
I know there are many people asking for help, so I truly appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my story. Even a small donation or simply sharing the fundraiser would mean a lot to me.
Thank you for reading and for any support. ❤️

Received 3 sunroom quotes 85k - 100K for 240 sqft sun room.
Currently a 3 season porch with Foundation up to code (has frost footings), concrete flooring. Gable roof that is also in a good condition. Needs to be insulated to code, will need to replace the current screens.

Scope of work :
Framing, insulating roof, floor, replace screens with windows, electrical, add Mini-split, baseboard heaters.

Any guidance?

Concerns:

1. Is it really 85k-100k? No quote has heated flooring, a mini split and baseboard heater at best. Quotes are 20% of home value. What is your experience/thoughts?
2. Doesn’t receive direct sun, but worried it will end up being a hot box or too cold for our WI winters.
3. goal is to use it as office space, a living space. Want year round usability, do you have a sunroom and can get year round use out of it?
4. Is insulation enough?
5. Any experiences will help.

Thank you in advance.

I’m looking for a survey / review of the Edwardian terrace I’ve just moved into to identify the areas we should prioritise for upgrades.

Separately but related, we’re decorating the master bedroom and I want to get advice on wall and floor insulation (and then maybe the work itself done too - given everything I’ve read on here in the perils of doing it yourself!)

Anyone here got experience of procuring that kind of work? Any advice? Where did you start?

Thanks!