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Well, it’s just not that easy, it will need excavation and services to (Sanitary/storm, hydro, water, tel) on new lot plus new foundation and Mechanical (HVAC), Electrical panel inside house to try and work with existing ancient heating, electrical, water lines. Not to mention old houses settle over time when you land them on new foundations the drywall/plaster cracks everywhere, windows blow out, doors don’t open correctly

It’s just not that easy folks - Shell Bussey

Between the costs of the above, plus soft costs - permits etc, the cost of moving the house, the lot it’s not that great of deal for a house that old and small with most likely has knob and tube wiring, old copper water lines that are probably leaking, terrible insulation etc., in the walls, ceilings and floors

These SIP panels are gaining traction. Bolting together the whole structure in a week and the 5.5" thick pieces have an R22 value.

I think they can be used as flooring and roof panels even. Lego houses

The Brown Wizard wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:35 am These SIP panels are gaining traction. Bolting together the whole structure in a week and the 5.5" thick pieces have an R22 value.

I think they can be used as flooring and roof panels even. Lego houses

We will be doing our first two SIP panel builds this year, one in Vancouver and one in Richmond. Gonna be interesting. They have structural limits for floors and roofs. More common in roofs but do need supporting on decent spans. Floors need structural framing to support, I forget the spacing

Chef Boi RD wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:37 am

The Brown Wizard wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:35 am These SIP panels are gaining traction. Bolting together the whole structure in a week and the 5.5" thick pieces have an R22 value.

I think they can be used as flooring and roof panels even. Lego houses

We will be doing our first two SIP panel builds this year, one in Vancouver and one in Richmond. Gonna be interesting. They have structural limits for floors and roofs. More common in roofs but do need supporting on decent spans. Floors need structural framing to support, I forget the spacing

I'd be interested in whether the foam shit in the middle emits any toxins over time. Probably no more than the spray in foam insulation

The Brown Wizard wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:46 am

Chef Boi RD wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:37 am

The Brown Wizard wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:35 am These SIP panels are gaining traction. Bolting together the whole structure in a week and the 5.5" thick pieces have an R22 value.

I think they can be used as flooring and roof panels even. Lego houses

We will be doing our first two SIP panel builds this year, one in Vancouver and one in Richmond. Gonna be interesting. They have structural limits for floors and roofs. More common in roofs but do need supporting on decent spans. Floors need structural framing to support, I forget the spacing

I'd be interested in whether the foam shit in the middle emits any toxins over time. Probably no more than the spray in foam insulation

I believe not, SIP panel white foam is cured and sprayed properly in a controlled environment. The sprayed on site foam is way more problematic and it’s why some municipalities have banned. A lot of installers are not following proper procedures installing it. They are not allowing the first coat to cure enough by the time they are doing the second coat. So the middle is never cured. The off gassing and fishy smell never goes away if not installed properly. Have you seen spray foam guys? They are drunks and crackheads

I've got what was once a covered deck open to the carport that the previous owner and builder of the house enclosed as a boot/sun room. I've been thinking of spray foam in the floor but have little confidences in it. Maybe I'll see how much rock wool I can stuff on there but I suspect that is what is already in there. It's the only part of our place that is cold.

That spray-in crap fish stank is gross. I didnt know that was from how it was installed....shitty for whoever has it.

The Brown Wizard wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:48 am That spray-in crap fish stank is gross. I didnt know that was from how it was installed....shitty for whoever has it.

Two kinds of spray foam - 1/2 pound and 2 pound. Closed cell 2 pound has a higher r value per thickness and has a built in vapour barrier. It’s as hard as rock. 1/2 pound is an open cell and is softer, you can tear out chunks with your hand. You have to spray paint the vapour barrier on 1/2 pound after. To get similar r value to 1/2 pound you have to pretty much double the thickness compared to two pound


Installers are notorious for not properly pre mixing the chemicals, spraying the first run too thick and not letting the first run cure before applying 2nd layer.

Inspectors don’t like spray foam in roofs, especially 2 pound because if there is a leak in the roof you won’t know it. Water just pools on top of insulation whereas batt insulation the water will soak through and show in drywall. Your roof could be rotting and you won’t know it

Spray foam is a great option if you can’t properly vent a roof like non attic roof like a vaulted ceiling

They are all crackhead looking dudes arent they....funny that i hadnt noticed that before.

Yeah your jobs sound like they are all up to code Chef.

Any plans to remove the Asbestos in the walls or just leave it alone?

Asbestos removal on every job. It’s so heavily regulated, there’s no escaping it. There is no such thing as an old house containing no asbestos

Chef Boi RD wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 2:25 pm

The Brown Wizard wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:48 am That spray-in crap fish stank is gross. I didnt know that was from how it was installed....shitty for whoever has it.

Two kinds of spray foam - 1/2 pound and 2 pound. Closed cell 2 pound has a higher r value per thickness and has a built in vapour barrier. It’s as hard as rock. 1/2 pound is an open cell and is softer, you can tear out chunks with your hand. You have to spray paint the vapour barrier on 1/2 pound after. To get similar r value to 1/2 pound you have to pretty much double the thickness compared to two pound


Installers are notorious for not properly pre mixing the chemicals, spraying the first run too thick and not letting the first run cure before applying 2nd layer.

Inspectors don’t like spray foam in roofs, especially 2 pound because if there is a leak in the roof you won’t know it. Water just pools on top of insulation whereas batt insulation the water will soak through and show in drywall. Your roof could be rotting and you won’t know it

Spray foam is a great option if you can’t properly vent a roof like non attic roof like a vaulted ceiling

All urethane foam insulation off-gasses. Usually it happens within the first few months after fabrication or installation. That is why the initial RSI value is higher when it is first fabricated as a sheet or first applied as a spray foam - the gas trapped within the insulation actually helps increase the RSI value. When I specify Polyisocyanurate insulation (a type of high performance foam insulation) for commercial flat roofs, I always make sure that the insulation has been aged for at least 3 months after fabrication. I don't want any of the off-gas coming out in a sealed roof where you have an air/vapour barrier under the insulation and a water tight (and air tight) roof membrane is installed above. The gas could cause some problems with the roof membranes, although many of the roof membranes these days are flexible enough to handle the extra stress.

Also, 1/2 lb. density polyurethane and 2 lb. density polyurethane are used for 2 different purposes and shouldn't be interchangeable. 1/2 lb density polyurethane insulation is meant to be used around penetrations such as around door and window frames. Now days, it is usually low expansion, so it doesn't distort the door and window frames when it is applied between the frames and the adjacent construction. It shouldn't be used to insulate a whole wall. 2 lb density polyurethane insulation is the correct material to be used for a whole wall for example. 2 lb density on the other hand should not be used around door and window frames as it expands and can cause the frames to distort, putting undue pressure on the glazing and may be detrimental to the operation of the doors and operable windows (such as hoppers, casements, awnings and sliders).

On the projects I work on, whenever I specify sprayed urethane insulation, I make sure that the installing contractor was a member of CUFCA (Canadian Urethane Foam Contractor's Association), and that their applicators were certified by CUFCA (so even if they were crack addicts, at least they were trained foam installers). Also, I would have the installed material tested (ie - one test for every 1000 sf of installation), for density and thickness to ensure that we wouldn't have some of the problems that you mentioned. I"m not saying this would cure every bad installation, but it would go a long way to make sure that it is done right.

Topper wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:38 am I've got what was once a covered deck open to the carport that the previous owner and builder of the house enclosed as a boot/sun room. I've been thinking of spray foam in the floor but have little confidences in it. Maybe I'll see how much rock wool I can stuff on there but I suspect that is what is already in there. It's the only part of our place that is cold.

The thing is, if you just stuff the floor space with some sort of batt insulation, then you won't have a proper vapour barrier on the warm side of the insulation on the underside of your floor sheathing. This is an ideal application for sprayed foam insulation, as it would give you both a vapour barrier and a thermal barrier.

Just finished my outdoor bar next to the fire pit. Too bad the willow trees behind it died - have to replace them in the fall.

That wicked cool BCEP.