Crawl space spray foam insulation in Vegreville is nearly always under an addition rather than under a whole house. In a town where about 83% of dwellings predate 1991, the common pattern is a full basement under the original building and a shallow crawl under whatever was added later, and that crawl is the part of the house that behaves badly.
A shallow perimeter in a deep-frost climate
An addition built on a crawl space frequently sits on a perimeter wall that does not go down anything like as far as the original foundation. In a district where frost drives deep and stays all winter rather than retreating with every thaw, that shallow wall is surrounded by frozen ground for months and the floor above it sits on top of a cold box. It is why the back half of a house in this town can be ten degrees behind the front half with the same furnace serving both.
Bare ground is a moisture source, not a floor
Most older crawl spaces here have a dirt floor. Soil is never dry, and it evaporates moisture into the space above it continuously, which is the real reason a crawl space smells the way it does. Insulating the floor joists above that and leaving the ground open puts insulation over a permanently humid space, and in winter the cold surfaces in that space collect the water. The ground has to be covered with a sealed membrane before the insulation question is even worth discussing. That is not an upsell, it is the order of operations.
Vented crawl spaces do not work in this climate
The old thinking was to vent a crawl space to the outside to let it dry. In a winter this long and this cold, venting means the space is held at close to outdoor temperature for months while the floor above it is heated, so the joists and the subfloor become the condensing surface, and the plumbing in there is exposed. The modern approach, and the one that works here, is to close the vents, seal and insulate the perimeter wall, cover the ground, and bring the crawl space inside the heated envelope. The floor then stops being a boundary and the pipes stop being at risk.
Why the walls rather than the floor above
Insulating the perimeter wall rather than the joists above has three advantages in this stock. It is less surface area, so it is usually cheaper. It puts the pipes and ducts on the warm side, which is the whole point in a climate like this. And it avoids the problem of trying to fit insulation between joists in a space with no headroom, around every pipe and wire, where batt inevitably gets cut short and falls out. Closed-cell foam at roughly R-6 to R-7 per inch is sprayed on the wall and over the rim joist in one pass and bonds in place, which is the only practical way to work in a crawl space you cannot stand up in.
The rim joist is right there
In a crawl space the rim joist is at eye level, it is the coldest accessible surface in the building, and it leaks continuously. On almost every crawl space job in this town it is the single highest-value item, and because the crew is already in there it costs very little extra to do properly.
Water, access and what we need to know
Foam is not waterproofing. If a crawl space takes water in spring, that is a drainage and grading problem and it has to be fixed first. Tell us how you get into the space and how much headroom there is, because on this stock the answer is frequently a hatch in a closet floor and eighteen inches of clearance, and that genuinely affects the day.
We take care of the work
Crawl space spray foam insulation Vegreville is quoted, scheduled and sprayed by us. Our own installers are on the job, and the number you are given is the number we stand behind.
Crawl Space Spray Foam Insulation Vegreville: Common Questions
Should the crawl space vents be left open? No. In a winter this long, venting makes the floor above the condensing surface and puts the plumbing at risk.
Walls or the floor above? The walls, in almost every case. It is less area, it keeps the pipes warm, and batt between joists in a tight crawl does not stay put.
Does the dirt floor need covering? Yes, before anything else. It is evaporating moisture into the space continuously and insulation over a wet space collects the water.
How much does crawl space spray foam insulation cost in Vegreville? It is priced per board foot over the sprayed wall and rim, so the number follows perimeter length, wall height and thickness. The ground cover and any clean-out are separate lines, and headroom affects how long the day takes.
How do I choose a crawl space spray foam contractor in Vegreville? Ask whether the ground is getting covered and whether the vents are being closed. A quote that only lists insulation has priced one part of a three-part job.
Work out the thickness with the R-value calculator, then get a free Vegreville quote. More on Crawl Space Spray Foam Insulation Alberta province-wide.