Wall spray foam insulation in Didsbury runs into a problem the newer towns down the corridor do not have, which is that a lot of the walls here were not built to hold insulation in the first place.
Walls that were never built with a cavity to fill
A pre-war wall in this town is often shallow framing with board sheathing, sometimes with nothing in it at all, sometimes with whatever was pushed in during a later renovation. The cavity is thinner than a modern one, the studs are not at a predictable spacing, and there may be fire blocking or old infill part way up that nothing can get past. That is not a reason to avoid the work. It is a reason to find out what is actually in there before anybody quotes a number.
Why drilling and filling an old wall disappoints people
Injecting material through holes into a closed wall sounds like the answer and in a house of this age it frequently is not, because the installer cannot see what is happening. Obstructions leave whole bays empty, the fill settles, and nobody knows until the wall is opened years later. It also does nothing for the air leakage, which in a Didsbury house of this vintage is usually the larger share of the loss. Being told that before the money is spent is worth more than a cheap quote.
From outside during a re-side, which is the honest moment
The version of this that genuinely works is done when the siding is coming off anyway. With the sheathing exposed the assembly can be seen, sealed and insulated properly, and the wall goes back together as one designed layer instead of a patch. That is why the sensible advice here is usually to wait: do the attic and the basement now, and do the walls the year the siding is replaced. Pairing the two turns a large expense into an increment on one that was already happening.
What to do instead while the siding is staying
If the cladding is not coming off for a decade, the walls are not where the next dollar goes. The attic, the rim joist, the basement band and the obvious leaks around windows and doors will deliver more comfort in an old Didsbury house than a compromised wall job, and they cost a fraction of it. Saying so costs a contractor the bigger sale, and it is still the right order.
Wall Spray Foam Insulation Didsbury: Common Questions
Can the walls be filled without removing siding? Sometimes, but in a house this age it is hard to verify and it does not address air leakage.
When is the right time? When the siding is being replaced. That is when the wall can be seen and done properly.
What should we do first instead? Attic, rim joist and the top of the basement wall. More comfort for far less.
Size the assembly with the R-value calculator, then get a free Didsbury quote. More on Wall Spray Foam Insulation Alberta.