Spray Foam Insulation in Detroit, MI

Spray foam insulation in Detroit usually means working on a house that is older than most of its neighbors in the suburbs. Wikipedia notes the city has one of the largest surviving collections of late 19th and early 20th century buildings in the United States, and that its pre-war working-class neighborhoods are lined with wood-frame and brick houses. Many of those homes were built with empty walls, a few inches of attic insulation at best, and nothing on the rim joist.

The weather they have to stand up to

The 1991-2020 normals for Detroit Metro Airport show a January average high of 32.3F, a low of 19.2F and about 45 inches of snow per year. The average window for freezing temperatures runs from about October 20 to April 22. Half the year, a leaky Detroit house is pulling cold air in at the bottom and pushing heat out at the top.

Where we usually start

In a typical pre-war Detroit house we check three places first. The attic floor, where top plates, chimney chases and old ceiling fixtures leak warm air. The rim joist, which is often bare. And the walls, which may be balloon framed, with stud bays running open from the basement to the attic. Sealing those paths does more for comfort than adding inches anywhere else.

Homes coming back into use

Detroit has torn down more than 27,000 long-abandoned residential structures since 2014, according to Wikipedia, and many of the houses that remain are being renovated. If walls and ceilings are open during a rehab, that is the best time to spray foam into stud bays, roof slopes and rim joists. We can schedule around your contractor so insulation goes in before drywall.

Rebates

Most Detroit homes heat with gas from DTE. If DTE is your primary heat provider, its 2026 insulation rebate page lists set amounts for attic, wall, kneewall, rim joist and basement wall insulation. We list the areas and square footage on your quote so the paperwork is easy.

Brick homes need a careful look

A lot of Detroit housing is brick. Some of it is brick veneer over a wood frame, which can usually be insulated like any frame wall. Some older homes have solid masonry walls with no stud cavity at all. Insulating those from the inside changes how the brick dries through freeze and thaw, so we look at what you have before recommending anything. On solid brick homes, the attic, rim joist and windows are often the better first spend.

We visit, measure and give you a written quote before any work. Get a free estimate