Spray Foam Insulation in Royal Oak, MI

Spray foam insulation in Royal Oak usually goes into older housing than people expect from a suburb. Wikipedia notes Royal Oak developed as a suburb of Detroit in the early 20th century, following the city's industrial boom. Its 2020 census count was 58,211 residents and 31,244 housing units, 6.0% vacant.

Early 20th century homes

Houses from the 1910s through the 1930s often have balloon framing, empty walls, plaster ceilings and small attics. Many are story-and-a-half designs, with upstairs bedrooms tucked under the roof behind kneewalls. Those homes leak air from the basement straight up through the walls and out the attic.

What we do first

Seal the attic floor, including the tops of balloon-framed wall cavities. Block and seal the open floor bays behind kneewalls. Dense-pack the empty walls through small holes. Foam the rim joist. That order addresses the biggest air paths before adding depth anywhere.

Remodels and additions

Royal Oak houses get remodeled and expanded often. Where walls or roof slopes are open, spray foam is easy to install. Where an addition meets the old house, the seam is often a leak we seal.

Old wiring and old insulation

Houses of Royal Oak's age may still have knob-and-tube wiring in the walls or attic, and some attics contain loose-fill that could be vermiculite. Neither should be covered or disturbed until it has been evaluated. We point out anything like that during the visit, so an electrician or a testing lab can check it before insulation work starts.

Basements

Older Royal Oak basements tend to be lower and damper than newer ones. Closed-cell foam on the rim joist is almost always a good first step. Foam on the foundation walls should wait until any water problems are handled.

Oakland County is in Michigan's Climate Zone 5A. Get a free estimate