Spray Foam Insulation in Highland Springs, VA

Spray foam insulation in Highland Springs makes the most sense for people who are not going anywhere, and that describes a lot of this community. Census estimates show 93.1% of residents were living in the same house a year earlier. When you expect to be in a home for years, it is worth fixing the cold floor, the damp crawl space and the attic that never seems to keep up, instead of patching each one every few winters.

From streetcar lots to today

Highland Springs began in the 1890s, when Edmund Sewell Read bought a 1,000-acre tract east of Richmond, divided it into lots along Nine Mile Road and named the cross streets alphabetically after plants, Ash through Spruce. It was a streetcar suburb served by the Seven Pines Railway's electric line. Homes in the community span many decades since then, so two houses on the same block may have completely different framing, foundations and insulation.

Start under the floor

Many houses here sit over crawl spaces, and in this climate that is where we often begin. Richmond-area summers are humid, with average relative humidity around 75% in July and 77% in August per NOAA figures, and a vented crawl space pulls that air in under the house. Building Science Corporation's guidance is that crawl spaces should not be vented to the outside, should have a continuous sealed ground cover, and should be insulated on their perimeter walls. Closed-cell foam is one way to do the walls: three inches of medium-density closed-cell foam rates about R-18.

Encapsulation is not right for every house. If there is standing water, a plumbing leak or a grading problem sending rain toward the foundation, that has to be dealt with first. We will point out what we see and tell you if it is something for a plumber or a drainage contractor before we seal anything.

Then the attic

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends R-60 for an uninsulated attic in this climate zone, or adding about R-49 if you already have three to four inches. Plenty of older attics in eastern Henrico fall short of either number. Before we add material, we seal the top plates, the open chases around flues and the gaps around light fixtures, because warm air escaping through those holes defeats new insulation laid on top of them.

What we install in Highland Springs

• Closed-cell spray foam on crawl space walls and rim joists
• Ground cover and vent sealing as part of crawl space encapsulation
• Open-cell foam on attic roof decks when the attic is being brought inside the envelope
• Blown-in insulation on attic floors
• Wall insulation during remodels
• Removal of old, wet or pest-damaged insulation before new material goes in

Henrico County and the code

Highland Springs is unincorporated, so building permits and inspections run through Henrico County. Henrico's 2021 Virginia Residential Code presentation lists R-60 minimum for attic ceilings (or R-49 uncompressed across the whole attic) and requires blower door results to be reviewed before a final inspection on work that falls under the energy code. An insulation-only upgrade in an existing home does not always need a permit, but when it is part of an addition or major renovation, we work to those numbers so the inspection goes smoothly.

Book a look

Call (804) 293-6224 to set up a free estimate. We will go under the house and into the attic, take photos, and give you a written quote with the order we recommend doing things in, so you can spread the work out if that suits your budget.

Call (804) 293-6224