Bob is joined by Jim Remick of Nickerson -Remick insulation contractors. Remick tells Bob that this NCFI-Honeywell insulation technology is more and more in demand from builders and contractors. When the liquid insulation hits the wall, the two chemicals react causing it to expand. This closed-cell foam is a moisture, vapor, and air barrier that sets up in a matter of seconds. It will be 95 percent cured in 4 hours, and 100 percent cure in just 24 hours. Once cured, it will give an R Value of 21, which is exceptional. It can only be applied in open cavities because it expands away from the exterior wall and would completely blow off existing wall treatments. There is no need for an added moisture barrier with this closed-cell insultaion. It will provide twice the insulation value, or R factor, but cost three to four times as much to install as average insulation. But the heat savings should be 30 to 50 percent over any other insulation product, bringing rapid payback for intitial installation costs.

When insulating typical 2x4 wall construction an R factor of R11 or R13 is used. To comply with Energy Star requirements, use an R15. This is the highest r value you can have in a 2x4 wall. The higher rating is achieved by adding more fiberglass to the blanket, allowing it to trap more cold air.

Bob meets up with Joe Sheridan from Energy Guard to learn more about the US Greenfiber Cocoon cellulose insulation application that is taking place in the barn. This is not a do-it-yourself process. A mesh material is first attached behind the wall cavities to hold the cellulose in place until the drywall is applied. The cellulose is essentially ground up newspaper treated during the manufacturing process with borates to resist fungus growth. It's mixed with a litle moisture and blown into the stud cavities. Product that falls onto the ground is vacuumed up and sucked back to the truck where it is remixed and blown back out. While one installer blows the insulation in, a second man follows with a stud scrubber, leveling the cellulose with the studs. The goal is to create a tight fit eliminating air movement through the wall. One can achieve an R-factor of R-13 in a 2 x 4 wall and an R-21 in a 2 x 6 wall, R-factors that will be maintained even in extreme temperatures. Within 24 hours after application the moisture content drops below 25% allowing sheetrocking to proceed. Another benefit of the product is sound attenuation. Upstairs in the attic, Joe's crew is doing a dry application. The cellulose is blown in under pressure. The hose is fed down to the bottom of the cavity and pulled back as it fills up. A proper vent in the ceiling is not necessary because the insulation is so dense that air doesn't travel through the insulation and miosture therefore never gets out to the roof sheathing. The price of the Cocoon product is comparable to fiberglass insulation.

Bob Vila meets with Jim Costello from Superior Walls of America to discuss the difference between precast panels delivered to the site and a traditional poured concrete foundation. The precast panel is made of an outside shell wall of high strength concrete combined with rebar reinforced concrete pillars. The ten-inch thick pillars give a look similar to a traditional stud wall with Styrofoam insulation. Pressure treated furring strips attached to the pillars make drywall or paneling easy to attach. The panels have an R factor, the measure of a materials resistance to the passage of heat, of 5 (concrete block has an R factor of about 2). Polyurethane caulk with special concrete adhesives is added between each panel to insure a tight seal. The panels are attached to each other and the base with pre-installed saddle bolts. A typical home�s installation takes about five hours and without having to wait for the foundation to set or dry, contractors can begin framing immediately. The walls are guaranteed for 15 years compared to poured concrete walls, which generally have a warranty of one year.

The front of the home is complete and looks like the exterior of any home in the American suburbs. Bob talks with Ray Price, the project manager for St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services and Steve Armstrong, the architect. There were some speical issues in this project due to the four different types of materials used for the building exterior. The challenge was to find a finish that would blend the surfaces and textures together. The garage and foundation use concrete block construction; four ISBU's or converted metal shipping containers make up the four corners of the home; conventional framing connects the ISBU's; and plywood makes up the gable ends. To blend and transition these four types of material, a horizontal band is used as a design element to separate the two types of materials. A water table band was placed near the base of the home to solve the problem of closing the joints. The stucco face of the house is actually a stucco coating that is applied over the 16-gauge sheet metal. It is a smooth finish with a traditional stucco look. The insulation behind the stucco is SuperTherm, an insulating ceramic coating. SuperTherm is an energy-efficient thermal coating with an R-factor of 19 and is similar to the substance used to coat the space shuttle. SuperTherm is becoming more available for commercial and industrial applications. Around the back of the home, much of the original vegetation, including the big oak trees, is still in place. The neighboring lots have been cleared but great pains were taken to preserve old growth. The garage door is accessed by an alley around the back of the home. The neighborhood was originally designed with alleys between the blocks so people could have their trash picked up and deliveries made. The alley system is being cleaned up and brought back. Having a back alley for the garage entrance allows for a front porch on the main street. The roof overhang is made of sheet metal, aluminum fascia, and a soffit which gives it a nice clean look. This overhang is low maintenance and meets hurricane code requirements. Right next door to the home, a second prototype follows roughly the same setup and construction. Using lessons learned from the first home, the detailing around the windows will be refined in the construction of the second home. All the windows are made of impact-resistant glass made by PGT. Although this second house will follow the same wooden roof truss system as in the first house, there are some alterations. Different types of insulated panels are being investigated as a possibility for the roof. These insulated panels are very strong and work well with the tie-down to the ISBU's.

Building science consultant Steve Easley joins Bob Vila to discuss a few of the key elements that help our home in the desert beat the heat. R-Control structural insulated panels, Bonded Logic natural fiber insulation, Philips Products Marquee 9000 Series windows, Touch N Foam sealants, CertainTeed FiberCement Siding, and L-P TechShield roof sheathing, all featured in the project, are discussed.

Bob meets with general contractor Ted Riley as Dan Enright and his framing crew prepare to raise the gable end wall. The gable has a 12-12 pitch making it a 45-degree. The home will have 2" x 6" wall throughout yielding an R-Factor of R-21 using high density fiberglass insulation. The sheathing is Georgia-Pacific Blue Ribbon OSB. Noted for its strength and stability, the material has no knots or core voids and is gauged to expedite framing.

Bob and Mark continue their tour of an unit under construction at the Cobb Hill Co-Housing project. Mark explains to Bob that the moisture barrier on the wall is reinforced polyethylene with a dense packed cellulose blown behind it. The insulation provides an R-Factor of R-25. The wall is a 2" by 8" using studs manufactured in Canada. These "open web studs", which are finger jointed spruce on the side with an OSB web in the middle, provide a very efficient use of materials at a cost comparable to an eastern 2" x 8" stud.

George Saylor from Owens Corning is on location in this episode to discuss the insulation products that will be used in the Waterfront Warehouse Rehab project. Before work begins, Bob notes the importance of wearing protective gear including gloves, hat, long sleeve shirt, pants, particle mask, and eye protection when working with fiberglass insualtion. Owens Corning has provided a fiberglass insulation that delivers an insulation value of R15 in only three and half inches of thickness. The material's higher density creates smaller more uniform cells of trapped air to provide a greater degree of insulation in a tighter space, making it more efficient. Saylor also explains how to insulate around outlets and other building infrastructure. On the exterior walls, extruded polystyrene insulation is being installed between the studs and wallboard to prevent thermal transfer from the metal studs to the building's interior. The additional material will create a R20 wall. In the living spaces, interior walls are filled with fiberglass batt insulation to prevent the transfer of sound from room to room.

The slab was poured at the same time as the footing, saving a lot of steps. The process was very streamlined. Insul-Tarp, a combination insulation and a vapor barrier from RadiantMax.com, was used to insulate the slab. The tarp acts as a barrier to the moisture below the slab and provides an insulation value of around R6, which prevents heat loss. The haunched footings, the slab, and any reinforcing are all done in one step. Traditionally a 10'x10' steel reinforcing mesh would go down before the concrete is poured, but that step was eliminated by blending the fibers into the concrete mix. This mesh adds to the cost of the concrete but by an insignificant amount. This method is still much cheaper than the traditional method. The slab is four inches thick. After the concrete has been poured and allowed to set, the diagonals are checked to make sure the slab is completely square and points are perpendicular.