Insulation

The insulation has made visiting the house so much more comfortable.. we had the walls spray-foamed, and now a little space heater keeps the whole house well above freezing.  After many discussions and visits by five(?) different insulation contractors, we settled on Icynene spray foam, and Advantage Insulation.  Icynene is made of castor oil, is sprayed without propellants, and doesn't settle over time.  There is some off-gassing initially as it cures, but all off-gassing stops after 24 hours.  We are so happy with our decision!

Here you can see the spray below and the batts above

The exterior walls were all sprayed, and the ceiling is insulated with  formaldehyde-free fibre glass

here you can see how the foam overfills, then is cut back

this shows the spray-on vapor barrier that is required by local code

the layers

Greg also spray-foamed around all the windows and doors.  You can see here how the Icynene fills the one-inch air gap we left behind the steel framing.   Spray foam (like most unusual building products) is yet another hotly debated topic online.