My Adventures In Foam Insulation

Well I have been playing Mrs. Fix-it around our house lately. So today my post is about weatherproofing your home. We have a room in our basement that was used by a former owner as an office (it is our toy and TV room for our kids), the door that goes out to the driveway area was not properly installed or insulated. The drywall on that wall is not either, there are gaps on the floor anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch wide. Well if you know anything about those gaps and Missouri winter weather well it just gets cold at times down there. I went and bought some of the spray foam insulation to fill the cracks with. Let me tell ya I am glad my hubby didn't grab the camcorder cuz it would have been not so funny. Unless you are over the age of 50 (and not that if you are there is anything wrong with that!) it is not the easiest thing to use. It was a interesting job LOL, I made a mess of all messes and I am still not finished. I think I have the idea of how to use it do it should be better this time around.

If you have areas that seem colder in the winter check when its windy and see if you feel air coming in around the baseboards, electrical outlets, doors, windows, even where lines like cable and such come in the house. Even trek up in the attic or crawl space and check on the insulation. The best way to know if you have enough insulation in the attic is if you can not see the rafters you have enough. Well I know we do not but we have to save a little money for that job after all major repairs and jobs like that do take a little bit of the green stuff. I would like to have the blown blue jean type or the soy foam for our attic. I know those do cost a little bit of money so saving is the way we have to do it. If you have areas around the outside of your home that you could caulk it keep the weather and pest out than that will be the way to go. I must admit we should take note this spring and check again to see about any leaks around our foundation, and fill them. I has to be warmer for me I must admit I am not a cold person. Checking around the internet for products to seal up your home is a great way to find eco friendly products to use.

Here are some links to a few sites:
The Green Home Guide - this has three insulation ideas for your home
Reduce My Energy - products for winterizing
Tiger Foam - this is a foam that you spray yourself.
Green Depot, and Safe Coat - These are a couple of sites that have eco-friendly caulking.
Happy hunting and weatherizing your home. If you would like to share with others what you have done to save energy and winterize your please leave a comment. Thanks!