Unpopular opinion: spray foam insulation isn't always the best choice

I compared spray foam to rigid foam board in my 1950s Edmonton bungalow attic last fall, and the rigid foam actually performed better for half the cost. The spray foam contractor quoted me $4,200, but I did the rigid foam myself for $1,800 and my heating bill dropped 30% this January. Has anyone else found a situation where the expensive option didn't pay off?

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kim6932mo ago

Gotta disagree with you on this one. I put spray foam in my old Vancouver crawl space a couple years back and my hydro bills stayed consistently lower even through those damp, cold winters. Did you factor in the labor and your own time with that rigid foam install?

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the_parker2mo ago

Counted the hours I spent crouched in my attic cutting rigid foam around those stupid roof trusses and it came out to maybe 10 hours total, which is way less than the time I've wasted doomscrolling on here. My wife still brings up the pink fiberglass dust that ended up in her laundry somehow, like I personally attacked her wardrobe. But honestly that $2,400 difference paid for our whole Christmas and then some, so my back pain was worth it. Guess the real question is whether your crawl space ever turns into a raccoon hotel like my neighbor's did with spray foam.

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