Kristi's Studio

Studio Progress — Electrical, HVAC and Spray Foam Insulation

Three out of the four things that I hired the contractor to take care of have been finished. All of the electrical has been finished to the point it needs to be before drywall goes up. The HVAC ductwork has all been rerouted. And the spray foam insulation went in yesterday.

front wall of studio with spray foam insulation in walls and vaulted ceiling

I’ve only ever had spray foam in an attic, so it was very interesting watching how they had to do the walls and vaulted ceiling. The spray foam initially puffs up and sticks out past the studs and rafters, so then they have to go back and shave off all of the excess so that the drywall will fit right up against the studs and rafters.

It’s an incredibly messy process!!

studio during spray foam insulation process - foam sprayed and being shaved on walls and vaulted ceiling
studio during spray foam insulation process - shaved foam from walls covering the floor

I was amazed that they got it finished and cleaned up as quickly as they did. They arrived at 7:30 and began taping up doors and windows, and then started spraying around 8:30 or so. They had everything sprayed, shaved, and cleaned up by around 1:30 or 2:00.

There’s one area inside the studio vaulted ceiling that they didn’t do because the new carport roof extends over that area, so they sprayed that area between the carport roof (i.e., the new roof) and the studio roof (i.e., the old roof). So while it looks like part of the room isn’t insulated, it really is.

back area of studio - half bathroom- closet with spray foam insulation in walls and ceiling

And they didn’t insulate any of the interior walls, either. They drywall guys will be using RockWool Soundproofing insulation between the interior walls before they install the drywall.

breakfast room side of the studio with spray foam insulation in walls and vaulted ceiling

And speaking of dyrwall, that’s starting today! They’re here right now getting everything ready to start the drywall.

front wall of studio with spray foam insulation in walls

It’s getting exciting! And we’re getting so close to the fun parts!

But even in its current state, it’s a far cry from what I started out with. It started out looking like this…

And now it looks like this…

portico side of studio with spray foam insulation in walls and vaulted ceiling

Those two pictures are of the same corner of the room. Where there once was a garage door, there is now a window. And where there was once just a solid wall, there is now a side door. And of course, the current floor of the studio is about 16 inches higher than the original garage floor was.

I love finally seeing this progress!

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33 Comments

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  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Jason
    February 26, 2019 at 9:48 am

    Looks like they’ve made great progress! Very exciting. Xx

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    PEggy
    February 26, 2019 at 9:59 am

    You are going to love, love, love the spray foam insulation. We did our basement walls with this when we had to do some work due to a water issue. Wish it could have been the entire thing, but that would have meant taking down all the good drywall just because. Nope! We also did outside walls in upstairs bathrooms when we remodeled. If we were ever to build again, we would absolutely go the expense of all outside walls being finished with spray foam insulation. What a difference it has made here in upstate NY!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Dale
    February 26, 2019 at 10:11 am

    Just looking at your room after they shaved the insulation made mecwant to sneeze!!! I cant wait to see your next few steps

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Theresa P
    February 26, 2019 at 10:13 am

    Very exciting! I feels like you’re going to be able to get to the pretty stuff SO QUICKLY, as compared to if you had done all of that yourself.

    I do have one question, though. Not to be too negative, but it seems like there is a lot of waste on the floor after the scraping? Or does it just look that way from the pictures? Are there any environmental concerns over that? I know that current insulation is so much more efficient than what we used in the past. Just curious.

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Kristi
      February 26, 2019 at 4:25 pm

      It’s very fluffy, so they compacted it all into about four or five large trash bags.

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Cliff Smith
      February 26, 2019 at 9:30 pm

      I install spray foam insulation for my job and there is no environmental concern in its finished state. Those shavings are not toxic. And all that could be compacted to fit in one garbage bag with the right equipment.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kathy from Tennessee
    February 26, 2019 at 10:15 am

    I love this room! I love the pitch of the ceiling, those big windows, oh, the possibilities and the spaciousness! I’m loving following along during this part…So exciting to watch this progress!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Judy
    February 26, 2019 at 10:27 am

    Wowee scowee! Very exciting! What is the R value of the spray foam, do you know?

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Kristi
      February 26, 2019 at 10:30 am

      I have no idea. I know it’s better than bat insulation, but I don’t know the specific R-value.

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Kristi
      February 26, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      I actually just got the invoice for the insulation, and here are the line items:

      Insulate and seal exterior walls of structure with 1/2 lb density open cell foam at an approximate thickness of 3-1/2″. (R-13)

      Insulate and seal roofdeck of structure with 1/2 lb density open cell foam at an approximate thickness of 5-1/2″. (R-21)

      So it looks like it’s an R-value of 3.7 or 3.8 per inch of thickness.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Sherre
    February 26, 2019 at 10:35 am

    Open cell foam insulation has an R-value around 3.5, closed cell foam insulation is around 6 or 7.!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Sue
    February 26, 2019 at 10:53 am

    Looking good with a lot accomplished this week, so far. Once the drywall is up, you can really go to town on this room.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Joan A Hornung
    February 26, 2019 at 11:12 am

    Well THIS IS EXCITING! So glad you went this route – it takes some of the nasty work off your plate, and now you can really concentrate on the more beautiful/practical things you are planning – it is going to be such fun to see how you finish this space. Of course we are all going to be so jealous!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Sue2
    February 26, 2019 at 11:19 am

    I’m so excited for you! You’ve got a great crew going with you on this journey…..us too😀. .

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Bridget
    February 26, 2019 at 11:19 am

    It looks like it meets the dog’s approval.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Mary
    February 26, 2019 at 11:25 am

    Good to see that Cooper is obviously happy with the progress. They like to ‘supervise’, don’t they?

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Marianne in Mo.
    February 26, 2019 at 11:29 am

    Saw your IG video yesterday, and couldn’t wait to see a post! So exciting! They must really like you, I thought they told you 2-3 weeks before they could start! I bet you are glad you hired this out, because you would not be near this point yet on your own, and like you said – soon you’ll be on to the pretty part!

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Kristi
      February 26, 2019 at 4:16 pm

      I actually expected them to start right away, but he said it would take three weeks to finish. They do seem to be making great time on it, but the drywall will be a lot slower than the rest. I asked them today how long they think it’ll take, and he said it will probably be finished by the middle of next week. So definitely less than the estimated three weeks!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    chiflipper
    February 26, 2019 at 12:03 pm

    Sprayed foam insulation is amazing. You will save at least a third on the studio cooling cost.
    Eagerly awaiting further developments.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Jana Leigh
    February 26, 2019 at 12:05 pm

    That is major progress! So happy you were able to let someone else do these difficult parts of the project for you. Love seeing Coop on the job, too. What a cutie he is.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Linda
    February 26, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    I’m so dang happy for you! And I’m so happy for us out here following you too….getting to the fun parts soon! Onward you go 😉 I do hope your hand has healed up.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Rose
    February 26, 2019 at 12:19 pm

    How very exciting! Good for you for hiring this out, many hands make light work! Cooper looks so healthy. Kristi, you and Matt are such a positive light and influence in my life. Thanks for being you.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    janice dinse
    February 26, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    Oh Boy! This is so exciting! Looks great so far. Can’t wait to see your progress. So glad they were able to get it all done within a few days.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Brenda Pawloski
    February 26, 2019 at 1:33 pm

    Hi Cooper! Looks like you’re hard at work supervising and inspecting. 😉

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Barbara H.
    February 26, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    I’m sure your shoulders and hands thank you! Looks great.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    vicki Maiorano
    February 26, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    That was quick! You must be pleased 🙂

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Tammy (Pa)
    February 26, 2019 at 3:02 pm

    I’m so happy for you…!! I know it cost a pretty penny but you will do wonders on this HUGE space… We all can’t wait to see what you create..!!!
    LOVE YOUR WORK….!!!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Vicky Henson
    February 26, 2019 at 3:02 pm

    Looks great. I am so happy for you. By the way, Cooper rocks my world! Love him!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kelley
    February 26, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    This room will be the “Grand Ballroom” of your home! Can’t wait to see it filled with all the “pretties” . Oh what a sight to see, it will be. I can hear all the gasping 😲 of “oh and awe” from everyone now 😍

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Crystal Griffith
    February 26, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    Love spray foam! Just can’t get past the “fungus amongus” look as they finish the spraying. No way would I attempt to tackle that! Is the 1/2 lb foam going to be OK in the Texas heat? I checked on doing this in my shop (steel building) and was told that I needed 2 lb foam to handle the FL heat on the steel roof.

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Kristi
      February 26, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      I can definitely see how you’d need denser material for a metal building in a hot climate. I’m trusting that the 1/2 lb will suffice for a wood structure. Fingers crossed! 🙂 Actually, I can already tell a big difference in the room without the drywall, so I’m confident it’ll be fine.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Debbie Prachyl
    February 26, 2019 at 3:42 pm

    Progress is exciting! We had the spray foam insulation done and I too thought it was cool. Messy but cool. It works really well for us even in an attic in the Texas summer.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Tirsa
    February 26, 2019 at 8:05 pm

    Ooooh this is so exciting!!!