Spray Foam Insulation in Appleton, WI

Spray foam insulation in Appleton earns its keep in a climate that sees nearly 50 inches of snow a year and January nights that average about 10°F. Foam fills and seals in one step, so it stops the air leaks that loose fill and batts let through. We are spray foam insulation contractors who also dense-pack walls, blow attics and remove old material, so the plan for your house is built from what it needs, area by area.

Houses from every era

Appleton was settled in 1847 and became a city in 1857, and it more than doubled from 1950 to 2020. That gives the Fox Cities an unusual spread of houses: brick and frame homes near College Avenue and the river, postwar neighborhoods that filled in during the 1950s, and subdivisions in Grand Chute, Harrison and Greenville built in the last 25 years. Each era has its own weak spots, and we cover what to expect on the town pages.

Closed cell vs open cell

Closed-cell foam is dense and stiff. HomeGuide rates it at R-5 to R-7 per inch, and at working thickness it slows vapor and does not soak up water, so it goes on rim joists, basement and crawl space walls and steel buildings. Open-cell foam expands much more, rates R-3.5 to R-3.7 per inch and costs less per square foot. It seals air and quiets sound in interior walls and roof lines where moisture is planned for. Loose cellulose, at R-3.1 to R-3.8 per inch, is often the better buy across an open attic floor once it is sealed.

The code in Zone 6

Outagamie and Winnebago counties are both in Climate Zone 6A. The Insulation Institute's summary of Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code, which is based on the 2009 IECC, lists R-49 for ceilings and R-20 or R-13 plus R-5 continuous for wood-frame walls in Zone 6, and R-19 cavity or R-15 continuous for basement walls. Older houses are not required to meet those numbers, but they make good targets.

What spray foam insulation costs

National figures from HomeGuide put installed foam at $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot: open cell $1.50 to $3.50, closed cell $3.00 to $5.00. A rim joist job typically runs $2,000 to $2,500 and a whole house $8,000 to $20,000, and many installers have a $1,000 to $2,000 minimum. Fixr's whole-house range is higher, $10,000 to $30,000. We measure first, and your written estimate is the price.

Picking among insulation companies

Ask any spray foam insulation company the same things: which product goes where and how thick, how they ventilate during spraying and how long you stay out (HomeGuide advises at least 24 hours), how they handle old wiring and old insulation, and whether you get R-values in writing. If those answers are vague, keep looking. Get a free estimate

We work in Appleton and across the Fox Cities: Grand Chute and Greenville on the west and north, Fox Crossing and Menasha to the south along Little Lake Butte des Morts, Little Chute, Kimberly, Combined Locks and Kaukauna down the Fox River to the east, Harrison, Sherwood and Buchanan on the Calumet County side, and Hortonville, Freedom and Black Creek out in the countryside. The river towns hold many of the oldest houses, often with empty walls and open rim joists. Grand Chute, Harrison and Greenville added thousands of homes since 2000, where the usual issues are bonus rooms, rims and unfinished basements. The rural towns add farmhouses, shops and pole buildings to the mix.