Is Spray Foam Worth It? Dream Shop Ep6: Spray Foam in a barn 

First, I don't feel good about this video but I do think there's some important information here. I'll summarize below. I hope you can see past my frustration and take away some good points when talking a spray foam contractor if you have it installed. Or if you run a business, maybe take away some key points. 1. Make sure your installer is bringing 1 component and 2 component foam systems. The big 2 component gun can't spray everywhere, so they need 1 component to get into tight spots. 2. Your building probably has tricky spots that are just hard to spray at all, ask how they're going to handle those. 3. Expect delays, there's tons of finicky components in spray foam set ups and they need a lot of maintenance and parts break. 4. Have a respirator and check on their work before they pack up to make sure they did everything. On the recurring question about legal action. No, I'm not going to sue them. As I mentioned at the end, I refused to pay full price to offset the material I was going to have to buy to finish the job. That doesn't cover my time.. that's just how things go. For the time it'd take me to pursue legal action, attorney fees, and assuming I wouldn't have issues getting a judgment enforced (big assumption) - I'd probably just come out losing even more money taking legal action - because it'd be even more time my business isn't operating. And little known fact.. I actually graduated from law school with honors, that's what I was doing when I started this channel. So unless you're a very successful practicing attorney, I'm not going to debate the cost/benefit of a lawsuit. I don't need a guy in a robe to tell them they messed up, I know they did and they know they did. I just wanna get back to making videos about woodworking for you guys instead of the shop build!

Dont think I would've paid anything for that kind of a job.

I also had thin areas of spray foam insulation - I marked them with a sharpy called the company and they came back within 2 weeks and resprayed those areas and checked later if I was happy. Yes I am - heated my pole barn/shop with a 1500 watt heater to about 65oF last winter. I'd call that good

Your son showing up halfway through is a great reminder not to get too pissed off about this stuff. Hah. It'll turn out great - never hire those guys again!

We just got our metal building spray foamed (3.5" OC) and I was on site both days for the entire time. I caught several little problems (missed spots, thin spots, etc) and pointed them out. They fixed everything. Moral: be on site for every major contractor and don't write a single check until the job is done to your satisfaction. Second moral: only hire experienced and well-rated companies, even if they cost a little more. We paid about 20% more but got a great job (paid for 3.5", got up to 8" in a few spots). I'm sure I could find the oddball thin spot (nobody is perfect), but the job is done, paid for, and done well. I feel for ya, man.

Lol, your kid dance was hilarious

As a contractor of an insulation company, your building science is spot on. Kudos to you for knowing the errors, and better on how to correct them. Also, I'm apologizing on behalf of my trade. This is unfortunately common but entirely preventable. Sorry your experience was this negative. This was done too quickly, and should have been better, even at the lower price point.

Your kid 😆

This should be an easy conversation "I have a RU-vid channel. I'm going to detail the job you did. Your name will be used and if you're comfortable with your product, fantastic. If you'd like to maybe come back and retouch this, that might be a good idea. You have one week before I do this. Thanks so much! "

Sounds like you have grounds for legal action.

Yea!!!

Did you tell the contractor you was going to make this video? … I’d say you changed your expectations after the install it happens all the time people want a price and do not go into the details in detail you speak of prior to the installation in order to keep the price low.. I see it all the time after a job then the guy becomes an engineer after the fact..

I'm from S. Mississippi and would like to know who you used so I don't run into those same issues, can you send me their name, thanks.

Ugh. Sorry man. The other thing you have going against you is sliding doors don’t seal worth a crap. Too bad and overhead would cost you another 10 grand.

As a installer that is a shitty job I would of been fired for a job like that

They just sucked think they weren’t in business long or don’t know wth they are doing?

So you didn't have your contact specified as 3" minimum depth throughout the exterior envelope. So who's fault is that?

We all have bad days and equipment failures but fix your work 🙄

As a small business owner, and someone who has had bad contractors, I really appreciate this video. thanks for showing all the mistakes and how you attempted to resolve. And I agree that trying to have them stay around to "fix" things would make it worse or extremely uncomfortable. I would have dropped 40% off the balance owed and told them to take a hike.

Welcome to the new world order of work you pay allot for!!

who was the company so other people don't get ripped off.

SORRY GUY .... but thanks for shaing - good to know

At a minimum you should file a report with Better Business Bureau and possibly save someone else from going through the same thing.

Ha! Join the club of those with poor spray foam jobs! I'm currently embattled with my subs over how to proceed . . . major headache, bottom line, if you want something done RIGHT, do it YOURSLEF :(

There comes a point where I just buy the equipment, $8k and I'd be considering it

Edit: just got to the part explaining it was the only bid. Man that is a rip off! Sorry to hear hope you figure something out! I’d be contacting my lawyer. I understand what the other fellow said about low bid = low quality and amount of work. That said 3” and 3/4” is a HUGE difference, breach of contract.

This sounds to me like you know more than they do you should have just done it yourself man sound more than capable

How did it turn out with the fiberglass insulation on top? Didn't that create a condensation point in your wall?

that is ashame sorry that happened to you. I had foam sprayed in my house and it came out past the 2x4 framing and they shaved it off flush for the walls!

I know this was a hard one to post, but it is also very real. I think that is very important. And I’m glad that is over. Shop is looking great!

They don't have to proper work ethic.

The workmanship looks awful.

Wow that foam looks horrible sorry you had a bad experience with your local spray foam company,looks like the sprayer was very in-experienced, that looks like Demilac and it has been applied way to hot and the gun had a noticeable leak by the sound of the foam when you puncture it , I would have sued them.I think they may have under priced then cut corners to recover cost as well. But what do I know I’ve been doing spray foam in Canada for 20years

Yeah fuck all that. I'd stop payment on that company and pay a second contractor to assess the situation and give advice how to fix the first fuck up. And then give company A a chance to fix it or SUE. Lawyers and all that

I don’t care how “hard” it was to reach some spots, they bid the job and were under contract to complete it. If it was too difficult for them to complete then they’re in breach of contract and accept that they don’t get paid. If they had faulty equipment, that’s on them too. ESPECIALLY if they didn’t care for it properly. Leaving a bad review isn’t enough, make sure the Better Business Bureau knows, and I’d seriously consider legal action. If you take them to court you should be able to get compensated both for the shoddy work as well as any additional expenses. And they’re not allowed back to fix it as they’ve clearly shown they’re not capable or trustworthy. The more people that let this crap slide the worse the minimum standards get for these tools...

Haha, your son in the background! I'm guessing he's about 8? Mine is too 😂

Damn dude, I'd be pissed! I hear ya bro. Hope everything works out. Sorry to hear you had that happen man.

I do Google reviews. They get read. I recommend you do one. Keep it brief but let the a$$holes have it. I have some title suggestions for it but this is a family channel 😎

Who did this a crew of Gypsy's ? If this was me I would no have paid them, and I would have taken this video to my lawyer. This is one of the worse foam jobs I have see even here in Florida.

You are way too forgiving but thanks for showing us!

Wow they are cowboys

This is Important to share. Doing a post work inspection where the contractor is required to show they did everything is vital. Great reminder for everyone.

Do your homework before hiring any contractor!! I talked to a contractor about closed cell foam and he was adamant about spraying 1" in my shop, even after I told him that I haven't read, nor saw anything that supported 1" being suffice. After going back and forth with him, he offered to spray 1 1/2", which is a waste of money also. I told him, "if I'm paying you, then give me what I asked for." He told me that I was "shopping". I replied, " you are the reason people should shop." I ended up hiring someone else who gave me 3" on the sides and 4" on the roof.....exactly what I asked for. I told him about the other contractor and the way he insisted on me getting 1" or 1 1/2", he told me that he would've taken my money because it would've been ab big waste. There are honest contractors still out there, but once again, do your homework. Thank you for the video.

I am confused with this video. What kind of framing would you have used that 3/4" to less than 2" foam covers all the framing? I had a 200 year old building done and your job looks terrible. I would have sued that contractor!

Hey Caleb, good video. Great job sharing the issues and what to consider/look out for when contracting such work. I totally empathize with you. My new house, well its almost years 2 old, uses spay foam. Hard foam on concrete walls and soft foam on the rest. Yep, not the promised thickness and similar issues, but not nearly as bad as you are dealing with. Totally with you about people lying about their work. Your frustration is completely understandable AND i completely agree about not suing. I know you are way past this at the time of posting the video (the walls and burlap pics you shared on Instagram look AWESOME!). Praying 2021 is an awesome year for you and your family!

Caleb, I hope you told these guys off and reported them to the Better Business Breau. This is just not acceptable, even if they were a local company. I'm sorry you have to put up with this crap job, my friend. Felix I would pass this information on to Jay Bates. Isn't he from Mississippi also?

How will you attach a wall?

They were a shady contractor. Lots of those out there, but also tons of good ones. I would not pay the full amount. You pay what you feel is right and tell them to take you to court. Getting them off site is better than having them "Give it another Shot". Sorry that you had to experience this. I had a roofer take $6500 from me. He was to order material and never did and left the province. There is no getting that back!!

Why did you pay them?

That kind of crap the y did would not hav passed inspection at all here.

have you seen the mashal remodeling video? Another couple checked after seeing his and had similar issues.

Hi, that was a very bad job they did, if I was you I would have put the name of the company in the credits to warn any other potential customers of the quality of the job done. Spray foam can be a very good insulator and air tightness if done correctly, I would say you ended with a cowboy firm.

That was a terrible job but it's alot of the problem today that these guys don't care n there only out for a fast buck.

I'd at least be mentioning them by name in the video to warn others. Maybe sic the lawyer on them while you finish up and get back in business. Could at least get damages for the work you're having to do.

This is the reason I used 2 Inch xps foam board

I wont pretend we're long time buddies, but for as long as I've watched your channel or talked to you in DM, I'm confident this was not an easy video to upload. I had a couple minor issues with my foam contractor, but they were super attentive and resolved all my concerns, even going above and beyond on the pricing. That said, I have had my share of poor quality contractors, and I know how beyond frustrating it is. I love the message you're trying to convey here and ultimately it's "Have integrity. Have pride." Both are something I value greatly and I agree with you wholeheartedly. Sorry about your bad experience.

Dont feel bad. I had a similar situation. They had to come out 4 times to fix. Before they started i gave them specific instructions. I did all the work to close up the soffit vents. Attic is plenty accessible. Instructed.. Where not to foam due to a section needing to be vented. Ignored that and shot spray foam out the side of house and onto the yard. Their fix was to flood cavity with foam. (Clearly doesnt understand importance of vented). Asked them not to go to thick in one spot where there is tons of service passing through. They overfilled it. Anywhere there was hvac ducts.. They flooded the section behind there. Many sections were showing the roof deck ( sprayed one direction). They ran out of foam and had a new barrel brought to site. This layer was sprayed thin and had a incorrect mix and shrunk. Left one of the vent cavities unfilled. They came out again fixed some spots. Overfilled more sections that were unecessary. Came out again to fix the rest that they missed. Gun jammed up so they spent 6 hours fiddling with the gun. Came out again and finally finished. Its not perfect.. I will have to go in and touch up some. Buy like you.. I was tired of it. Office staff were all very nice. I have one more phase to do. I will be demanding a different crew and no errors.

The issue isn't with the material...for which I'm a believer for sure...it was with the contractor. I hope that perhaps you can find a way to hold them accountable since you did not get what you paid for. If anything, the contractor that did our home addition oversprayed, rather than undersprayed!

Nah, attic differential is greatest in summer if we’re talking attic temps vs inside temps. You still get tons of solar loading in winter, and if covered in snow (negating solar loading) the snow acts as a sufficient enough insulator. In FL a 90F day would be 130 easily on a light color shingled roof *with* a ridge vent. Slightly less with a proper, unblocked cathedral vent (eaves are vented along with ridge vent, worked on too goddamn many where some lazy fucks did blow in insulation and buried the eave vents, sometimes in a way that trapped hot outside air under the insulation and interior ceiling). 3.5” is way too much for a bare wall in one go. A framed wall, you can overfill then scrape. You really got shafted but if you signed a work agreement (purchasing contract, whatever) then they’re obligated to come back and correct it.

Seems like either they owe you another trip out to finish the job they were paid for, or they owe you a refund so you can hire people to do it the right way. I think the moral of the story is don’t pay your contractors in full until the job is done to spec and satisfaction. That’s the best piece of advice in the whole video. You should name them. I know it’s a relatively niche service in a specific area, but still people should know to steer clear.

I hope your taking these guy to small claims court to get your money back, and sue them for the money to fix it too.

I think you made the right decision in cutting your losses and moving on. No point in fighting on. Be nice to find a way to report them through the BBB or a local contractors association. I have been incredibly lucky in hiring contractors to build a house and all the sub-trades brought in were excellent as well. Small town Ontario....screw up and you are done. Keep up the good work... and I loved the dancing in the background lol.

Did you call them and complain? If so, what did they say? If that fails, please a negative Google review. You can call wherever financial institution you used to pay them and dispute the charge. I feel bad because when we talked I recommended closed-cell spray foam, and that's what you got, and you got a terrible install :/

That finish is absolutely appalling. The company that installed that should be ashamed.

I'm not one to sue unless it's just crazy bad. This is pretty close. That's one of the worst spray foam jobs I've ever seen. It looks like they let Ray Charles run the spray gun. But what I would do, is contact the BBB as well as your state's AG. I wouldn't have paid them a dime for that job. I hate that you ran into "that company". I would also recommend rating them on Google and putting a link to this video in the comment. Google reviews are extremely powerful.

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

Brutal. Should reveal the contractor name for the rest of the people in your area and embarrass the hell out of them.

Were they the low bidders?

Sorry to hear of your issues. Had a similar issue with concrete job at our home. Over promising and under delivering is a killer!!!

That is a real bummer.I hope I have better luck. My spray foam guys are coming in a couple weeks.

I hope you're suing them for not doing what they should have.

I admire how you've handled the whole situation. Major props for not calling them out publicly and for just moving on.

Glad your shop “insulated”. Thank you for the guide on what to look for and the questions to ask.

First off sorry you got screwed why are you not having him come back out to fix there mistakes ,We are wondering in the comments if you’re going to take legal action, again don’t understand why you don’t have them Come out and put the 3 inches in you can easily see it you should’ve never fixed any of the holes you should have them come back out here and make it right

You really should name this contractor.

Wow! So sorry you had to deal with such a mess! I hope everything works out for you in the end, Caleb. Cheers from Texas.

Yeah that's the down side to supporting local sometimes... I feel your pain... Crappy situation when I got the roof of my house replaced with a local contractor.

Excellent video!!! Very helpful to me at least.

That sucks man, contractors are always a gamble. From the looks of the space, foam kits to do it would probably only cost in the $2000-$3000 range. That depends on you being able to take the time to do it yourself though.

You're a better man than me!

My question is will you get condensation with the fiber glass batts ? prob won’t know till mid winter. The low foam can conduct cold which can cause condensation.

Yo when they spray 2-part polyurethane insulation foam, they should have sprayed a rubberized sealant layer first. Also the foam settles. They should have done a 3 inch layer in at least 2 sessions, not a single spray. That’s gonna sag.

Say who the company is so others don’t pay for there shitty work.

Despite your problems with the contractors spray foam seems to me the best alternative for insulating your metal building or house. What type of spay foam did you use?, I think there are of two kinds, one is poliuretane and the other is cellulose. As far as I know, Cellulose (paper) is eco friendly but it can be affected by humidity while poliuretane maybe can be contaminant. Any ideas about them?

I wouldn’t of even paid them. I would of just made them take me to court and then brought my evidence and said this is why I’m with holding payment your honor. They said they would be paid upon completion and the work isn’t complete. It’s only half done. I paid for however many inches and haven’t received that.

Caleb, I believe you mentioned in a prior episode about a grinder/cutoff blade with a lifetime guarantee that you use. What was that blade?

It's hard to believe that they were out there 5 x's and it looked like that.....! Cutting corners, they will be out of business soon. What state are you in? Did they spray a fire retardant? Or was it already in the foam?? You Need to do a test on the stuff you scrape off and see if it burns!! This is critical as closed cell is "very flammable" without retardant!! I hope they didn't cut that corner as well! It's an odd thing where you pay money to stabbed in the back..... just jim

Wow i know you didn't pay the full amount because of there shoddy work but man I'd be contacting a solicitor to deal with the hassle and the messy job they did. Considering that there's loads of people losing their job's because of covid etc you think these guys would have gone above and beyond to makesure you was as happy as a pig in shit with the end product!!! As always 💯%.. 👍🇬🇧. P.s. I hope you get it sorted soon without losing any money because of the delay etc!!

That is terrible. Around 20 years ago I had an attic sprayed, I was supposed to get 6" in the rafter bays (open cell), I got around 4". The company came back (2 1/2 hours away) and filled them to the agreed thickness. I can't imagine how upset you must have been. I hope they are out of business soon, that's what they deserve.

I hate companies that represent as professionals but don't hold up their end of a contract and do a half ass job, collect money and never to be heard from again. Have had the same thing happen to me in the past - I feel your pain. Problem the company that did this will change their name and do it again. Good luck to you sir.

Social media is a great way to discuss they job they did and get the word out about that company. I would not of paid for that job. I'm not sure if you can file a lawsuit now that you paid them. I hope they adjusted the price of their sorry work...

I Know how you feel,we bought a home warranty from Home warranty of america 1st time we went to use it after 3 years of paying for it they keep putting us off telling us a different story each time , come to find out they don't have any contractors in our area . Moral of the story ask before you sign up for these home warranties make sure they can actually service the contract

I wish Yelp reviews were this informative.

Also being a businessman myself, I've learned some people only learn by suing them, our small claims are up to $10K, with your pixs, they wouldn't have a prayer.

It is so hard to find a good contractor

In regards to the sprayers direction of spray? It’s relatively up to the technique,now most sprayers have no clue as to why they need to fallow the laws of physics

There is no way I would accept that as a finished product. I would fight tooth and nail to get it corrected before spending more money on the same thing twice.

One thing I've learned after going through many bad contractors is don't pay them the final amount till you have quality checked over their work. Also pay with a credit card if you can because you can file a dispute with the credit card company and get some or all the charges reversed if the job is not completed or done correctly.

Thanks for the video! I am going to have my billing sprayed after it is erected next month. I know not do pay a dime and tell them beforehand not to put their equipment away before I inspect.

this may have been answered but why didnt they just come back and fix the places they missed