Closed-cell foam insulation in Mandan ND - rim joists that stay dry and sealed

If you've pulled a batt out of the rim joist in your basement and found damp, stained wood behind it, you're looking at the usual problem. In winter the inside of that rim joist is a cold surface, and fiberglass lets warm indoor air slip right through to it, so moisture condenses there and mold can follow. Sealing the rim tight is what cuts that risk, and the old batts usually have to come out first, which is where insulation removal comes in. The price moves with how many square feet we cover, how thick the foam goes and how much old material comes out, and the schedule turns on what we find behind the batts and the time your family spends out of the house afterward. The estimate is where we measure it all and give you your own number.

We use closed-cell foam where one layer has to do several jobs at once, and rim joists are the main place, because a cold, leaky spot like that needs sealing, insulating and moisture control all together. Where foam is more than the spot needs, I'll tell you and suggest something cheaper. On the job, our crew pulls the old batts and debris, and I check the wood underneath, because if there's rot or mold I'd rather stop and show you than bury it. Then we cover the floor and anything nearby, spray the foam in passes to the thickness we agreed on, go back over the gaps around pipes and wires, and clean up so the basement looks the way we found it or a little better.

Closed-cell isn't the only foam we spray. Open-cell foam insulation costs less and does fine inside walls and rooflines where moisture isn't the worry, so we'll steer you there when it fits. We also do commercial insulation for shops and other buildings, where the same cold rims and leaky walls turn up on a bigger scale.

Before any closed-cell foam job in Mandan, the first thing to settle is whether it needs a permit. Mandan's Building Inspection Department issues building permits and inspects that work, and the city answers residential permit questions at 701-667-3230. A North Dakota city that enforces a building code has to use the state's code, though it can change parts of it to fit local needs, so what the city says is what counts for your house. Whether your job needs a permit is the city's call, so we check before we start. When one's needed, we pull it and set up the inspections, and if you're not sure about yours, ask and I'll find out.

Most of what we open up here is older basements with batts shoved into the rim joist and stained wood behind them. We see the same rims on jobs all over Mandan and across the river in Bismarck, so we plan for pulling old insulation and looking at the wood before any foam goes on.