Spray Foam Insulation in Homewood, AL

Spray Foam Insulation in Homewood often means working on houses that are close to a century old. Homewood incorporated on December 29, 1926, just over Red Mountain from downtown Birmingham. That same year Clyde Nelson began developing Hollywood Boulevard, selling it with the slogan "Out of the Smoke Zone, Into the Ozone." Architect George P. Turner designed many of the houses in Spanish Colonial Revival and English Tudor styles, and the Hollywood Historic District was listed on the National Register in 2002.

A city of 1950s and earlier houses

Point2Homes' summary of 2019-2023 Census survey data puts Homewood's median year built at 1967. About 11.6% of homes date to 1939 or earlier, 7.5% to the 1940s and 21.6% to the 1950s. Oak Grove, annexed in 1955, added to the post-war housing. Homes from those decades share a few traits: walls with little or no insulation, attics that have been patched over many years, and crawl spaces under raised floors.

Stucco, tile and flat sections

Spanish Colonial Revival houses bring their own puzzles. Stucco walls, tile roofs and low-slope or flat roof sections over porches and additions often leave little or no attic space to work with. Where there is no attic, closed-cell foam against the underside of the roof deck, sprayed during a reroof or from below where framing is open, is often the only way to insulate. Tudor-style houses tend to have steep roofs with finished upper rooms and short kneewall attics, which leak heat in the same way as story-and-a-half houses.

Shades Creek and crawl spaces

Shades Creek, part of the Cahaba River system, runs through the city, and low-lying lots near it can stay damp. Crawl spaces in those areas need careful attention to drainage before they are sealed. Once water is managed, a vapor barrier, sealed vents and closed-cell foam on the foundation walls keep the space under the house dry through the humid months.

Renting and renovating

The 2020 census counted 10,942 housing units in Homewood, with 10.7% vacant and a rental vacancy rate of 16.1%, reflecting a large share of rental housing. Whether you own a rental or are renovating your own home, open walls during a remodel are the easiest moment to bring an old house up to modern levels.

Bungalows and post-war cottages

Outside the Hollywood district, many Homewood streets are lined with smaller 1940s and 1950s houses with low attics and raised floors. Those attics are often too shallow to walk in, so careful air sealing near the eaves and blowing insulation from the center is the practical approach. Under the floor, these houses usually sit on piers or block with open vents, and we check for termite damage and moisture before recommending a liner and sealed vents.

Tell us the style and age of your Homewood house, and we will look at the attic, walls and crawl space. Get a free estimate