Spray Foam Insulation in Hoover, AL

Spray Foam Insulation in Hoover deals with a newer kind of house than in Birmingham proper. Hoover counted 688 residents in 1970 and 92,606 in 2020, and almost all of its housing came in that half century. Point2Homes' summary of 2019-2023 Census survey data puts the median year built at 1994, with 22.4% of homes built in the 1990s and 22.8% from 2000 to 2009. Fewer than one in seven homes predate 1970.

The suburban house and its attic

Hoover straddles Jefferson and Shelby counties in the Appalachian foothills, and its neighborhoods run from Bluff Park and Green Valley to Riverchase, Greystone, Ross Bridge, Lake Cyrus and Trace Crossings. The two-story and story-and-a-half homes common in those subdivisions usually put the air handler and most of the ductwork in the attic. They also tend to have bonus rooms over the garage, vaulted family rooms and complex rooflines that leave short attics and kneewalls behind sloped ceilings. These are the places where batts were laid in quickly and air leaks freely.

Why bonus rooms run hot

A bonus room over a garage often has attic on three sides, a garage below and a roof just above its sloped ceiling. The kneewalls and sloped sections were typically insulated with batts held in place by little more than gravity, and the floor over the garage may have gaps along the rim. On a summer afternoon that room gains heat from every direction. Foaming the kneewalls and the floor of the short attics behind them, or encapsulating the whole roofline, is the most reliable fix.

Encapsulation is common here

Because so many Hoover houses keep the HVAC in the attic, attic encapsulation with open-cell foam on the roof deck is one of the jobs we price most often here. Alabama's amended 2015 energy code, as summarized by Alabama Power, accepts R-20 of spray foam in a semi-conditioned attic as equivalent to the R-30 ceiling requirement. Where the attic holds no equipment, sealing the attic floor and adding blown-in insulation is the lower-cost route, and we quote both when either would work.

Homes from the 1970s and 1980s

The 1970s (14.4%) and 1980s (13.1%) homes in the older parts of the city often have the first generation of attic ductwork, now 40 or more years old, plus attic insulation that has settled well below today's recommendations. They are good candidates for duct sealing by an HVAC contractor followed by fresh blown-in insulation, or for encapsulation if the ducts are being replaced anyway.

Questions to ask any Hoover insulation company

When you compare spray foam insulation contractors for a Hoover house, ask whether they will seal the kneewalls and the bonus room floor or only spray the roof deck, what thickness of foam they plan on each surface, and how they will handle a gas furnace or water heater in the attic. A quote that names each area, its foam type and its R-value is easier to compare than a single lump sum.

Tell us which rooms run hot and where your air handler sits, and we will look at the attic and price the options. Get a free estimate