Spray Foam Insulation in Allegan, MI

Spray Foam Insulation in Allegan begins with one of the oldest housing stocks in West Michigan. Point2Homes' census summary shows 42.2% of the city's homes were built in 1939 or earlier, with another 10.7% from the 1950s and 18.9% from the 2000s. About 69% are detached houses and 68.7% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.

A mill town on the river

The men whose names are on Allegan's downtown streets patented land here in 1833, drawn by water power on the Kalamazoo River. A dam and sawmill were running by 1835, the name was coined by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft in 1837, the village organized in 1838 and city incorporation was authorized in 1907. Perrigo was founded in Allegan in 1887.

What old Allegan houses need

Houses from the 1800s and early 1900s here typically have plaster walls with nothing in them, balloon framing that carries basement air straight to the attic, a fieldstone or block foundation, and an attic with a few inches of old material. The order of work is usually the attic floor and the open framing tops first, the rim joist and sill second, and dense-pack in the walls third.

Newer homes too

Nearly 19% of the city's homes date from the 2000s. Those have code insulation but often leaky attic hatches, bonus rooms and rim joists covered only with a batt. Foam on the rim is a quick improvement.

Winter here

Allegan has a humid continental climate. At Kalamazoo's airport, about 25 miles away, January lows average 18.1F and the record low is -22F. Ice dams on old roofs here usually mean warm air is leaking into the attic.

A typical Allegan visit

We start in the attic, measure what is there, look at the chimney, plumbing stacks and wall tops, and check for knob-and-tube wiring. In the basement we look at the sill, the rim and the foundation for moisture. On the walls we check whether anything is in the cavities and how the siding is attached. You get a written quote that lists each area separately, so you can do the attic and rim this year and the walls next year if that suits your budget.

Code targets for an old house

Allegan County sits in Climate Zone 5A. Michigan's code table lists R-38 for ceilings and R-10 continuous or R-13 cavity for basement walls, and the DOE recommends R-49 to R-60 in an existing Zone 5 attic. An 1890s house will never match a new one in the walls, but a sealed attic at R-49 or more and a foamed rim joist get it much closer.

Call (269) 397-4757 or get a free estimate and we will come out, look at the attic and basement, and write up a price.