Ask Kevin: How much does blue jean insulation really cost?
22 Jan '07 from Kevin Contreras
Dear Kevin:
Came across your show for the first time on PBS this weekend.
Interesting concept with using hay, but there may be health concerns that you may have covered in previous shows. If someone is allergic to hay and if the building "breathes" it may not be good. Did you talk about this in earlier shows? I hope you discussed what parts of the country hay could be used and should not be used.
Also you talked about bluejean insulation, but you didn't talk about the cost compared to other alternatives. It appears that cost to you is a minor issue, but in real life it is important.
Will tune in again next week.
Regards,
Craig
Hi Craig,
Have you ever heard the saying, "Hay is for horses." It is, and our house is made of straw. Straw is the stalk of any grain bearing grass after the grain has been removed. Hay fever is not something you get from the stalk but from airborne pollen. When the walls are completed, the bales are incased in plaster, not seen or smelled, so even someone allergic to straw would not be affected. The walls are not really breathable, but permeable, and bale construction can be done in all places but the very humid.
When we built the house, cotton insulation was very new and quite expensive. As larger quantities are made and competitors are emerging, prices are coming down.
Thanks for watching,
Kevin
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According to the website
According to the website this material is eligible for the federal tax credit. This would help defer some of the cost to build green.
http://solarglobalgreen.com
I guess these prices work
I guess these prices work for every state, right? I live in Rochester and I wanted to know how much would cost to insulate the roof in order to prepare for winter.
Where to Find Blue Jean Insulation
Hi all, the blue jean insulation used in the show came from Bonded Logic in Arizona. They have a distributor look-up service on their site:
http://bondedlogic.com/search.aspx
- maxmsf
Blue Jean Insulation
With regard to blue jean insulation featured in the program. A Search for price and distributers has proved difficult. That's probably because the domain 'bluejeaninsulation.com' is for sale. I'm guessing the company no longer exists. Shame, it looked like a good product.
Blue Jean Insulation
Hey i was just wondering if the blue jean insulation was available anywhere in Canada??
Thx
salvaged insulation
Hi all,
A year ago I built an experimental house and am experimenting with using bags of unprocessed old clothing from our local goodwill directly as insulation. So far the insulation is working really well, it's free and it keeps those clothes out of the landfill.
Lots of people, myself included, had concerns like bugs,mice,smell,moisture, loss of r value through compression etc. I'm still watching this, looking for the downside and hope for the best.
The walls of the house are 2 feet thick, built like an R-2000 style so there is room to walk around in the insulation space and attic.
If this works, it can demonstrate there is a green answer for ordinary people without fat wallets.
Anybody out there ever try this?
G
Blue Jean Insulation
Hi kevin, I'm a Construction Tech/Management student at SUNY Canton, NY. I saw your show this past weekend and wanted to investigate further. I have a couple questions for you: What is the R-Value for the Blue Jean insulation? How available is it to customers on the east coast? (special order?) and lastly What happens to the product if wet? (does it matt down, lose R-Value?) Thank you for your time, hope to hear from you soon.
Cost
I too was interested in the cost and found a distributor, Marjam, in Newburgh NY. They told me that R-13 is $1.50/sq foot. R-13 Batted Fiberglass Insulation from Owens Corning is $0.39/sq foot. Man, that is almost 4 times the cost of fiberglass. Now I know that it is better to use recycled material and I am all for it but why in the hell does it cost so much? Unfortunately I have to stick with Fiberglass or else I can't afford to pay for food.
I Agree With Vinny
Until the cost comes down some more in my are this is definately not really an option I can utilize. It might be ok for smaller projects but would be a hard pill to swallow for a whole house
Jerod
I heard about this
I heard about this insulation and was interested in the cost but after alot of searching I have found that the material price for R-13 is $0.79/sq foot and the price for R-19 is $0.98/sq ft. although this is higher it is within reason and the companies are willing to negotiate with orders over 1600 sqare feet. Your estimate might have included instalation
Where did you find this cost on blue jean insulation?
I have not found it to be that ineexpensive so far--please share with me your location/vendor. I costed it out for a 17 x 64 roof. The one end has cathedral ceilings. This is a complete house renovation in DC.
r-value and cost of blue jean insulation
was watching your show and saw the blue jean insulation. was wondering if we can get it in Canada. we are building a house and was looking for options on insulation. this would be perfect for us. if not available in Canada is it available in North Dakota or South Dakota.
Hurricanes?
I will be relocating from Florida to Georgia and have discussed building green with my daughter. Georgia can be humid at times, would it still be possible to use straw; also, how will this hold up with hurricanes?
Straw Bale construction in the South
Hi,
The Burritt Mansion in Huntsville AL was made in 1938; it's pretty humid in Alabama.
Here is a link to a photo:
http://huntsville.about.com/library/bl04montesanotour7.htm
Blue jean
Hello,
I live in Texas. I am very excited about this product. Have a lot of questions.
Is it suited for extreme heat.
Is it fire safe?If so what chemicals do they use to make it safe and is it good for you.
What happens if you have roof leak. (do we get soggy walls?) Is mold likely to be a greater problem?
Chanda Dallas Texas