Barndominium
Barndominium Insulation in Greater Houston
A steel shell over a living space is a condensation problem waiting to happen. Closed-cell against the underside of the panel is how you stop it.
Free on-site assessment across Greater Houston. A written scope before anything is ordered.
The work
Why barndominiums are their own job
A barndominium is a metal building with people living in it, and that combination creates a problem of its own. Steel conducts heat quickly and stays dry itself, so on a humid Houston night the underside of the panel drops below dew point and water forms on it. In an uninsulated shop that is an annoyance. Over a bedroom ceiling it is a leak.
Closed-cell foam sprayed directly against the underside of the roof and wall panels removes the cold surface entirely. Condensation stops because the foam separates the panel from indoor air.
It also stiffens the assembly it bonds to, which matters on a building that moves and drums in wind and rain. If the shell is still on paper, the new-construction route is the cheapest way to get this right, and the acreage work around it often gets scoped on the same visit.
Is this you?
The three common builds
They are insulated differently, and it is worth being clear which one you have.
Full living space
The whole envelope conditioned, sprayed like a house but on a steel frame.
Shop-house split
Living end conditioned, shop end insulated to a lower spec or left out entirely.
Shop with a future build-out
Insulated now for the shell, designed so the living end can be finished later.
On the written scope
What the scope covers
- Written scope before we start Areas, product, depth, exclusions and price.
- Roof panel underside Closed-cell, applied directly to the panel.
- Wall panels and girts Including over the purlins, in one continuous layer.
- Condensation control The reason the job exists, and the reason closed-cell is the answer here.
- Rain noise reduction A genuine side effect of a bonded layer on a steel panel.
- Penetrations and transitions Where the shop end meets the living end, and around openings.
- Depth verified as we go Recorded on the scope sheet.
- Overspray protection Windows, fixtures and anything already installed.
Straight comparison
Why closed-cell here
This is one of the jobs where the material chooses itself.
| What changes | Open-cell | Closed-cell |
|---|---|---|
| Against a steel panel | The panel can still reach dew point within the assembly | The foam separates the panel from indoor air |
| Water contact | Absorbs and releases | Resists bulk water |
| Adds rigidity to the shell | No | Yes, bonded to the panel |
| Rain noise | Some reduction | More reduction |
| Typical use here | Interior partitions and sound work | Roof and wall panels |
General material properties. Ask us for the manufacturer datasheet for whatever we propose for your building.
How it runs
One process, three stages
Best done before interior framing, and much cheaper then.
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1
Inspect
Someone comes out and walks the shell with you: roof and wall panels, the transition between the shop end and the living end, and every opening.
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2
Scope
What we are spraying, where, to what depth, which surfaces stay as they are, and what it costs. In writing, before anything is ordered.
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3
Install and verify
Overspray protection on windows and fixtures, then sprayed to the scope with depth verified as we go. We clean up, walk it with you, and leave the scope sheet behind.
Questions
Asked about this service
Partly. Anything still open to the panel can be sprayed. Where the ceiling and walls are already closed up, the options narrow considerably — which is why it is worth doing before the interior goes in.
It reduces it noticeably, because you are adding mass bonded directly to the panel that is doing the drumming. It softens rain and wind on the panel, and the building stays a steel building.
You can do part of it, as long as the transition between the conditioned and unconditioned ends is detailed properly. Handled loosely, the condensation simply relocates. We will cover that on the scope.
The visit is free. Someone comes out, looks at the building and gives you a written scope and a price, and the decision stays yours.
We work across 48 cities in the eight-county Houston–Galveston area — Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers, Liberty and Waller — plus a set of extended project markets beyond it. If you are near the edge of that, call and ask.
Free assessment
Tell us about your building
Someone comes out, walks it with you, and puts the scope in writing before anything is ordered.
- An on-site assessment, with the price written after someone has seen the building.
- A written scope: assembly, system, applied depth, exclusions and price.
- A straight answer when the cheaper system is the right one.