High-Quality Wall Construction for Energy-Efficient Homes

Benefits of Upgrading Your Home's Walls for Improved Insulation

Bob Cook Homes has been doing Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) longer than anyone in Wichita, and that is still the highest-performing wall that we build in terms of raw strength. However, due to the cost of ICF, we have come up with a variety of construction techniques for different budgets to increase strength and performance.

Many of our clients ask about 2 by 6 construction, and for many budgets it makes sense. The walls are 66 percent stronger and more rigid, and room sizes are relatively unaffected. This is a good initial step into a higher-performance envelope. This style creates an R19 wall. Combined with closed-cell foam and cellulose fill it’s an R24 wall.

The single biggest improvement a customer can make to a home is by installing exterior insulation to a project. We accomplish this by using Huber’s Zip-R 6. This product allows us to wrap the entire project in one inch of foam insulation protected by Zip’s exterior sheathing. This product creates a much tighter, quieter home without a complicated installation. This is the same R-value of the 2 by 6 wall, but performs much better, as the insulation is continuous, not starting and stopping at each piece of lumber.

The next step up is combining 2 by 6 or 2 by 8 walls with the exterior foam for a truly superior wall assembly. None of the inside lumber touches the outside, so thermal bridging is eliminated. The sound deadening is eerie: anything below a 60-mile-and-hour wind gust won’t be heard in the house whatsoever. This construction, combined with our absolute attention to detail with air-sealing the house leads to a pest-free, dust and allergen-free building envelope that is a different level of comfort altogether. These walls will be R25-up to R40-depending on thickness and whether closed-cell foam is used or not. Additionally, they will be up to 350 percent stronger than a code house wall.

Ready to enhance your home's comfort and energy efficiency with our premium wall solutions? Contact us today for a free consultation and discover how our expert team can transform your space!