How much insulation do you have? Is it enough?

[poorsage]

DIYers, did you add insulation to your house?
Was it enough?
I’d like to know what insulation levels people have.
In particular those who feel the have enough. (Probably the minority if you live in Japan!)
Thickness of insulation, type, R or U value totals.
General location too, as obviously a lot of differences from one end of Japan to another.
Any info appreciated as I’m currently renovating an old farm house and can’t decide how much to spend, or how much to alter the fabric of the building to gain sufficient levels.
I’m about 30 mins from Niigata city, just before the foothills, so have to contend with moderately snowy winters, and humid summers.

[Zasso Nouka]

We have Neoma Foam insulation in our walls and roof and so far been very happy with it. Can't remember exactly how much is in there but think it's around 100mm or 120mm and it certainly provides a good level of insulation. It's not cheap but is well worth it and easy to work with. There are all the insulation figures available in the the website.

We're in Chiba so we don't get as much snow as you do but as the skies are often crystal clear here at night we often dip down to -4 or -5C yet the house stays warm. I will say though we do have the maki stove burning through the night and also the concrete pad our house sits on get heated up on sunny days from the passive solar roof so that is extra heat to take into consideration.

Noema Foam panels are pretty easy to work with and totally fireproof.

[Ibaraki llama]

We're getting Neoma foam put in our house too! Great to hear that it's working well for you, as I was a bit concerned it was too thin, but the architect assured me it was very good.

[Zasso Nouka]

It certainly is very good and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Tora]

Neoma foam is the most expensive but best. Styrofoam pink or blue is next on expense list and more insulation for the thickness. fiberglass batt is cheapest and not too bad to work with- get a hammer tacker, a respirator, and some coveralls and get it all done as soon as possible so you don’t itch too much.

Neoma foam (autocorrected to ‘Nekka glam?!) was too much for our budget but it was recommended as the best by pros. I Put 100mm of fiberglass insulation in the roof and walls on our addition. Rolling the fiberglass out on top of the drop ceilings in the existing house was not so hard other than balancing on round beams and the 25 cm plank I was using in to 30-80cm high attic space with nails sticking down out of the roof. I kept having visions of falling through the ceiling and wondering how much beer or time would be needed to find it funny. Get the attic done in the cool season unless you really like to suffer.

90-100mm Standard styrofoam (pink) in the bathroom walls ceiling and floor where moisture condensation might at some point be an issue. Fiberglass apparently doesn’t insulate when damp so providing ventilation between underside of roof and top of insulation seems to be the norm nowadays. It should help carry out heat absorbed through the roof too. Trying to decide on 30mm Styrofoam or 50mm fiberglass compacted into 30mm space in floors (it’s all I can get in there). Apparently termites really like that foam insulation and I’m not sure if I want that in the floor. On the other hand there is a lot of moisture in the subfloor in the wet season so fiver might not be good there either.

We’re near the ocean in Tokushima and the humid heat in summer and windy damp cold in winter make more insulation better in my book. Put as much insulation in as you can (afford). If it’s not insulated well you’ll be paying more to heat the space and you’ll still be cold. Not sure at what point we’ll break even but I want my home to be comfortable and not require more climate control than necessary.

Also, I put 50mm fiberglass insulation I had leftover in the roof of an attic storage area and the ceiling is HOT in the summer but not in the living area next to it with 100mm fiber.

I found cutting the styrofoam insulation (turn the blade around in your electrical circular saw! Or stress yourself out with a Olfa knife) to be annoying and time consuming compared to working with the fiberglass which went quick when the ceiling and wall framing was laid out regularly. You can also order your Neoma and styrofoam precut from some suppliers (for a price).

Good luck!

[Tora]

Correction/ clarification!
Should have typed
“Styrofoam pink or blue is next on expense list and more insulation for the thickness than fiberglass.”

I seem to recall that Neoma foam has about twice the insulation (R) value as styrofoam per cm thickness. So if space is more of an issue than money....

Don’t wear yourself out. Or at least that’s what I need to remind myself.... It can be a lot of work doing all the planning, finding materials or proper methods, prep, work, cleanup, and so on all while paying the rent and trying to be part of the family.