Kansas Home Destroyed By Tornado Rebuilt And Insulated With Spray Polyurethane Foam

GOESSEL, KS – February 28, 2013 – Kansas is well known for its tornado activity thanks in part to the movie The Wizard Of Oz, but experiencing such an event first-hand from the confines of your own basement is no joyride over the rainbow. A homeowner in the town of Goessel lost his entire house during a tornado, while taking cover in his basement. Although he was not hurt, the home was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt. He opted to have spray foam insulation installed in the newly constructed residence and contacted Optimum Spray Foam to do the job.

The new residence was a modular, ranch-style home that was perfectly square, according to Optimum owner Evan Ratzlaff.

"It was the only one we've done in a while with just four outside walls," he said.

The homeowner opted for spray foam insulation because he wanted to make his new home more energy efficient. Optimum tried to convince him to use closed-cell spray foam for the building envelope since its properties could potentially help enhance its structural integrity since it is located in an area subjected to high winds. The homeowner chose to use open-cell for the exterior walls and roof deck, however, due to up-front costs.

Optimum prepared the house for spray foam application by covering the windows, showers, and doors with plastic sheeting to protect them from overspray. No tarp was needed since the finished floors were not yet installed.

Three crewmembers, including Ratzlaff, used a Graco Reactor E-30 to apply 2 inches of Gaco Western's WallFoam 180 3M 2 lb. closed-cell spray foam to the crawlspace. They then applied an average of 4 inches of Gaco Western's GacoGreen 052 WallFoam 0.5 lb. open-cell spray foam to the exterior walls. Six inches of GacoFireStop open-cell foam was applied to the roof deck.

Workers wore fresh air masks during the project, but no fans were needed for ventilation purposes as they were working inside an open building. Scaffolding was used while crewmembers sprayed the roof deck. No other trades were present during the spray foam application.

The entire spray foam project was completed in about two days in February of 2013. The total spray area was roughly 5,000 square feet. The homeowner was very pleased with the results of the spray foam installation and told Ratzlaff he is considering making the new home even more energy efficient in the future.

"Somewhere down the road," Ratzlaff said, "he wants to come up with a way to be totally off the grid."

About Optimum Spray Foam: Optimum Spray Foam is a full-service spray foam contractor providing open and closed-cell spray foam insulation for residential and commercial properties in the Wichita, Kansas area including Northern Oklahoma, Western Missouri, and Southern Nebraska. The company also specializes in fiberglass and blown-in cellulose insulation applications. They are a licensed, bonded, and insured insulation contractor. All technicians are fully trained in the latest spray foam techniques. Optimum Spray Foam proudly uses Gaco Western Insulation products. For more information about Optimum Spray Foam, please use the contact details and links provided below.