93.9% of our Past Customers in Edmonton Agree: Exterior Insulation is a Great Investment
Save Money While Enjoying Total Home Comfort All Year Round
Exterior insulation must be pretty special: how often do you find 93.9% of people agreeing on anything? I mean, you could walk down Whyte Ave on a Saturday afternoon with a heaping tray of freshly baked cookies and croissants, and you probably wouldn’t get 93.9% of people to take one.
But when Blue Jay ran a survey of 48 past clients who had included a layer of exterior insulation on their siding project, 93.9% of respondents agreed that it was a worthwhile investment. 0% of people disagreed, by the way. The other 6.1% of people just weren’t sure yet.
So what is it about exterior insulation that brings people together in such an uncommon display of unity? Simple math, really.
If you’ve got an older home that needs new siding, chances are that your exterior walls are original 2x4 construction, with either fiberglass or cellulose insulation. These walls simply aren’t thick enough to keep a house comfortable in Edmonton’s brutally bone-chilling winters (or sweltering hot summers).
The 2023 Alberta building code requires all new homes to have exterior walls with R22 of insulation value. A 2x4 wall with fiberglass insulation is only worth R12. That’s barely more than half of what a new home buyer gets.
If you’d rather not drive up your gas bill by running your furnace 24 hours a day, you might just have to get used to piling on the blankets. And no matter how hard your furnace works, you’ll always have some rooms that are colder than others (and maybe even frost on some of the floorboards).
This is where the simple math comes in.
Our average siding renovation project costs somewhere between $27,000 and $42,000. So if you’re already planning to get your siding replaced, that’s about what you’re going to spend. But the extra cost to add in a layer of exterior insulation is quite a bit less - usually somewhere between $6,000 and $11,000 depending on the project.
So for a relatively small added cost (that you’ll eventually get back on your utility bills) you can take your beautiful new exterior and upgrade it to a comfort boosting, energy efficient super-exterior. You won’t regret it. Just ask our past clients.
Three Major Benefits Of An Exterior Insulation Renovation
When you add a layer of exterior insulation to your siding renovation, you’re taking your total home comfort into your own hands. Not to mention, this is one home improvement that will literally pay for itself over time.
Lower Energy Bills
“SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. I’m not paying to heat the neighbourhood!” -My Dad, in 1993
I’ve got bad news for Dad - he was paying to heat the neighbourhood whether that door was open or closed. That’s because the 2x4 walls in older homes don’t come close to today’s energy efficiency standards.
And if all that warm air from your home is escaping to the outdoors, that means your furnace has to fire back up that much sooner. Burning more of your gas, and spending more of your money. (The same thing applies if you’ve got an air conditioner rumbling away outside in July and August.)
If you add insulation to your walls, your heating and air conditioning systems won’t have to work quite so hard, which keeps your gas and power bills down. And you’ll get a few more years out of your appliances too!
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![Hardie Plank Being Installed Over Strapping and Enerspan Insulation Panels]()
Hardie Plank Being Installed Over Strapping and Enerspan Insulation Panels
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![Hardie Plank Being Installed Directly Over 1" Enerspan Insulation]()
Hardie Plank Being Installed Directly Over 1" Enerspan Insulation
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![Hardie Panel Going Up Over Strapping and Enerspan Insulation Panels]()
Hardie Panel Going Up Over Strapping and Enerspan Insulation Panels
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![Exterior Insulation with vinyl siding in progress Edmonton AB]()
Vinyl Siding Being Installed Directly Over a 1.625" Layer of Enerspan Insulation
2. A More Comfortable Home
When winter sets in across northern Alberta, frigid doesn’t even come close to describing the temperatures. No matter how well your heating system works, you’ll still feel the chill inside your home.
And there always seems to be one or two rooms in every house that feel a few degrees colder than the rest.
Bringing your exterior walls up to a modern insulation standard will not only make your whole house more comfortable, but it will also level out the temperatures from room to room. No more catching a chill when you walk down the hall!
3. A Benefit To The Planet
In 2022, Blue Jay installed a new James Hardie siding exterior for Liana and Justin. Their 1960s bungalow was cold and drafty, so they asked us to install a 2-inch thick layer of insulation to help warm them up.
Liana and Justin hired a home energy specialist to prepare a report about their project, and the results were staggering. The improvements to the home reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 metric tonnes per year.
If 5.3 tonnes sounds like a lot, it is. Here’s a few other things that would also add 5.3 tonnes of greenhouse gases to the environment:
● Driving an average family car 21,721 km
● Burning 5,887 pounds of coal
● Cutting down 5.3 acres of forest
An exterior renovation in Edmonton can make an environmental impact similar to planting 5 acres of forest.
AND you get a warmer house.
AND the insulation upgrade will pay for itself over time.
WARNING: Don’t Make This Mistake
Just like with siding products, there are a ton of options out there when it comes to exterior insulation. And they aren’t all created equal!
Many exterior insulation panels are manufactured using a plastic or foil facing, which creates an air and watertight barrier on the outside of the wall. You might think this sounds good, that your exterior will be water tight and stay dry.
Wrong.
The problem is, these foil and plastic faced insulation panels also create a vapour barrier, which causes water vapour to collect inside the wall assembly - in between the insulation panel and the wall sheathing. And because the insulation panels are water, air, and vapour tight, any water that gets into the wall will never dry out. This is a recipe for significant rot damage from the outside in - hiding beneath your brand new siding.
At Blue Jay, we only install exterior insulation panels that allow your wall to breathe. Like EnerSpan GPS insulation manufactured by PlastiFab. EnerSpan has a vapour permeance rating of 5.2, which means it will allow the water vapour from inside your home to escape from your walls, rather than getting trapped in behind.
(Another great feature of EnerSpan is the R-value. EnerSpan has a high R-value of 4.7 per inch, and that R-value never goes down either over time, or because the air temperature is below zero. Yes, you read that right. Some exterior insulation products don’t work as well when it’s cold outside… make sure you do your research, folks!).
Why We’re The Number One Choice In Edmonton For Exterior Insulation Installations
When you need a service performed at your home, wouldn’t you prefer to hire an expert? At Blue Jay Exterior Renovations, we’re Edmonton’s expert in siding renovations with exterior insulation. And it’s not even close..
Not only does Blue Jay complete the most exterior insulation renovations in Edmonton, we’re the only contractor in the area that focuses exclusively on exterior renovations for homeowners.
So we have the most experience installing these products on an older home, and we also have the most experience delivering exceptional customer service to individual homeowners like you.
We’re Exterior Insulation Experts
When you add a layer of insulation to the project, it also adds a layer of complexity to the job. When your home was originally built, everything was designed for a wall that’s 3.5 inches thick. Dryer vents, gas lines, water taps, and even windows & doors won’t look (or even work) right if your contractor doesn’t know how to take care of these items.
Because Blue Jay has completed more exterior insulation renovations than any other contractor in Edmonton, we’ve dealt with these items over and over again. When you hire Blue Jay for your project, you won’t have to sacrifice on the finished look to get the extra insulation your home needs
We Prove Ourselves, Then You Pay
Imagine how nice it would be to not have to pay out massive amounts of money to your contractor before they’ve actually earned it. Well, that Blue Jay, that’s the way it is.
Our projects are structured into three payments - each of them coming after a significant milestone of the job.
The first payment of 39% is due when materials have been delivered to your home, and work has actually begun. Then, 46% is due once the job is finished. The final 15% doesn’t come due until you’re completely satisfied with the entire project, and you agree that absolutely everything is 100% done.
When we start working for a client, we know that it’s up to us to earn our payments. And that’s how we structure the entire project.
Detail-Oriented Siding Experts
Siding and breathable exterior insulation are game-changers for Edmonton area homes. But only if they’re installed correctly. If your installer misses even the smallest detail, you could face expensive problems.
At Blue Jay, our team is obsessed with getting every detail right. We understand the intricacies of installing every siding product we offer to ensure we deliver impeccable results.
You can rest easy knowing that we’ve put our all into your siding renovation, ensuring your home is well protected from northern Alberta’s harsh weather.
Transparent Communication
A siding renovation is a complicated project - even more so when we add exterior insulation to the equation. And anytime a contractor takes on a complicated project for you, you’d better make sure that you can communicate quickly, openly, and effectively with them. Otherwise, people won’t be on the same page, and mistakes (and stress) are bound to follow.
Blue Jay Exterior Renovations works tirelessly to make sure that our clients are always kept in the loop. From regular scheduling updates in the months leading up to your project, all the way through to the daily site visits and professional follow up throughout the project, you’ll always feel the care and attention from our team.
Our Word Means Everything
Any company is only as good as the values at its core. This is the only way companies can instill a culture, and maintain standards from day-to-day, and year-to-year.
At Blue Jay Exterior Renovations, we stand true to our word, always demonstrating how trustworthy and reliable we are. We refuse to play games or tricks to get your business.
When it comes to getting a quote from us, you can rest easy knowing it’s 100% accurate, and your project is guaranteed to come in on budget.
Most importantly, we always respect you, your home, and your budget.
Hear From Our Satisfied Edmonton Area Homeowners
Our customers love to tell the rest of the Edmonton community about how we exceeded their expectations. Each review means the world to us, as it lets us know that we’ve gotten the job done right once more. See what they have to say.
See Our Project Portfolio To Learn Our Process
Most siding companies just have a few “after” pictures on their websites. At Blue Jay Exterior Renovations, we’re a bit different. For us, our process sets us apart from the competition. View our Edmonton siding project portfolio to see the before, during, and after stages of our projects.
Common Questions About Exterior Insulation
Will exterior insulation really make a difference for my house?
Yes, exterior insulation will certainly make a difference for your home! Because the weather in the Edmonton area varies so wildly (-38 C to +38 C in the same year, for example) our homes really are suited for an investment in upgraded R-value. And you don’t have to put much insulation on to see a tangible benefit - one of our past clients reported a 10% decrease in his gas bill after we installed just a ¾-inch insulation layer!
How Long Does Installing Breathable Exterior Insulation Take?
Adding exterior insulation to a siding renovation doesn’t usually take very long. On average, an insulation project will take somewhere between 2 and 7 days longer than a standard siding renovation.
Do my windows need to be built out to accommodate the insulation thickness?
No, we can work around your existing windows and doors when we add exterior insulation to your walls. We have mockups in our Warehouse Village showroom to give you an idea of what that looks like. But if you are planning a window replacement project and a siding renovation at the same time, you can ask to have your windows extended for a more seamless integration.
What Areas Do You Serve?
We are proud to serve Edmonton and the surrounding areas. Please visit our service areas page for more details.
Where Can I Learn More About Blue Jay Exterior Renovations?
If you’d like to learn more about our products and services, please visit the following pages on our website:
Ready for a consultation on your own vinyl siding project? Reach out to us via the form below to get started!