Background

During the winter of the show's 20th season, the host and master carpenter of This Old House^® found paradise at the end of the famed U.S. Route 1—Key West, Florida. Along the island's back streets they discovered this renovation challenge: a Conch captain's house built by a shipwright in 1866. Over the course of seven episodes, they teamed up with the homeowner (who also served as the project's architect) to expand the vintage structure and refine its interior and exterior details.

Solution/Results

On February 3, 1999, the Icynene^® spray truck pulled into town after a long drive from Naples, Florida, a few hundred miles back on the mainland. After using it in several Boston-area projects including Acton, Milton, and Watertown – the crew of This Old House^® incorporated Icynene^® expanding foam insulation into this "Southern Belle".

As it was being sprayed, city building inspectors dropped by to check out the rapidly expanding foam, as did various passersby. One thing that caught several people's attention was the way Icynene^® insulation and air barrier material quickly seeped into cracks and crevices and air-sealed the entire building envelope effortlessly.  Even more extraordinary was how the Icynene^® installation helped the owner of this heritage home cut down on interior condensation (which can lead to moisture-related problems such as mold and mildew growth) in the humid Florida climate.

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