How Insulation-Related Decisions Can Affect Future DIY Projects

Let’s say you’ve decided to upgrade your kitchen with some new cabinets. You take the old ones off and start drilling holes for the new ones. Then, all of a sudden, the drill hits… Something. You were expecting a solid wood stud, but this isn’t it. It’s actually a dense block of foam that’s started to crumble, and now your whole project has to stop so you can take care of that. Bummer. You could have prevented this before, but I bet you didn’t think about it, did you?

(This is a collaborative post, for more information about our compensation please read our disclosure policy)

The thing with insulation (that many people don’t seem to understand and most especially spray foam insulation) is that it’s something that decides which projects are easy and which aren’t. It’s not some kind of neutral thing that just sits there and exists.

If the material’s not right or if it isn’t installed properly, whatever you try to do in the future will become a headache.

Before You Close the Walls

There’s a point in every renovation when the walls can FINALLY go up. And this is when you’ll probably get the itch to get this whole thing done already because you’re fed up with the work, the dust, the tools, everything.

Renovations are stressful; it’s normal to feel this way. It takes some serious willpower to stop for a moment and think things through when the finish line seems so close. But if you’re willing to be 100% honest with how things are right now, you still have a shot at making some changes.

And not to be too dramatic, but this is pretty much your last chance for doing that.

If you decide to make changes in the future, it’ll be a whole ordeal.

So yeah, make the decision at this point in the project, NOT later.

Now’s the time for adding an extra outlet or running some conduit for wiring in the future. And all it takes is a few minutes with a drill. Once the drywall goes up, though, you’ll have to cut, patch, sand, repaint, and make a huge mess in order to do this.

Your gut is telling you what’s happening right in front of you, not some imaginary ‘What If?’ scenario(s). Plus, you just want all of this to be done.

This has to do with the fact that thinking about the future often ends up feeling like you’re making things more complicated for no (apparent) reason. Like you’re adding on unnecessary work when you’re already completely fed up.

But think about it for a moment. You have a gym space now. But later down the road, you might want to transform it into a nursery, or even later into a kid’s room. Perhaps even into a workshop if you end up needing or wanting it.

This is something you can actually predict because you have to have some semblance of what you want your life to look like 3 or 4 years from now.

So, take those extra few minutes to plan. And if you’re working with insulation, do yourself a favor and hire pros, like the ones at InSoFast Insulation System or any other reputable business that specializes in insulation only. This way, you know you’re getting laser-focused results.

Things You’ll Thank Yourself For in the Future

When it comes to regrets people have about their renovations, it’s usually not sloppy work or bad materials. They don’t even feel the regret right away, but later on, when they realize they could have added this or changed that.

Here’s what your future self will thank you for.

Leave Yourself Something Solid to Mount Into

The wall in your garage might look excellent from the outside, but it could be a nightmare when you want to hang a cabinet. Maybe you’ve spaced the pegboards too far, or maybe they’re in the completely wrong place.

A couple of pieces of 2×6 lumber will do the trick.

What you do with them here is you nail them horizontally between the studs, and you’ll get an anchor you’ll never have to worry about.

Run More Wires Than You Think You’ll Need

It can feel like overkill to add more outlets when you’re renovating, but just imagine having to fish one through a wall that’s completely finished later on.

That’s a complete nightmare, and during the renovation, it’s a piece of cake.

Even if you’re not connecting the new wires right now, who knows what the future brings? And you wouldn’t want to kick yourself 2 years from now when you decide to add a cable for a security camera or new speakers, right?

Think About What the Room Might Become

Your basement might be a huge storage space right now, but there’s a lot of potential there.

You might need an office, or you might want a game room. You can’t predict the future, I get it, and I’m not asking you to. I’m just saying that you should try to see the potential of any space that doesn’t have a specific purpose right now (e.g., garage, unfinished laundry room, and so on), and add a few extra outlets and studs.

Conclusion

Insulation might not be a very fun part of a home renovation, but unless you factor that into your plans, you’ll regret it later down the road. If you choose something without thinking about the future, every project you decide to do after that will be much harder and much, much messier.

The best advice I could give you is to consciously try to stop yourself from wanting to finish the renovation too fast. Before the last piece of drywall goes up, take a moment and think if you’ve really done EVERYTHING.

If you haven’t, you still have a shot at doing it the easy way.

(This is a collaborative post, for more information about our compensation please read our disclosure policy)