Projects Archives - Page 2 of 2

New England Gem in Gloucester, MA

Projects

The Green Cocoon was hired as the insulation subcontractor for this restoration project. Insulating this New England gem, located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, was a wonderful project.

A Matt Diana Housewright Project

The original house was built in 1690. Also, it has additions dating from the early to late 1700s! All of the walls have layer upon layer of history. Interestingly, the house was wallpapered hundreds of years ago and then new walls were built over those. Hand-etched drawings of sailboats with the British flag can be found on the exposed first-floor ceilings.

Maintaining History

To make sure this house maintained its historical preservation, mineral wool with an adhesive was blown into the exterior walls. The roof was insulated from the exterior with rigid foam board. This was done so we did not damage any of the beautiful interior.

The Green Cocoon worked on a New England Gem in Gloucester, MA

Contact Us

For more information on mineral wool insulation or any of our insulations, contact us.

Our First Passive House

Projects

The Green Cocoon has a passion for efficiency, not only in our daily operations, but also in the projects that we choose to work on. We have insulated every type of project. Some of the projects include small renovations and existing attics. We also love to work with energy positive and net-zero homes. But, our favorite is the Passive House.

What is a passive house?

The term passive house (Passivhaus in German) refers to a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. A continuous, balanced supply of fresh air ensures unparalleled indoor air quality. Operable windows connect indoors with out. Super-insulated walls hold warmth in the winter and cool in the summer. Special windows and a snug building envelope help keep the desired warmth in the house – or undesirable heat out. This is done through a highly insulated roof and floor slab as well as exceptionally well insulated exterior walls. The results are buildings that require very little energy for space heating or cooling.

As of this writing, there are less than 100 certified passive houses in the United States. We had the privilege to be the insulation company that worked with most of them. We like to think of ourselves as the “go-to insulation company” for highly energy-efficient projects.

Learn more about this project and passive house building in general.

Old Farmhouse Gets Facelift in Rye NH

Projects

The Green Cocoon was thrilled to work on an old farmhouse in Rye, N.H. We used closed cell spray foam on most of the farmhouse. Closed cell spray foam is great because it reduces excess waste and energy consumption in buildings by up to 50 percent. Simultaneously, it adds strength, R-value (7 per inch), and greater resistance to the leakage of air and water vapor. Closed cell is a “perfect vapor barrier” in both summer and in winter.

Brought Up to Current Energy Codes

The house was completely gutted and rebuilt to current energy codes. We made sure that the house was well insulated all around, using spray foam on the roof and exterior walls. We used mineral wool for the interior walls and in the ceilings to help with sound deadening.