"Ended up switching to spray foam halfway through, and it was like night and day."
Yeah, spray foam can be a real game changer, especially around tricky spots like skylights or dormers. I've inspected plenty of attics where rigid foam was clearly forced into awkward spaces—gaps everywhere, thermal bridging issues...not pretty. Spray foam might be messy and pricier upfront, but the airtight seal and improved insulation performance usually pay off big-time in comfort and energy savings. Good call making the switch mid-project; sounds like it saved you some headaches.
Spray foam definitely has its advantages, especially in those tight corners. I've seen a few cases though where improper application led to moisture issues down the line—usually from poor ventilation or rushed installs. Did you have to adjust your attic ventilation setup after switching to spray foam, or was your existing system already good enough? Curious how that worked out for you...
"usually from poor ventilation or rushed installs."
Yep, learned that one the hard way myself... Had to tweak my attic vents after spray foaming because the original setup wasn't cutting it. Moisture buildup is no joke—my attic briefly turned into a mini rainforest.
Had a similar issue when I insulated mine—thought spray foam would solve everything but ended up with condensation dripping everywhere. Curious, did you add extra soffit vents or ridge vents, or was it more about repositioning what you already had? I ended up installing a couple additional soffit vents and extending the ridge vent slightly, which seemed to balance things out nicely... moisture problems disappeared after that.
"I ended up installing a couple additional soffit vents and extending the ridge vent slightly, which seemed to balance things out nicely... moisture problems disappeared after that."
Glad that worked for you, but honestly, I've seen plenty of attics where adding more vents didn't do squat. Sometimes it's less about quantity and more about placement and airflow balance. Had one client who went vent-crazy—soffits everywhere, ridge vent extended halfway down the roofline—and still had condensation issues. Turned out their bathroom exhaust fan was venting straight into the attic (facepalm moment). Once we rerouted that outside, problem solved.
Also, spray foam isn't always the magic bullet people think it is. If it's not applied correctly or if there's hidden air leaks, you're basically sealing moisture in rather than out. Seen it happen more times than I'd like to admit. Moral of the story: ventilation matters, but don't overlook the basics like proper sealing and exhaust routing.
