Clarkston and Independence Township are hilly, wooded and full of houses that were built to take advantage of the terrain — walkout basements cut into a slope, great rooms open to the roof, decks over open air, and a detached shop or pole barn on a good number of the properties. That topography is exactly why the insulation details here are more complicated than in a flat subdivision.
The Walkout Basement
A walkout is three different wall assemblies stacked on top of each other: poured or block below grade at the back, framed wall above grade at the front, and a rim joist tying it all together. Insulating that with batts means three different products, three different vapor strategies, and a seam at every transition. Closed-cell foam is sprayed continuously across all of it — below grade, above grade, and the rim — as one uninterrupted layer that is also its own air and vapor control. On a Clarkston walkout that is not a preference, it is the correct assembly.
It also solves the specific Clarkston complaint we hear most: the finished lower level that stays cold no matter what the thermostat says, because the framed above-grade portion of the wall was never insulated properly.
Complicated Rooflines
Custom homes around Deer Lake, off Clarkston Road and Sashabaw, and up through the wooded lots north of I-75 tend to have cathedral great rooms, multiple intersecting roof planes and bonus space tucked under the slopes. Every valley and every knee wall is an interruption in the thermal envelope, and every interruption is a place ice dams start. Closed-cell foam applied to the roof deck creates an unvented assembly that does not require a ventilation channel and does not care how complicated the geometry is.
- Continuous foam across below-grade, above-grade and rim in walkouts
- Roof deck foam for cathedral and vaulted ceilings
- Knee walls and bonus rooms sealed on all sides
- Garage ceilings under living space
- Detached shops, pole barns and horse barns
Clarkston, Independence Township & Nearby
The village of Clarkston, Independence Township, the Deer Lake and Pine Knob areas, Springfield Township and out toward Ortonville and Davisburg. Neighboring pages: Waterford, Oxford, Holly and Lake Orion. Our Lapeer County shop is a straight run down M-15 and I-75. Every city we serve is on the locations page.
Clarkston Insulation FAQs
Do you insulate walkout basements?
Constantly — Clarkston's terrain means almost everything built here since the 1980s has a walkout or daylight basement. Those have a mix of below-grade block or poured wall, above-grade framed wall, and a long rim joist, all in one assembly. Closed-cell foam handles all three surfaces continuously with no seam, no thermal bridge, and no vapor barrier detailing to get wrong.
Can you insulate a cathedral ceiling in a Clarkston custom home?
Yes, where we can reach the rafter bays. If the roof is being replaced, the best moment is from above with the deck off. If the ceiling is being opened during a remodel, we spray from inside. If neither is happening and there is no access, we will tell you honestly rather than sell you something that will not reach.
Do you insulate outbuildings and detached shops?
Yes. Independence Township properties often have a pole building, a detached shop or a horse barn. Foam under the steel roof panel is the only practical way to stop condensation dripping on whatever is stored below, and it is what makes the building heatable at a reasonable cost.