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insulation and drywall suggestions... unorthodox maybe?
i have just purchased a house for my family built in 77. there is vapor barrier and r12 on exterior walls and attic. I am replacing the aluminum slider windows with low-e, argon filled crank out's, and installing a new furnace. after this I will be taking renovations 1 wall at a time, as funds and time allows. I will also be adding insulation to the attic to bring it up to 30-40.
What I would like is to bring my walls to r20. my thoughts are to remove the drywall (assuming that it doesn't have asbestos in the mud) properly seal the existing vapor barrier and since the wall cavity is to small for an increase in bat insulation, and there's nothing wrong with it, I can add a 1" foam over the vapor barrier and studs. this would create a complete thermal break and add another R6. as a bonus the foam I have access to doubles as a radiant barrier. (i have an unlimited supply of 1/8" strapping to hold they drywall off of it)
Is this worth it or should I just remove it all, beef out the framing add thicker insulation and new vapor barrier?
Also would my original plan work ontop of the existing drywall should I find it contains asbestos? (could I expect consequences from leaving a layer of drywall sandwiched between insulations.)
I forgot the location details. I live in Alberta (canada) and temperatures easily get down to -40 in the winter. The exterior is 2/3 vinyl and 1/3 stucco. Also this is a duplex so working on the exterior would need to be co-ordinated with the neighbor for it to look good.
I know it will be worth it just for comfort reasons in the winter to add insulation and more importantly fix the vapor barrier. my in-laws just renovated and made similar changes. they went with thicker walls and insulation and have noticed a significant improvement. I am hoping to save some money by doing it this way and maximizing my efficiency by adding a radiant barrier. costs shouldn't be that high since i will do all the work myself. material.
I will also add that the r20 i am aiming for is code for new buildings here. and in construction up here that paper on the insulation doesn't qualify as a vapor barrier. proper barrier needs to be 6mm poly. this building does have it but it isn't sealed around the edges of the wall and at seams like it should be. Since the moisture I am stopping is coming from the interior of the house could i not add the second better layer so long as it is further inside.
4 Answers
- DaveLv 58 years agoFavorite Answer
You are on the right track. Remember, you want only ONE vapor barrier in the wall. If you have existing fiberglass insulation in the wall, and it has a vapor barrier, then make sure you buy foam insulation that has no vapor barrier. If you put two vapor barriers inside a wall, moisture will collect between the two. Then mold will start. If the foam you have access to has a radiant barrier such as aluminum foil, that foil is a vapor barrier. If your existing insulation has a vapor barrier, such as the brown paper commonly found on fiberglass insulation, then poke holes in it or slice the barrier with a knife, which destroys it as a vapor barrier, but does not hurt the R value. Remember, only ONE vapor barrier.
Make sure the windows you get have a LOW U Factor - 0.30 or less. The U Factor is the opposite of R Value in insulation - the higher the U Factor, the more heat flies out through the glass.
- willseyLv 45 years ago
In a house vacuum the grime passes by way of the fan which produces the suction and items can get jammed between the fan and the housing and crack the fan.The fan spins at excessive pace so rough objects passing by way of will damage the fan.There is a belt which drives the beater bar and will also be reduce with the aid of sharp objects.A shop vac separates the particles pathway from the vacuum suction so you should not have this predicament.Once I vacuumed some rock chips and the fan shattered into several portions but the phase quantity of the fan used to be on a piece so I was once capable to discover a substitute.
- rdrunnrflaLv 58 years ago
I don't know what you have for exterior but getting it sided would give you a chance to insulate it as well plus cover any existing lead paint
- ?Lv 78 years ago
Wow, Caleb, you are really wanting to go for it. Maxed-out, you're better off demoing the existing dry wall, fattening the framing in going for a really deep wall - or looking into "double-insulated" or "double-framed" construction. Personally, I wouldn't rebuild a basically good house, which you seem to have, as we would likely move from long before any real benefits (like very low heating bills) finally kicked in to offset the cost of the work - and lotsa work.
If committed to low-E, or going off the grid, I'd instead think of an all-new build, with earth-sheltered, solar-smart, renewable heat source stuff. But that's just this old guy. I'll just tweak the thermostat.
