# Insulating 100 year old wood framed Home



## Hopeful Mama (Apr 22, 2014)

Hi,

Newbie here. 
I have lucked out and been given Rmax rigid foam insulation.:thumbsup: I have four bales of them with 64 pieces to a bale. The sheets are 4x8 and 3/4" thick. They are double sided foil faced. I also have one stack that has 8 sheets with 2 3/4" and 4x8. Along with that, I have a huge amount of fiberglass batting. 

My home is over 110 years old in the original part, and has had additions over the century. Only three rooms have insulation in the walls and roof. Two of those rooms are on columns and the floor is exposed to the outside . The rest of the house is uninsulated. My attic is going to be a second story one day. (I say one day because this is a paycheck to paycheck venture with 6 kids running around). It is totally uninsulated. My house (except for two above mentioned rooms) sits on an uninsulated walk through basement with concrete block walls. The roof is metal except in the back addition. 

I live in South Carolina which is zone 3 for r value specifications. 

There is no vapor barrier in my basement. No vents in my attic. 

I need to know what is the best application for the rigid insulation as well as the fiberglass batting. 

Can I use multiple layers of the boards to increase the r-value? Which is best interior or exterior application. I will have to take down either the plank siding on the outside or the sheetrock or tongue and groove wall on the inside. 

From what I have been reading. I have a lot of prep work before I just throw up some insulation, and I want to do it right and make sure we are being well insulated. 

I cannot afford blown cellulose which I know would be best for my walls. I am going to use what I got.


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## cibula11 (Jan 6, 2007)

Hopeful Mama said:


> Hi,
> 
> Newbie here.
> I have lucked out and been given Rmax rigid foam insulation.:thumbsup: I have four bales of them with 64 pieces to a bale. The sheets are 4x8 and 3/4" thick. They are double sided foil faced. I also have one stack that has 8 sheets with 2 3/4" and 4x8. Along with that, I have a huge amount of fiberglass batting.
> ...


greenbuildingadvisor.com has plenty of resources on this topic. Spend time learning about it first. There are lots of things to consider (dew point, climate zones, thickness of foam, vapor barriers, etc.)


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

There are a million and 1 things to consider first. 

Rigid foam is best on the exterior wall surface as long as it is installed properly and does not create a vapor trap.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Do not install any of it above-grade on the interior (room) side of wood studs. It is fine *on* the sheathing (exterior side), tape the seams against air infiltration to your colder walls from AC tempering. Then install sleepers/and/or siding, after a WRB.. Fig. 3a; http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-073-macbeth-does-vapor-barriers 1. have you decided on the cladding, yet?

Use it under the house on the joists as well, Fig.7; http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-009-new-light-in-crawlspaces/ again, air-tight and protect from rodents with plywood, etc.

Use it in the basement ON the INSIDE, tight to concrete block wall; "Below grade spaces such as basements are of particular concern with respect to Class I vapor control layers. Because the moisture drive in below grade walls is always to the interior, installing a high level of vapor control on the interior of the wall will cause moisture related durability issues by trapping moisture in the enclosure (see BSD-103: Understanding Basements). However, a Class I vapor control layer could be used in a below grade assembly under the following conditions: (a) no moisture-sensitive material is trapped between the concrete and the Class I vapor control layer, (b) this space is completely isolated from air communication with the interior, and (c) the Class I vapor control layer is protected from interior-sourced condensation. An example of this assembly would be foil-faced polyisocyanurate applied to the basement wall, with the gap between insulation and concrete isolated and air sealed from the interior." From; http://www.buildingscience.com/docu...heet-310-vapor-control-layer-recommendations/

2. Are the CMU walls below grade or above in the walk-through basement?

Use it on the ceiling of the rooms, then drywall over it; Fig. 3.41, pp.83;http://books.google.com/books?id=Eq...esnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwADhQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

3. Which hygro-thermal region on map?;http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-106-understanding-vapor-barriers

Gary

PS. Welcome to the forums!


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Also going to need to add fire blocking at the top and bottoms of the walls.
Air seal any holes where wiring or plumbing was run.


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## Hopeful Mama (Apr 22, 2014)

Thank you Gary and Joe for your help. I am located in mixed humid hygro-thermal region. My basement is primarily above grade with the house being built into the slightly sloped lot. My Husband suggested we could put vinyl siding on the house over the wood cladding as money came in. This house is huge. That might be a better option than waiting on money to do blown in in the walls and will appease him to do siding since we have so much insulation as it is... Joe I saved something on the fire blocking and was going to research that. Thank you for the heads up.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Is the wood siding over sheathing or just over the studs?


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## Hopeful Mama (Apr 22, 2014)

over studs...no sheathing


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## cibula11 (Jan 6, 2007)

I know the tension you are going through. We are in that same process now....old house and wanting to stay within a budget. Is there a way you could remove old siding, re-sheath, add insulation and side back on certain sides of your house? The thing with siding is you don't want to have to redo it or regret a decision 5 years down the road.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

If existing siding is horizontal ship-lap, leave it be for the shear value you already have, otherwise you need some ply/OSB at corners and intermediate in the shear walls per locations; http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/irc/2009/icod_irc_2009_3_sec001.htm?bu2=undefined

Gary


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## Hopeful Mama (Apr 22, 2014)

it is horizontal ship shap....


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## Hopeful Mama (Apr 22, 2014)

I'm trying to stay positive. We got the house for only 13k, and it sits on an acre lot. From what I'm reading, I will do the sealed rigid insulation under the house as advised, and the rolled insulation in attic. I will continue reading to get an idea of what needs to be done to ensure no moisture in my attic. (it is aluminum no vents, unless you count the soffet that is missing, and the huge hole in the attic that used to be a window until the took it out and put in permanent shutters). the problem is the attic is basically an unfinished second story. We want to put rooms up there. I would like to insulate as if I were ready to do the rooms, so I don't over do it.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

That said, IMO, go to a closed (non-ventilated) attic; http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/published-articles/pa-crash-course-in-roof-venting


Or "how to"; http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fapps1.eere.energy.gov%2Fbuildings%2Fpublications%2Fpdfs%2Fbuilding_america%2Fadv_weather_packages.pdf&ei=3LxmUtEMxZ2IApv-gLAK&usg=AFQjCNEIcbLyby7b9F7PfoKjI2qFXXOoLg

Min. thickness for code; http://www.buildingscience.com/docu.../irc-faq-conditioned-attics?searchterm=attic+

Just what you wanted with all that spare time you have...more reading. I had it easy with my 4 boys, went to work during the week while my wife enjoyed the time, take lots of pictures (of the kids) for memories, I mean, lol.

Gary


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