insulating walls?
Has anyone had this done? What are the costs, who executes it?
thanks!
s.t.
Has anyone had this done? What are the costs, who executes it?
thanks!
s.t.
Not sure about your house...but during my construction I found out that the insulation was pretty good and there was almost no room for improvement. I rather replace some single pane and work on the roof.
Fiberglass insulation is very inexpensive....it IS almost all air. The time to insulate walls is when the wall cavity is open. This opening up walls is where the true expense is. If you have occasion to open even a small section of wall, be sure to insulate it before reassembly.
if you were to open the walls from the inside -- say you needed to replace the existing wall material -- what would be the correct method of installation. for instance, if it were roll insulation, does the paper face the exterior? what's the proper variety to look for? things to watch out for in this process? if you were to replace said wall material with sheetrock (for interior walls), what's the recommended thickness? if you were to add a shearwall to the exterior walls, what's the proper thickness of plywood? thickness of sheetrock overlay?
Fiberglass insulation is very inexpensive....it IS almost all air. The time to insulate walls is when the wall cavity is open. This opening up walls is where the true expense is. If you have occasion to open even a small section of wall, be sure to insulate it before reassembly.
From what neighbors have told me, popping off the mahogany panels is easy. I'm looking to insulate with a green material such as Bonded Logic, which is made from recycled denim. Found the product, now just need to find an installer, not a DIY-er.
I am definitely not as brave as you. The thought of using a new, untried material makes me shudder. About fifteen years ago, City of Palo Alto used some sort of cellulose material for attic insulation in a City Sponsored program. They ended up having to replace all of it when it was found to now be quite flammable. The nice thing about fiberglass is that it is fairly cheap, non-toxic, inedible, fire-safe and a well-known material.
Maybe they will treat your 'denim-sulation' with a fire-proofing chemical than might slowly leech into your home and poison your pets (..and children). But hey, Maybe it will work
I'll be using Bonded Logic recycled denim insulation also when/if I open my walls. True, it is not as tested by time as fiberglass insulation, but it is easier to install and better for the environment. If you do go fiberglass be sure to get one with no off-gases...which I believe is standard now. Just remember that for each failed new product there has to be a successful example as well...just look at all of the roofing options available now, a few years ago the same argument could be made for foam vs. tar and gravel.
Good luck though with opening the wood wall panels without damaging them. In my opinion, that is the brave part.
Edgar
Also - I have seen several posts (in that thread and others) mentioning that there was nothing left to be done since sheetrock was already in place. Remember that the original sheetrock was far less efficient than the standard RG-13 available now. Once you have opened your walls, replacing sheetrock is very easy and fairly cheap so I wouldn't hesitate. A warm in winter (or cool in summer) and draft-free eichler is priceless.
(Arguably the roof insulation and dual-pane windows are the main factors, but everything helps...)
