Adding Insulation To Exterior Walls

A question about replacing siding sheathing and batt insulation in a 50 year old house revives questions about the use of rigid foam insulation on exterior walls.

Adding insulation to exterior walls.

Every gap and compressed batt leaves a path for heat or cold to escape. How to insulate house walls from the outside. So if your house was built before insulating walls became standard you can potentially save a great deal of energy by insulating. In this post we explain.

Fiberglass is a great way to insulate an existing wall. Before switching to spray foam insulation tom used to use polyisocyanurate panels that way he would build a 2x4 wall insulate between the studs with batting paper face removed then cover the whole thing with foil faced panels and seal them with foil tape before putting up wall board. When properly constructed it provides a tight dry warm and durable structure. Correcting this can pose a challenge as it is often difficult to determine how much insulation is in the walls let alone gain the access needed to add more.

Adding a layer of rigid foam to the walls of any building is somewhat labor intensive. Many older homes and some newer ones lack sufficient insulation in the exterior walls. Retrofit wall insulation is a debatable subject because there is no single right answer for all homes and homeowners. Unfortunately however builders didn t insulate the walls of most homes built before the 1980s.

With a small hole and a pump you can insulate your existing walls with minimum fuss. Adding exterior rigid foam. Measure and cut the fiberglass batt for an exact fit. To the measurement to ensure a snug fit.

Adding extra insulation to the exterior walls of an older home when renovating or remodeling is a great way of improving a home s walls thermal performance and reducing energy use while reducing heating bills carbon footprint and improving a building s comfort level. It s easy to insulate your walls with fiberglass insulation at least when they re open but the job still requires attention to detail to get the maximum benefit. Only a cost benefit analysis in relation to your own situation can help you arrive at the right answer. Re siding an existing home presents an opportunity to upgrade the home s energy performance.

John hartman fine homebuilding magazine 208. In some cases the cost of adding insulation may exceed the cost of energy needed to heat or cool it. Insulation in house exterior walls is one of the primary defenses against heat and energy loss. Don t worry there is a way.