I am hoping we don’t should tear down all of the outside wall drywall to re-insulate the house if an interior vapor barrier is required …. (Spray foam just isn't a choice as a consequence of chemical sensitivities in the home) – and would take pleasure in any views.

I have been believing that once the siding is taken out it might be possible to pry from the board sheathing and Reduce/pull out the poly at Every stud bay. Then re-put in the boards or use all new sheathing and keep it up with no matter what wall assembly you'd like. Does this look like a workable method to any person? GBA Editor Martin Holladay

There are also Particular sheet products which can be utilized that functionality like a rain display screen. Benjamin Obdyke is a great case in point:

There are a few driving aspects for me in wanting into this. I like the hearth resistance of your Rockwool. Rockwool is offered at the massive box shops. The foam board accessible which i’ve viewed has questionable ratings on floor contact and termite resistance.

A caveat: As Other folks pointed out, the fibers from the two rock wool and fiberglass are irritating. Exploration shows they can also be carcinogenic, like asbestos fibers. So you do not need to breath them! Wear an excellent dust mask - not the cheapos that has a rubber band over the again. 3M tends to make excellent dust masks for development, readily available at High definition and copyright. We also wear inexpensive Tyvek 'painter's suits' and gloves for bigger Work opportunities, to help keep the fibers off of our outfits - and to stop bringing the fibers household.

Any fibrous insulation is going to be this fashion, irrespective of density. The only real frequently utilised insulating products I am aware about which have been legitimate vapor retarders tend to be the rigid foams when Employed in thick more than enough thicknesses.

Some builders have begun setting up a continuous horizontal layer of mineral wool insulation underneath concrete slabs

A rain display screen will be advisable. Vertical (or horizontal) strapping just about every 16" (or 24") relying upon your choice of cladding, or simply a rainscreen product that places a thin air gap between your cladding plus your Zip sheathing. Whatever h2o will get driving your cladding will drain down and out. Aids insure your sheathing stays dry. Great that you are upgrading your insulation from about R-19 to R-29, lessening website your concluded wall's heat reduction by about 30%.

Yet another thing, In case your attic features a hatch, or pull-down stairs, You'll have to make certain that isn't a major hole in the air and thermal limitations. Here's some additional information on that:

This building solution was not a mistake in and of by itself, however it demanded that the wall assembly be meant to dry to the exterior to stay away from trapping moisture during the walls.

When you read through through the many articles or blog posts on GBA, you can find an idea of lots of the basic ideas that will let you to comprehend wherever issues need to Select ideal overall performance. You may normally inquire in Q+A way too if you will get stumped of if you have a circumstance that does not rather suit any with the illustrations from the articles.

The sole place you would Typically set this type of coating would be the place wires or pipes penetrate a fire wall. If you want to Command pipe sweating, use pipe insulation. You'll find spray-on pipe insulations, as well as spray-on fireplace retardent components (all of which, in my encounter, are messy to operate with the two now and permanently).

utilizing the batten system with 1 x four or 1 x three vertical wood/plywood - how can we stop hornets/wasps etc. from developing nests With this Room, and/or would usage of one of several rainscreen goods that you can buy operate also for uses of drainage/ventilation -- and if so, are there any that you choose to (or Other folks) could possibly recommend?

Hello Fred, Sorry for hold off in response.... As the two Martin and Michael commented, there are actually mineral wool panels suitable for down below quality ailments and given that the perimeter soil is perfectly-draining, this below quality mineral wool generally is a great alternate to foam solutions. On the other hand, the challenge highlighted in this post was a deep Vitality retrofit of the present framework and full excavation exposing the exterior Basis might have been necessary to install insulation on the outside side of the muse - not a sensible thing to consider on this tight urban web-site.