I’ve been reading alot here and trying to soak it all in but want to make sure Im on the right track.
House was build in 1958….I’ve done alot of remodeling and replaced the insulation in the dinning room and a few bedrooms.
Before we bought the house the previous owners build an addition, a living room and a bedroom. These two rooms are FREEZING.
They didnt leave me room to get under the floor in the new addition….it’s a block foundation and I’d have to break out a few blocks to even think about crawling in there on my back. I can barely see under there but it is insulated and has a vapor barrier on the dirt floor. I believe the insulation is R-19. It’s also R-19 in the attic which isnt very accessable either. So R-19 must also be in the walls which I cant afford to rip down to check.
SO…..I’m considering blown in insulation for the attic and the foam board for the floor if I can get a big enough hole in the block to pull the sheets in there.
Am I correct in thinking this will help warm the rooms? And what R value should I be looking at creating?
We live in Carver, Ma and it’s getting very cold here.
Replies
Greetings pt,
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again which will increase it's viewing.
Perhaps it will catch someone's attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
94969.19
In the beginning there was Breaktime...
pt.... i'd pay special attention to the band joist areas
and in the general floor areas.... once you tunnel your way in ...
i'd think about 14.5 " strips of 2" foam in every joist bay , fit it loose, tack in place with some roofing nails and then seal it with gun foam
If it is "freezing", my guess something else is wrong. While your insulation levels may not be the best compared to current standards, they are far from the worst. I'd look for another problem. 2 areas I'd focus on w/ what little you've said: 1) air leakage source ... all the insulation in the world won't help if you got a big hole(s) somewhere and 2) do you have adequate heat? Did they extend ductwork through to those spaces? Is it enough? (maybe you have boat loads of windows in the addition and not near enough ducts or a duct system that isn't balanced to provide the needed heat.
Maybe for some reason you ended up w/ a big air leak. Food for thought until you can round out the picture w/ more information. Is the crawl ventilated? Do you close the vents in the winter?
I doubt it's R-19 in the walls (6 1/4") unless they built with 2 x 6s and compressed it.
Your roof wants to be R-38 minimum in MA.
eta: Ditto on what clewless said ;o)
Jeff
Edited 12/22/2008 12:35 am ET by Jeff_Clarke
R-19 is standard for 5 1/2" framing, I believe.
right ( nominal , anyways )
but this house was built in 1958....
so it's probably 2x4.. and if he has R-11 in that era of construction, then he'd be luckyMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
You said the house was built in '58; when was the addition built? Depending on the vintage, you "might" have wall insulation. How thick depends on the stud depth. Fixing existing wall insulation is more expensive, obviously, than ceiling and floors.
What about windows? Lots of area? Double, single, storms?
What is the heating system? Ducted? Radiant?
Definitely add to the floor insulation to improve the comfort and blow as much as you can into the attic while still maintaining adequate vents. Stop air leakage through all penetrations.
Ductwork is often a culprit in these problem additions. Poor sealing, inadequate sizing, no return air ducting, little or no insulation all add up to poor heating.
So, to tackle the problem, more information is required to make an educated guess on how to proceed.
Just my opinion =-)