Insulation Question

Using the barn boards minus the battens as the sheathing is a good idea. Close up any gaps with caulk or spray insulation, add the tyvek(and some sheet insulation,if you want)and re-side the building. I dont think fiberglass insulation is nearly as bad as some of the posters are saying but look into the cost-results situation in your particular area. Then add drywall on the inside and I think you will have a very good final result.

If you have the tyvex on the outside that usually does the trick. However I have seen a couple folks do something interesting. One on Cape Cod. Old summer cottage that was being winterized. Lots of nails sticking in, just studded walls. After it was wired and ready to be closed in.

They first sprayed the wall cavities with the black water proofing compound like used on foundations. Let that cure a bit, used a panel form temporary screwed in place to blow cellulose in the cavity. Moved the form, the cellulose will hold in place for a while, you do not have to use any glue or anything special to hold it. Immediately covered the blown in cavities with cardboard nailed in place with sheetrock nails.

After all the walls where done, came back and sheet rocked everything.

I sort of borrowed this idea in my new house. Had to move a lot of insulation the former owner had in interior walls to the outside walls. In the back area of the house the rafters were exposed over a storage area. Only 2 x 4's for rafters, after I got all the structural problems fixed, I built an under roof air flow system to vent the soffit air under the roof into the attic, something like 3/4" total thickness. Didn't leave a very thick area to insulate. Used the shifted rock wool insulation to fill most of the bays. Then covered that with a layer of cardboard. Just to isolate it, keep any fibers out of the air and make a starting layer for some more work that will be done completely over the area. Hey bums, use it keep warm, got to work.

Has worked like a charm. Cardboard is cool to the touch on the hottest day. I will add a layer of a fancy stuff I bought at Lowes. Reflectix which is like two layers of aluminum foil over bubble wrap. Can get some incredible R-Values if you can get a 1/4" air gap on either side of it. I will use plasterer lath to build a grid and do that gap, followed by more cardboard with taped joints and then maybe paneling. The cardboard I needed to dispose of anyway from boxes used in moving. Amazing how well it works. Duh, free too. I am using an air stapler to do the lath grids, drywall nails to tack on the cardboard. Once the cardboard is on, I tape all joints with a tough gummed mesh / paper packing tape (What I had handy). I want all the work on this house to be super cheap.

So lots of ideas can work and they do not have to be expensive. Might even try putting cardboard over empty stud bays, cutting the hole in that and blowing cellulose, then drywalling.

BTW: I visited that cottage on the Cape maybe twenty years after they did the insulation. Couple had retired and moved there year round. No problem, apparently worked just super. Outside would even hold paint, amazing.

I personally have a problem with celluose blow in.... after a time just how much will have settled lending the need to refill? and just how much insulation will be derived from compressed fibre?

Insulation does 2 things, insulates from heat and cold first off, but the second feature is noise reduction.... in that instance maybe blow in would be better than fibreglass.

I like the reflectex type insulation [bubble wrap covered foil] it can be appliedbefore or after in many cases such as is described in the beginning of this thread.... it comes in 16 inch, 24, 48 and 96 wide rolls of varying length.... staple incut with knife no mess to speak of..... can even cover it with fibreglass cause it dont take much room up and has a nice r-value factor as well.

If the cabin were mine, i would take off the siding and add OSB and Tyvek and under the OBS i would have already in place the bubblewrap foil..... then on the backside i might add fibreglass batts. reapply the 1x10's and cover with at least 1x4 and maybe even 1x6 to avoid curl..... my personal preference is 1x12, plus 1x4 and cover with 1x8 for a 8 over and under pattern, minimal air leakage for the most part..... cold air will get ya everytime.. it finds it way into the smallest of cracks and around obsticles.... and you get a draft in the least wanted area.

William

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Upon the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions, who when on the dawn of victory paused to rest, and there resting died.
- John Dretschmer

What they do here on new construction is after the wall are framed, they put up the vapor barrior wich is plastic and then cut a 2" or so hole at the top and then fill the cavity and tape up the hole when done. The new cellose insulation does not have the settling problems that the old had. If it were me and i had the money, i would go with the sprayed in foam. They said on this old house thats its the best you can get. If you go with the styrofoam and tyvek house wrap, you should be able to put the siding back up as is if you like the look. Or you can go one more layer and put on tar paper. Thats how we waterproofed our house in kansas that had the exact same siding.

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Parents of Autistic Kids

Randy's Hydroponics

Blu3duk

I think that settling idea for the blown in insulation is an old wive's tale or the result of an improper installation procedure. I've had a lot of experience with it and never seen any problems on properly installed installations.

Generally the best way is to be able to hear the blower to know when the wall is full, it changes pitch / sound and then wait for a length of time (15 - 30 seconds) and pull the nozzle to go to the next stud bay. If the operator pulls the nozzle too soon, you can get an improperly filled bay that might appear to settle over time. Using a proper procedure, the bays are fully packed and even a bit compressed, nothing "Settles" no matter the time involved. Compression is not as critical as with fiberglass. Stuff really works, don't want to get it wet, then things go wobbly.

No doubt about it, get a good job with blown in, get good tight windows and doors and you start to notice it in the way a door will close, like in a door on a car with a well sealed volume of air.

I don't have that much experience with the Reflectix but if you don't have an air gap in some manner on both sides of it, the insulation value is just about nil. In my fresh air vent system, where the Reflectix is in contact with the lath that forms the air channel, the temperature is about that of the roof decking underside when you touch the Reflectix in contact with the lath. Just about zero temperature reduction. Move over one inch into the air gap area and it is dramatically less, maybe like 60 - 80 degrees.

Amazing stuff. Without the air gap, you probably have a super good moisture / air barrier but not much else. Applied directly in contact to a surface is not what they recommend. I selected it because of the nice high temperature rating to build the fresh air vent system. Got enough left over to do another interior layer but will ensure I follow the manufacturer's instruction. Amazing stuff for the thickness required.

Yup, I think that is true the spray in expanded foam is the best available. Most folks will not like the price. I never used any insulation sub contractor on any job I ever did. Those contracts they want you to sign are a complete "Not with this Kid", type contract. Just no way.

Looks good on TV, real World is always another story.

If you could have the inside sprayed with urethane abought 3" thick
nothing else would be needed. (I have been insulating for about 27 years)

Yeah, This Old House can get really extravagant sometimes. Have you seen the Barn that is airing right now?

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Parents of Autistic Kids

Randy's Hydroponics

on line you can buy the tank and the foam do it yourself save a lot of money but you have to watch with cracks the stuff seeps out very easy and if you have loose boards it will push them out

While a bit expensive, Spray in foam can get in every nook and cranny sealing up the entire cavity. Even if you go traditional insulation consider some cans of spray foam to fill in around every cutout and break in the outside wood.

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Gary in Central Ohio

here is another Idea use the dense pack system,

of cellouse instalation,

basicy it is a reinforced plastic you staple on over the studs, usaly a 1" head staple out of air stapeler and you stretch the plastic by stapling about 1/4" on the inside of the studs, then you blow the cellouse in to the plastic, the advantages are you can see if all is filled, and you actuly fill beyond a normal blow in capacity and you lightly comress it as you install the interior walls,

http://www.parpac.com/index.html


http://www.parpac.com/pages/123.html

Hey mtman, do you have a link for the tanks and foam? Thanks.

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Parents of Autistic Kids

Randy's Hydroponics