需要指导/帮助/信息对能源效率remodel. (Long-winded post.)
Background:
I am a DIY person with lots of tools, I have laid flooring, installed overhead electrical service, plumbing (copper, pex, DWV), and done basic cosmetic remolding. My plan is to stop renting, lower utility bills, save for retirement etc… I am in a midsize rental home that has high bills due to broken / inefficient HVAC and insulation issues. So time for a change.
Buying my first home, there is a lot to learn, so this is a request for help with info and a plan of action for an efficiency remodel. My priorities are: safety, Cost, protecting home investment, energy efficiency. I have done some research and started to plan, but I have holes and gaps that need filled. Willing to take advice, make changes, and read articles. I also need to find the best place to start as I might have do things out of order thinking they are more important and cause issues. I want to start on the inside for reasons below.
Home built in 1920
Location lower Illinois zip 62812
Humid mix climate, north central, zone: 6 to 5
The home is about 1100 sq foot not counting 400sq basement.
Looks to not have sheathing but the solid old wood siding, covered with vinyl.
I plan to live in this home for at least 10 years. I may never look for another home.
I assume insulation and energy efficiency will get recouped in lower bills over time if I don’t buy crazy high products.
Hoping to do this room by room, not all at once.
Major issues I think need fixed ASAP:
Here is my issues that will be fixed with fixed with a gut remodel:
Old house, may have lead paint and asbestos plaster.
如果块嗨了石膏可能不安全t my kids.(looks like settlement cracks)
Knob and tube wiring.
Insulation (unknown)
Overall plan:
Gut room, level studs, wire, airtight stud bay, insulate, replace windows if deemed needed and cost efficient, Find a way to insulate corner of framing, drywall. Attic insulation. Basement and crawlspace insulation.
I plan to use rockwool and firecode drywall, firestop/fireblock foam can where seen fit. If there is better alternatives I’m all ears.
Moisture, mold rot, energy efficiency: Need info and help here
Airtightness:
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Was thinking spray foam, but too costly for total insulation. Can I achieve the same tightness with sealant ( caulk, silicone, can foam, etc) when stud bays are open, without total coverage like spray foam would be? Would a thin ¼ to ½ inch layer of spray foam be preferable?
Combustion safety: will need to check furnace, needs a sealed or electric if house is too tight.
Maybe mechanical ventilation after its all said and done.
Is redundant air barriers okay? Etc, sealing studbay with sealant / spray foam, house wrap, taped foam board on outside of house, caulked drywall inside? This is how you airtight things correct?
***** question: How does spray foam make home air tight? Does it just seal all the framing seams, and cover any holes? Things you could do with can sealant or does it do something to sheathing
导游什么/如何密封studbay是ld be nice. I think I got it, but just to be safe.
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Dew point / moisture: I think to sum this up, you need to insulate the exterior under the siding to keep the wall warm enough to keep the dew point outside.
Thermal bridging: foam board outside seems to fix this too, there is the framing corners to fill too. There may be more to address. Any tips for search words, or links to read?
Radiant barriers
Would double sided or single sided or any radiant barriers be good in the walls? Radiate sun back out, and house heat back in?
Hope to address this as I go room by room, but not sure if that could cause moisture mold problems if I don’t get the outside done fast enough or issues with the adjoin walls that have yet to be finished.
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Basement, radon and more airtightness
Rim joist cut and cobble + rockwool or then layer spray foam + rockwool, or all spray foam (small kit)
Plan is to water tight and air tight up the basement, good or bad?
To insulate flooring joist in basement and crawlspace or not? Assume it affected by the above plan.
Still looking in to other options and things needing done.
Thanks for the time, please advise.
P.s. I can swing a monthly membership here for a month or two if it is need for help / articles
GBA Detail Library
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Replies
New,
First of all, can you tell us your name? (I'm Martin.)
Your zip code, 62812, appears to be in Climate Zone 4, not Zone 5 or 6 as you reported.
You should read as much as possible on GBA and limit your questions.
If you plan to remove the siding and install exterior rigid foam, you'll be creating your air barrier at the exterior. So you don't need to do any air tightening at each stud bay.
Replacing windows will almost never save enough energy to be cost-effective from an energy standpoint. For more information on this issue, see"What Should I Do With My Old Windows?"
In fact, much of the work you describe is so expensive that the work won't be cost-effective, strictly speaking, in energy savings terms. But if you have already bought the house, that information may be irrelevant.
To get a handle on all of the tasks ahead of you, I advise you to consult this useful index:"How To Do Everything."
A one-year subscription to GBA will cost you less than a single trip to Home Depot, and the GBA subscription could easily save you thousands of dollars in avoidable mistakes.
My Name is Chris. When I was looking for climate zone info, I got 3 different sets of number and 2 or 3 different names. I thought it was odd. I can make a house look nice and function. I never really had to think about the building science before, just been the labor, and consulted code books. The air / moisture energy efficiency stuff is a bit overwhelming.
This house was the only one that meet all my requirement. When I was looking at other homes I had to give something up or they wanted 40k more for a nice looking inside and most times I seen buckling, mold, or crazy code violation. It seemed more reasonable to get all my requirements then remodel and make sure it was done right.
Chris,
Here is a link to the climate zone map:Climate Zone Map.
You can always just click the "Q&A" tab at the top of every GBA page. You'll see the climate map at the top of that page.
USDA plant hardiness climate zone maps have no correlation to US DOE climate maps. You're in US climate zone 4A on a DOE map.
Sounds like you have plank sheathing or ship-lap siding nailed directly to the studs (?), with a layer of vinyl siding over that (?), and no 4' x 8' plywood or OSB. Is there any tar paper, housewrap or anything between the old siding/sheathing and the vinyl siding?
If yes, it may be safe to leave interior walls alone and blow cellulose into the wall cavities, assuming the window flashing details are right. Cellulose is fairly air retardent even at 2lbs density (more so at 3lbs & up) and can dramatically reduce air infiltration through walls without having to gut the wall. A handy DIYer can manage this with a single stage rental blower with a bit of preparation & study. It's easy to do from the exterior if you're replacing the siding (or just popping off some of the vinyl and re-installing it when you're done.)
If you know there is k & t wiring in the walls, that has to be fixed prior to insulating in most states (some states will allow it to stay if it passes an inspection, but I don't think IL is one of those states.)
Radiant barriers are only useful in walls if there is no other insulation, and not too useful even then.
Asbestos wasn't commonly used in plaster until the 1940s, so you're probably OK on that front in a1920s house. Lead paint is almost a given though.
Poured concrete, field stone, or CMU/cinder-block foundation?
Chris,
If further investigation reveals that your house has no wall sheathing, you'll want to read this article:"Insulating Walls in an Old House With No Sheathing."
Dana is correct about radiant barriers. For more information, see this article:"Radiant Barriers: A Solution in Search of a Problem."
Any hazardous lead found can now effectively be sealed and treated. Treated for the same cost as paint and applied in the same way. Treated, which regular paint fails to do. Treated by way of lowering the bioavailability of what's allowed into the bloodstream if ingested. Contact me[email protected]or visit ecobondlbp.com
Thank you all for the great info. I am waiting on home inspection atm. As long as it comes back clean for mold and no structural damage it will be mine. I am just trying to get all my info lined up. I have lived in too many places that I have found mold / warped walls etc.. after moving in due to owners doing a fast fix thinking they can get more for rent out of it. Like I said I have done work remodels before, but not outside windows and doors. From what I have read looking back I wonder if my boss ever made sure he was not cause moisture with some of the insulation jobs we did.
As for the k & t wiring, its there, but its been updated to circuit breaker box. First thing I plan to do is snip the k & t wiring, then run each room on its own breaker. even if I have to patch plaster until I do the drywall or encapsulate lead paint and insulate. Thanks paul did not even cross my mind about encapsulate. My thought was my little one, it has to go.
Thanks again for everything.