*A Guide To Moisture Management For Residential Remodels eBook:* asiri-designs.com/shop P.S. Use prudence when addressing any old wall assembly. Each wall condition is different and receives a different level of exposure, depending on the location, climate, overhangs, etc... If you see evidence of water damage or leaks, this has to be addressed first prior to insulating. We cover this in depth in the eBook.
7:24 I think I have this exact problem. Not because my house is historic, but because of shoddy craftsmanship. I've learned some great principles from this video that will help me fix it.
Great video and use of arch details in conjunction with your narration - easy to follow along and makes sense of. I'm a residential designer up in Vancouver, BC and happy to have a Pacific Northwester putting out relevant info out on the socials as well as hard copies! Happy to be a new subscriber and follower of your building science and envelope work as well! Keep up the great work!
This is a fantastic resource. I am a preservation carpenter, mostly on finish work and windows/doors/stairs, so am not expert on insulation of old ladies; nevertheless, clients always seek out good advice on these moisture vs insulation issues. If I can't help them, I can refer them to you.
Thoughts on this old 1930 single layer brick exterior, brittle torn tar paper, wood plank sheathing, 2x4 framing...cant i just use (from exterior to interior) a sealing paint on exterior brick, then 1/2" x 3" furring strips attached to side of studs for airspace gap, staple tyvek WRB to strips, then fiberglass insulation with no kraft paper, then drywall? Climate is zone 4 in Kentucky.
I’m remodeling a house that has lathe and plaster. I removed it so have access to the inside, the outside was lap siding but shingle siding was installed later, then later still someone installed like a stone brick over that. So since the outside is so weather protected and sealed I plan to install rockwool insulation and drywall it. I don’t believe I will have a moister issue, unless I’m missing something
Does your book address late 1800’s adobe brick filled walls? I have original wood siding with original diagonal plank sheathing underneath. Happy to buy if it does but couldn’t tell from contents page.
Hey there, unfortunately the book does not cover adobe walls. That sounds like quite an interesting wall condition though, I'd be even more careful. You may need to get samples taken of the adobe to learn more about the composition and whether a penetrating sealer would be appropriate, such as the penetrating sealers used in rammed earth walls. I'm assuming you're in New Mexico or Arizona?
I have a 130 year old home that is one with no sheathing, just wood siding directly attached to the studs. I plan on doing the “rain screen” method and then taping a moisture barrier inside the wall cavity, and then insulating with a Rockwool type product. Does anyone have any recommendations for a dimpled mat or rainscreen product to put inside the wall cavity against the wood siding?
GC here. I have to do a full teardown of a duplex which was made in 1930ish. I wonder if the poly will create a problem overtime. I was planning on doing r20-> 1" foam (r4) +1x3 - >2 5/8 drywall without any poly
Assuming the house I bought was insulated haphazardly. Is there a mechanism for "fixing" the lack of airflow from insulation when redoing the siding next year?
This is excellent! Thank you for this video. I had some rot repair work done on my Atlantic Canadian stucco home circa 1930. Our contractor reinstated the wall with a modern dry-mix Portland cement stucco that was then painted with acrylic latex paint. The contractor did not use a rain screen beneath the stucco (as recommended in your Moisture Management in Reservoir Claddings blog post) and I am concerned about possible rot/deterioration of the assembly especially on our roof dormers and around window penetrations. We have insulated with rock wool in the 2x4 cavities and installed rigid insulating foam as a vapor barrier cut to fit the stud cavities as we did not require the removal of the existing rock lath plaster on the interior. Do you have any suggestions on how we can reduce our risk of rot from the interior? Total assembly is - Portland Cement stucco, two layers of Tar Paper, 3/4" plywood sheathing and 3/4" boards, 2x4 Roxul, 0.5" foil EPS insulation, 1-1.25" rock lath and plaster, oil and acrylic paint.
Thanks for watching! That is a tough condition. Your contractor definitely didn't do you any favors there - we really need that drainage plane behind stucco to uncouple it from the framed walls, not to mention the rigid foam/vapor barrier was installed in the wrong location. Moisture that gets into the wall cannot dry to the interior because of the foil facing. Ideally, the rigid foam should have been installed OVER the WRB/tar paper, then the drainage plane, and then the new stucco over that. The two layers of tar paper might give you a little bit of a buffer since stucco can't fully bond to tar paper (compared to modern synthetic WRBs), and two layers have been installed. Assuming that removing/reinstalling the stucco correctly is out of the question, your best option would be to install a silane/siloxane penetrating sealer to reduce the absorption of the stucco facade. It's not perfect, but it will reduce the amount of water stored in that "reservoir". You may also want to consider regularly monitoring those walls for high moisture content. If MC in the framing exceeds 30% you have an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Hopefully this helps a bit, good luck!
Thanks for the video! I have a wall assembly in a 120+ year old home where the siding is applied directly to the studs. I have removed all the old post-construction blown in insulation and lath and plaster. I'm wondering if a fluid applied vapor permeable air barrier in the wall cavity on the back of the siding would be a good option. It works in my mind but not sure if I'm missing something. Also may require a lot of prep work to actually get it sealed completely. Thoughts???
Great question! You need airflow behind that siding if you have plans to insulate it, so I would not recommend a fluid applied air barrier applied to the backside if you're not going to address the exterior. We've got a few options for this though, there are a few articles on Green Building Advisor that address this. We also have a few free videos on my channel that talk about how to retrofit a building without sheathing. My design guide also discusses how to address this conditon: asiri-designs.com/shop
@@ASIRIDesigns I am painting the exterior and caulking the vertical joints and penetrations. If the fluid applied is vapor permeable, I'm still not understanding why you need airflow behind the siding?? I'll try to watch all the videos and read the articles. Thanks for the quick response?
Yes zip is great. Higher cost is offset by labor savings vs applying a separate WRB. The advantech OSB Huber uses for zip is way better than stock OSB. I left a sample of advantech OSB outside on the ground for a year and the swelling and deterioration was minor compared to a similar plywood sample. If Huber combined rigid rockwool board into the zip-r instead of foam... they would have the ultimate insulative sheathing product.
Both options are prohibitively expensive. The only case I could see them used (particularly the first example) is historically listed buildings. That said, great video and thanks for posting it.
This is really cool and all BUT who’s going to do this work? Cause I don’t know anyone around here that would do any of this stuff you just showed. Now the cost? You went through a lot of stuff you have to do to make it right. I think it would be cheaper just to start over. How much does it cost to do this to a house built in the 50s?
*A Guide To Moisture Management For Residential Remodels eBook:* asiri-designs.com/shop
P.S. Use prudence when addressing any old wall assembly. Each wall condition is different and receives a different level of exposure, depending on the location, climate, overhangs, etc... If you see evidence of water damage or leaks, this has to be addressed first prior to insulating. We cover this in depth in the eBook.
7:24 I think I have this exact problem. Not because my house is historic, but because of shoddy craftsmanship. I've learned some great principles from this video that will help me fix it.
Great video and use of arch details in conjunction with your narration - easy to follow along and makes sense of. I'm a residential designer up in Vancouver, BC and happy to have a Pacific Northwester putting out relevant info out on the socials as well as hard copies! Happy to be a new subscriber and follower of your building science and envelope work as well! Keep up the great work!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you!
Anther marvelous video. I really look forward to each new release!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Expect new videos every week (I have a bit of a backlog). Cheers!
Thanks for the video! I finally found some answers to why I was getting damp bumps in my plaster only on one wall.
love the video! Going to watch lots more and get the e book.
Happy to hear it was useful to you! Cheers!
This is a fantastic resource. I am a preservation carpenter, mostly on finish work and windows/doors/stairs, so am not expert on insulation of old ladies; nevertheless, clients always seek out good advice on these moisture vs insulation issues. If I can't help them, I can refer them to you.
Alot of very useful information, thanks 👍
indeed
Thanks for watching!
Thoughts on this old 1930 single layer brick exterior, brittle torn tar paper, wood plank sheathing, 2x4 framing...cant i just use (from exterior to interior) a sealing paint on exterior brick, then 1/2" x 3" furring strips attached to side of studs for airspace gap, staple tyvek WRB to strips, then fiberglass insulation with no kraft paper, then drywall? Climate is zone 4 in Kentucky.
What would be the transition detail between wall and roof for a vented roof?
I’m remodeling a house that has lathe and plaster. I removed it so have access to the inside, the outside was lap siding but shingle siding was installed later, then later still someone installed like a stone brick over that. So since the outside is so weather protected and sealed I plan to install rockwool insulation and drywall it. I don’t believe I will have a moister issue, unless I’m missing something
This information is incredible. Thank you so much for making this video.
Excelent video. Just picked up the e-book. Thanks for some great content!
Cheers! Thanks for picking it up, glad to hear the content has been helpful.
Does your book address late 1800’s adobe brick filled walls? I have original wood siding with original diagonal plank sheathing underneath. Happy to buy if it does but couldn’t tell from contents page.
Hey there, unfortunately the book does not cover adobe walls. That sounds like quite an interesting wall condition though, I'd be even more careful. You may need to get samples taken of the adobe to learn more about the composition and whether a penetrating sealer would be appropriate, such as the penetrating sealers used in rammed earth walls. I'm assuming you're in New Mexico or Arizona?
I have a 130 year old home that is one with no sheathing, just wood siding directly attached to the studs. I plan on doing the “rain screen” method and then taping a moisture barrier inside the wall cavity, and then insulating with a Rockwool type product. Does anyone have any recommendations for a dimpled mat or rainscreen product to put inside the wall cavity against the wood siding?
GC here.
I have to do a full teardown of a duplex which was made in 1930ish.
I wonder if the poly will create a problem overtime.
I was planning on doing r20-> 1" foam (r4) +1x3 - >2 5/8 drywall without any poly
Assuming the house I bought was insulated haphazardly. Is there a mechanism for "fixing" the lack of airflow from insulation when redoing the siding next year?
I have very thin cavity walls, is it worth insulation
This is excellent! Thank you for this video.
I had some rot repair work done on my Atlantic Canadian stucco home circa 1930. Our contractor reinstated the wall with a modern dry-mix Portland cement stucco that was then painted with acrylic latex paint. The contractor did not use a rain screen beneath the stucco (as recommended in your Moisture Management in Reservoir Claddings blog post) and I am concerned about possible rot/deterioration of the assembly especially on our roof dormers and around window penetrations. We have insulated with rock wool in the 2x4 cavities and installed rigid insulating foam as a vapor barrier cut to fit the stud cavities as we did not require the removal of the existing rock lath plaster on the interior.
Do you have any suggestions on how we can reduce our risk of rot from the interior?
Total assembly is - Portland Cement stucco, two layers of Tar Paper, 3/4" plywood sheathing and 3/4" boards, 2x4 Roxul, 0.5" foil EPS insulation, 1-1.25" rock lath and plaster, oil and acrylic paint.
Thanks for watching! That is a tough condition. Your contractor definitely didn't do you any favors there - we really need that drainage plane behind stucco to uncouple it from the framed walls, not to mention the rigid foam/vapor barrier was installed in the wrong location. Moisture that gets into the wall cannot dry to the interior because of the foil facing. Ideally, the rigid foam should have been installed OVER the WRB/tar paper, then the drainage plane, and then the new stucco over that. The two layers of tar paper might give you a little bit of a buffer since stucco can't fully bond to tar paper (compared to modern synthetic WRBs), and two layers have been installed. Assuming that removing/reinstalling the stucco correctly is out of the question, your best option would be to install a silane/siloxane penetrating sealer to reduce the absorption of the stucco facade. It's not perfect, but it will reduce the amount of water stored in that "reservoir". You may also want to consider regularly monitoring those walls for high moisture content. If MC in the framing exceeds 30% you have an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Hopefully this helps a bit, good luck!
@@ASIRIDesigns thank you for your time. Will that sealer penetrate the latex pain applied to the wall?
Thanks for the video! I have a wall assembly in a 120+ year old home where the siding is applied directly to the studs. I have removed all the old post-construction blown in insulation and lath and plaster. I'm wondering if a fluid applied vapor permeable air barrier in the wall cavity on the back of the siding would be a good option. It works in my mind but not sure if I'm missing something. Also may require a lot of prep work to actually get it sealed completely. Thoughts???
Great question! You need airflow behind that siding if you have plans to insulate it, so I would not recommend a fluid applied air barrier applied to the backside if you're not going to address the exterior. We've got a few options for this though, there are a few articles on Green Building Advisor that address this. We also have a few free videos on my channel that talk about how to retrofit a building without sheathing. My design guide also discusses how to address this conditon: asiri-designs.com/shop
@@ASIRIDesigns I am painting the exterior and caulking the vertical joints and penetrations. If the fluid applied is vapor permeable, I'm still not understanding why you need airflow behind the siding?? I'll try to watch all the videos and read the articles. Thanks for the quick response?
Did you demolish the plaster and lath?
How about Zip sheeting and taping the joints?
Yes zip is great. Higher cost is offset by labor savings vs applying a separate WRB. The advantech OSB Huber uses for zip is way better than stock OSB. I left a sample of advantech OSB outside on the ground for a year and the swelling and deterioration was minor compared to a similar plywood sample. If Huber combined rigid rockwool board into the zip-r instead of foam... they would have the ultimate insulative sheathing product.
Both options are prohibitively expensive. The only case I could see them used (particularly the first example) is historically listed buildings. That said, great video and thanks for posting it.
This is really cool and all BUT who’s going to do this work? Cause I don’t know anyone around here that would do any of this stuff you just showed. Now the cost? You went through a lot of stuff you have to do to make it right. I think it would be cheaper just to start over. How much does it cost to do this to a house built in the 50s?
What is 5/8 fiberglass faced gypsum? Is that just 5/8s Type X drywall?
Great video. Very useful. But when a house is worth under $100k I'm gonna stick with super old school construction techniques and cross my fingers