Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Your guess on R value?
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teds tools
10-20-03, 04:42 AM
WE have a cement block house with dry wall on the inside. I have no idea how much if any insulatoion is behind that drywall. Is a cement block itself any insulation? there is dead air space in it after all. My brother thinks I should tear off all the sheet rock and put up insulation ( we live in Michigan) I think he's crazy. So what is you opinion of the potential R value of the block. The bottom of the house is face stone and the top half is wood siding Thanks Ted
chfite
10-20-03, 07:12 AM
This thread discussed this very question. You might want to take a look.
http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?threadid=147214
Hope this helps.
http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?threadid=147214
Hope this helps.
marcusl
10-23-03, 12:45 PM
I bet you have insulation behind your drywall, otherwise you'd be running $1000/month heating bills and have ice on your kitchen walls during the winter.
The 8" concrete blocks have an R-value of about 1 (see http://coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm), which is comparable to that of a single pane window (burr!). You may have some sort of fiber sheathing behind your wood and stone siding, which would add another R-1 or so.
If you aren't insulated inside, almost anything you add will help. You can special-order 3.5" fiberglass batts that have a high R-15 rating. Install between studs and add drywall to get to usual wood-frame house standards. Even if you hire someone to do the work, it will pay for itself in a few years. Adding insulation to the celing/attic is also an excellent investment. R-38 is the current building standard in cold climates.
The 8" concrete blocks have an R-value of about 1 (see http://coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm), which is comparable to that of a single pane window (burr!). You may have some sort of fiber sheathing behind your wood and stone siding, which would add another R-1 or so.
If you aren't insulated inside, almost anything you add will help. You can special-order 3.5" fiberglass batts that have a high R-15 rating. Install between studs and add drywall to get to usual wood-frame house standards. Even if you hire someone to do the work, it will pay for itself in a few years. Adding insulation to the celing/attic is also an excellent investment. R-38 is the current building standard in cold climates.