Walls and Ceilings - Installing new drywall in paneled room

Hello everyone

I have a playroom in the backend of the house which is an addition constructed about 25-30 years ago. THe walls are 1/4in paneling over concrete/drywall(i think this type of wall is called rock wall???...it looks like concrete which is spread over drywall, they are bonded together) I thought it was a concrete wall until I took a hammer and busted through what was about maybe a 1/2in of concrete on top of 1/2in sheetrock. Behind that there is insulation(not sure what the R-Value is but its as old as the addition-25yrs...so I know its not the most efficient).

The issue is that the room gets cold in the winter and warm in the summer. I am looking to rip the paneling down and put up new sheetrock however there may be a small problem. THe current paneling is nailed to ferring strips which are nailed to this concrete/sheetrock wall. My main concern is the loss of heat and I want to correct that. There is only about a 1.5-2 in. gap between the paneling and concrete/sheetrock wall and I want to insulate that gap. So I was thinking and a contractor has reccommended constructing a new frame with 2x3s(dont want to use 2x4s because it will decrease the size of the room more than 2x3 would) so there will be enough gap for insulation. THis will offer double protection and will make the room warmer.

Will this be a problem since the wall is already insulated? Another contractor said this might be a problem because of the existing vapor barrier? I am not sure what he is talking about? Would there be some sort of moisture issue?

There is also a door that leads to the outside which is now an interior door. I am going to change that also to an exterior door which I think will reduce alot of the loss of heat. For this, would a exterior door be sufficient or should I get an exterior with a storm door?

My main goal is to reduce the heat loss in the winter and a/c loss in the summer and make this a decent livable room. However I dont want to spend a ton of money either.

All comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks:D

I don't know if there would be any issues with the existing vapor barrier.

Usually one of the biggest heat loss/gain areas is the ceiling. Is it adequetely insulated? Having a solid or insulated exterior door with good weather stripping should make a big difference. A storm door would add a little.

Marksr

Actually you bring up a good point. The ceiling has seven high hats however they are probably the same age as the addition. They are not insulated it is also a flat roof with a skylight. One of the contractors mentioned there is now recessed lighting that can be insulated. However his cost to replace all these light with new insulated ones was about $2500. Not sure if its worth it since Im replacing the door and possibly adding a second layer of insulation to the walls. What do you think? Not looking to crazy on this project. :confused:

When it's cold outside, does the interior side of the exterior walls feel cold/cool to the touch?

It sounds as though the "concrete/drywall" walls are just plaster over drywall lathe. That was the interim between wood lathe and plaster, and todays "all drywall".

If you have studs between the paneling and the "concrete", then it seems as though they built a false wall over the plaster so they would have proper nailers for the paneling.

In that case, building yet another false wall could potentially create a moisture problem in the plaster to panelling space if it got wet and couldn't "breathe".

I know you don't want to go nuts over the project, but if what you have is what I described, you may want to look at the possibility of tearing out the panelling, tear out and save the studs, tear out the plaster and drywall lathe, insulate the heck out of it the right way, and then drywall the walls.

You would end up with better insulation, straighter walls, and a lot more floor space, less door and window issues, etc.

I hope this helps,

MS

Marksr-- not really, they feel normal

mudslinger-between the paneling and the plaster/concrete there are ferring strips. They nailed strips to the concrete so they could nail the paneling to the strips. I assume there is a stud frame behind the concrete/drywall.

If your exterior walls don't feel cold in the winter, I doubt you would gain a lot by reinsulating the walls. I'd look at the door, windows and ceiling as the main culprit[s] for your heat loss/gain.