Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Insulation regulations

I'm looking at buying a home that was built in 1980. This house sits on top of a hill with very little vegitation around it. Thus I believe the wind hits it pretty well. I've asked the current home owner about how the house is insultated & they don't have a clue. My questions are....what type of insulation does this home have? What were the building codes in 1980 in Framingham MA? I got into the attic & I saw 6" batting put down on the cielings to the 2nd floor. What should I assume is in the walls?

Any ideas as to where I can get this info? I've sent emails to the town building inspectors, but they don't get back to me.

Thanks
Nick

If I had to bet on it, I would guess you have R-11 batts in the walls... It would benefit you greatly to add an additional R-19 of insulation to your attic area...

You can do this by either buying unfaced batts and laying them over the top iof the existing insualtion and running in the opposite direction... Option 2 have a cellulose or fiberglass insulation contractor blow an additional R-19 over the top of the existing insulation... (estimates are free from most contractors)

In this area you can have R-19 blown for around 40 cents a square foot...The material in batt form is approximately 30 cents a square foot... So in my opinion for the little difference in cost...let someone else climb around in the attic :-)


This will make a tremendouse difference in the ability to control the temperature in the 2nd floor area, as well as save your money on your utilities...


Good Luck

Jim

"R" 19 is about maximine for fiber glass(FG) insulation. According to a chart showing the % of increse in efficiency per each "R" factor, the increase would be about 7.6%. Since you lose about 20% of the heat thru the ceiling multiply the increase times the lose % times your bills. You'll probably never, in your life time, save enough to pay for the add'l "R" 19 FG. If I'm right you have a 2 story, so the % of savings would be even less, % wise, considering the increase ratio of wall space to ceil'g space. You're biggest problem is going to be summer heat gain and putting a radiant barrier over the FG could make a big diffeference in the comfort of the 2 floor plus substantually reduce the run time on your a/c.

To increase the efficiency of the outer walls, you can paint them with a radiant barrier paint (inside). It is available in flat only and to get maximium results you should go for light colors. Check with your Sherwin Wms paint dealer for more info. This paint is about 40% efficient as compared to about 10% for the FG. So the paint is much more efficient than th FG.

Yes, you can save big time with a small investment if you choose the right materials.

If you have any ?'s about method or material sources, let me know.

For more info on radiant barriers enter into your search engine "radiant barriers" or "reflective insulation".

Thank you for considering my opinion.