01-25-2010, 06:51 PM
Gary S Wrote:Tetters: So your house is face brick on the outside, and cmu block on the inside, then plaster? What is the total thickness of the walls? Must be a foot? Is there any insulation in the block, or foam type insualtion sheet anywhere?
Yep Gary. That's about it. Face brick then cmu brick on the inside, 1 x 2 straping then the lath & plaster. I would say that a foot is an accurate estimate for the walls. No insulation. The house was constructed over fifty years ago when code was different and it was determined to be an acceptable form of construction for homes. There is wood structure for the interior walls, floor and roof. I have heard that there are companies that can come in and inject spray foam insulation into the walls to fill the gap between the lath and plaster. I have not really looked into it. The other option (as I understand it) would be to gut the interior to expose the brick, seal the brick on the inside, and then construct 2 x 4 walls inside the home, insulate, vapor barrier and sheet rock it. In other words messy and expensive. I've also heard that you need to leave a consistent gap so that the brick does not touch the wood, something like a 1/4 - 1/2 inch. As the brick can still have moisture and the wood can get moldy and rot.
Like I mentioned, I only did a cursory look to see my options... so I might have my facts mixed up about what I'd need to do to the house to bring it up to code. I've had a number of people tell me I should check the insulation in my ceiling and throw another layer on top. This will apparently, significantly reduce heat loss and then home will warm up quite noticeably. I just have to drag my ass up a ladder to peak up through the access panel which is in a very full closet at this time.