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hammick_gw

re-side for better insulation

hammick
9 years ago

Our house was completed in 2006, the front is brick and stucco. The sides and back are LP smart trim directly on studs. We don't have any house wrap (wasn't code until the following year). So the material between us and the outside is sheet rock, insulation and the smart Trim.

I feel like out house is poorly insulated. During cold winter days our exterior electrical outlets feel like air conditioning vents.

For years I have been thinking about having new siding installed over our existing siding with Tyvek in between. Maybe even foam board in between.

What are people's thoughts on cost vs benefits of this?

Thanks.

Comments (7)

  • worthy
    9 years ago

    Despite manufacturers' assertions, housewrap is not primarily an air barrier, but a moisture barrier. It's most useful as the drainage plane behind the exterior building facade. So trying to install housewrap around an existing siding to improve air tightness won't be much help.

    As far as the IRC Code 2009, a weather resistive barrier is not always required and when it is, housewrap is not the only material that is acceptable. Indeed, many of the so-called housewraps are virtually useless; and when they're not useless, they're often incorrectly installed and can cause more moisture problems than they prevent.

    If you're budgeting for new siding anyway, I would consider removing the old siding, adding 2"-3" thick high- density tongue and groove XPS (extruded polystyrene) or polyisocyanurate sheathing with taped joints, covered in Typar or Tyvek, or lapped 30 lb. building paper. Then new siding, being sure there's a gap between it and the XPS and proper flashings are installed.

    Best energy-savings bang for the buck? Unless there are moisture problems--using a moisture probe will tell you--I'd speculate that caulk, hand held polyurethane spray cans and added insulation would be more productive.

    This post was edited by worthy on Sun, Nov 16, 14 at 20:04

  • renovator8
    9 years ago

    Louisiana Pacific makes LP SmartSide Lap siding, LP SmartSide Panel siding and LP SmartSide Cedar Shakes. Which one do you have?

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    where do you live???

    it would seem that would be requisite to any answer given ...

    and why cant you solve the electric outlet issue independent of residing the whole house???

    ken

  • hammick
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    We are in Kansas City, MO. We have the LP Smartside panel siding directly on the studs. No cladding or house wrap

    All exterior outlets on the side and back of house are drafty. Front outlets are fine on main floor wherever have brick and upstairs where we have stucco.

    My neighbor had same builder and caulked the bottom of all his Smartside panel siding where it met the foundation. I know that goes against common sense but he said it helped tremendously with bugs and drafts.

    I don't think I have any moisture issues.

  • renovator8
    9 years ago

    It would be easy to add foam board and new siding but the difficulty is detailing the doors and windows. Do you know how they were installed in the panel siding?

  • worthy
    9 years ago

    It would be easy to add foam board and new siding but the difficulty is detailing the doors and windows.

    Indeed. Plus the bottom of the new siding and insulation, which will now hang past the foundation.

  • rwiegand
    9 years ago

    As part of an addition and semi-deep energy retrofit project on our 1952 garrison colonial in MA we stripped the shingles and wrapped the building with 2" of taped rigid foam. That was topped with taped zipwall sheathing for a nailing substrate and rainscreen prior to re-shingling. We were replacing the windows in any event so it was an ideal time to make the walls much thicker. We also had to do things like extend the gable ends over the now thicker walls. Then we also blew cellulose into the old stud bays, where there had been a token amount of rock wool previously. In sum the improvement in comfort in the house was very dramatic, with icy drafts reduced to zero and at least an 80% reduction in the heating bill. (The guy who did the "before" blower door test said it was one of the worst houses he had ever tested.)

    It is not a project for the faint-hearted, and the payback time is long but it can also be immediately rewarding in comfort and livability, if not financially.