How to insulate 2 story stucco home
GRyrA7uabs
| Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on
Have a 1925 balloon frame stucco home in Madison WI. Ths stucco is in great shape so I hate to cover it with another exterior. I have read several articles relating to cellulose in the walls causing more problems if it gets wet. ( this the “original ” stucco). Interior walls are plaster and lath.. Do I remove the interior walls and install foam board, then top that with spray foam to decrease the amount of thermal bridging? Any suggestions appreciated..Any simple not so messy solution???
Thanks
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Replies
Diane,
How long have you been associated with this home?
When was the last time that it was painted and what type of paint was used?
Removing plaster and lath is just about as messy as it gets. Unless you are planning to do a total interior perimeter restoration/ remodel, trim included, the chance of future wetting should be considered as taking precautionary steps related to the exterior preventive maintenance first.
If the system has performed well since 1925 I would say it's not bad. Look for any signs of potential failure or beginning failure like cracking, paint flaking or efflorescence etc. first. If any of these situations exist ,determine why. Gutters, downspouts, trees bushes encroaching etc. If you can determine that the exterior stucco maintenance is up to date then a well done blown in cellulose job would probably be the least messy. Horror stories are usually related to pre existing failures that are not tended to properly.
As always, it's a matter of what end result your looking for, and the budget that is available to achieve it.
Yearly maintenance inspection is the key to ongoing success with old stucco homes.
I would tend to give this type of project the KISS aproach.