plaster walls need insulation?

Question

OK, my house was built as a summer bungalo in the thirties. The walls are plaster and are uninsulated. What is the negatives and positives of having insulation pumped into the walls without gutting the room, insulating it and sheetrocking and spackling the entire room?

Answer 1

There is no downside to insulating your walls, plaster or otherwise. The upside is your house will stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Plus you'll save a lot on heating costs.

You can get "blown-in" insulation that is shot in through holes, sometimes from the attic space. Have a contractor give you a quote. Don't forget to insulate the roof also with some batt insulation, you get a lot more heat through the roof.

Answer 2

Let me tell you bro, the latter option of ripping stuff down is a real mess. I live in a house that is about 150 years old and the entire house is horse hair plaster and I have began riping it down room by room and insulating the walls and putting sheetrock up and it makes a REAL mess. The plaster makes a lot of fine dust that unless you seal off the rooms very well, your entire house will be covered in dust.

If you do it yourself, it will be far cheaper than paying someone to do it. I did my daughter's bedroom (14x12) and the total cost of sheetrock and insulation and all the other stuff was right at $1000 and it took about 45 days to complete working on it at night. If you paid a contractor to do it, I would guess it would be 4 times that amount.

Something else that I can tell you is that it is hard to tell what you will find once you rip down the walls. I know in my house there is nothing plumb or level for the simple fact that they could slop on the horse-hair plaster as thick as it needed to be to fill in the gaps and spaces. As a result, for me to put up sheetrock I have to go stud by stud to get everything level before I can even begin laying sheetrock.

On a plus side, my house cost about $800 a month (in the winter) in heating costs (natural gas base-board hot water) and since I have replaced the original windows and insulated the attic and two rooms I've got that down to $500 a month. I would guess that after I insulate the other 8 or so rooms I can get that cost down signifigantly. One last thing that I would say is that if you are planning on replacing wiring etc (which is always a good idea) you certainly do it before you get insulation blown into the walls. Once you do that, it will be nearly impossible to run wiring through the walls easily.

If you enjoy doing this sort of thing I would say go at it, but a whole house renovation is costly and very time consuming if you aren't capable of doing it yourself and enjoy the challenge. I've become very knowledgeable at wiring, plumbing, laying sheet rock and spackling, and basic carpentry since I've started. Go for it bro, one room at a time and in a few months you will be a master contractor!

Answer 3

easy! you can blow foam or dry insulation in it from the outside.
The cheapest and simplest for DIYers is blowing it in. Most building suppliers have both on location and will rent the blower to you. If they don't have a blower, the local rental station does at reasonable prices. Other tools you need is a power drill with a 1" bit and "caps" or "plugs" to cap the holes after you blow it in. Also sold at the building supplier. Drilla hole between each exterior stud about 3/4 up the wall. You can never go wrong insulating your exterior walls.

Answer 4

That would be the way to go (pumping it in) Just do the exterior walls. And open up all the electrical sockets and light switches, (anything that is a hole in an exterior wall) and fill any openings with spray foam. This will make it so moisture in the house will not go into the exterior walls and get trapped causing mildew or mold. Good luck.

Answer 5

plaster and lath is a good insulator . add blown in will enhance what you got

my house i left the old plaster in place and dry walled over it. the walls are like a big heat sink they stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter

Answer 6

I think you answered your own question. Pumping it in would be far cheaper and easier than the other option. Its normally done from the exterior of the house