Insulating 2nd story walls on an 80's home...

6 years ago

So, we've remodeled the house twice now (thanks tax day flooding and Hurricane Harvey!) and haven't really delved into the walls on the second floor of the house. We've redone the entire 1st floor to allow for a more energy efficient lifestyle (it's working...) but the second floor still seems to be the sore spot. we've got about 3100 sq ft, 3 bedrooms up and a massive game room along with a full bath. My kids' room is the hottest room in the house - to which we've gone to great lengths to correct (darker paint, zoned system, extra ductwork, upgrading furnace and a/c..) but I feel like the insulation factor is still an issue. In the older days, I understand they didn't insulate interior walls, but I swear - what they did use is pretty much useless in the great summers of SE Texas!! :( That being said, should we invest in blown in insulation in the attic? Radiant barrier? Add insulation to the walls, re-insulate? I really don't want to rip out the drywall at any cost.... I'm over all this drywalling to save a lifetime!!

Thoughts???

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Comments (5)

mindshift
6 years ago
Darker paint on an interior wall only helps psychologically. Darker paint on an exterior wall actually absorbs more heat from the sun. A room located on the south or west side of a home will be hotter than others. Unless you have had the windows replaced you likely have single-glazed windows that allow more heat gain. Closing blinds or curtains during the day will help keep the heat out.

Most houses in the 80s have adequate fiberglass insulation. Interior walls do not need insulation. Have you checked to see what's in your exterior walls? Remove a small section of drywall in an inconspicuous corner of an exterior wall of this room to see. The easiest fix is to have loose insulation blown into any wall that needs it. A hole is drilled through the siding at the top of each stud cavity and below each window. Loose insulation is blown into each cavity, then the holes are plugged and painted over. This can also be done from the inside. If you have no insulation in the attic I would go with batts rather than loose fiberglass.
tatts
6 years ago
You do NOT have to remove a section of drywall! Just pull out a light switch or outlet box (after turning off the circuit). You don't have to disconnect any wires.
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PRO
HALLETT & Co.
6 years ago
Spray foam the underside of the roof deck. This brings the attic space into the conditioned area of your home so all your ducts are in an eighty degree attic instead of a 140 degree attic.
klem1
6 years ago
You are wise asking for solutions on line instead of having locals look at the place. With collective knowledge gathered from across the globe,you can improve on the situation. You have insulation but it was poorly installed. Insulation is blocking air space between top plate and roof,making soffit vents ineffective. That coupled with inadequate attic ventilation is trapping moisture and heat. No solar barrier was used at time of construction. Electric boxes are not sealed allowing air infilteration. Coils are dirty on both ac units, one has duct leaks and the other need's calibration. The batteries died before I finished but I'll try later on.
wacokid
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Unless Klem works for facebook, he has no idea what is going on in your home. Your exterior walls probably have fiberglass batts, R/11, in them. No need to do anything else, it would not work anyway with them. I would have additional blown in fiberglass insulation added to the attic, up to a R/38 value if that is possible. Have a local contractor give a quote and see what they say. A good crew could add that to your attic in a few hours with no mess.

Insulating 2nd story walls on an 80's home...

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mindshift

tatts

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