Does midwest cabin w/o insulation need VB
 

Hi all,

I have a cabin in central Missouri with T111 siding that needs replaced. It does not have insulation in the walls. I do not plan to put any insulation in the walls. I do not know if there is a vapor barrier. If I replace the T111 with Hardiepanel or LP Smart Side panels, should I put in a vapor barrier under the panels? If so, what do you suggest?

Thanks.

Joe

Tyvac or simular house wrap is what you use under siding. Vapour barrier is what you would put between insulation and drywall on the inside of the house and welcome to the site. Will you be doing the work yourself?

50% inside, 50% outside
 

The outside of the wall is the warm side 50% of the time here in Missouri. It is hard to say which side of the wall to put the VB on. In FL it goes on the outside, in Maine it goes on the inside. Missouri is not so clear though I've seen it mostly on the inside here. I can do the work myself. Depends on the cost if the bid . Thanks for the welcome.

Joe

The vp is there to keep moisture away from the insulation, so if you don't have insulation, not needed. People closer to your local may have different ideas.

Thanks for the response Neal. Would I need to have OSB or plywood under the FC panel? I think there is just T111 nailed to studs currently.

Depending on how the walls were built, likely rthe sheeting adds to the regidity of the building and needs to be there. If you remove it only do one wall at a time and plywood or osb would e fine. I would just cut out the bad stuff and repair with something the same thickness and put house wrap and siding over it.

After 3 weeks of thinking about this I concluded the same thing that you suggested. Thanks again.