Insulating an exterior bedroom wall that never had insulation

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maxdad118

JOAMOS
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So I am aware of blown in or expanding foam insulation. I don't want to make a mess and buy the equipment to do this. My question is if I cut a 4x8 section out of the center of a wall would I be able to fish it up to the ceiling and down to the floor behind the sheetrock I leave in place? I plan on splitting the difference from floor to wall so about 2 ft up from the floor and down from the ceiling. The 8' would go side to side. I feel this should be doable and wonder if anyone has done this?
 
wonder if anyone has done this?

Welcome to the forum.
Never did it. Patching in two large areas will be as much work as taking it all down IMO. I would use blown in insulation with a rental machine. Wires and nails and the wood will snag the insulation with how you want to do it I would think and I don’t know how good of a seal you will get in the uncovered areas.
 
Well..

To do a decent job, no. It gets caught on siding nails on the outside and any electrical wiring or piping also.

The blown in machines are only good if you have a certain CFM machine. These are what the insulation companies own so they can get it packed into the cavity. Any rental machines do not have this capacity.

So here is the reality, brass tacks

Get a price to have a company install dense packed insulation blown in from the exterior usually. They remove some siding and plug the holes when done, then reinstall any siding.
Or
Remove your sheetrock or plaster about a foot from the ceiling and floor, then resheetrock.
See which on costs more, and make a desicion.

also
Removing any trim around your windows and sealing air leaks at the baseboard floor wall connection is also a good idea.
 
Balloon wall construction?
Is so the top and bottom of the walls also need to be fire blocked.
If the bottoms not sealed up before it's insulated it will just run out the bottom.
 
Depending on what you want to do. Older houses that were built with ship lap instead of sheeting on the outside breath well so when they get wet like from leaky windows they dry out.
But they are often open to insects and rodents. Filling a void with insulation will not stop insects and rodents but it will no longer dry out.
Bat insulation is friction fit and does not slide easily and with siding nails poking thru, it would be very close to impossible.
I would suggest taking the dry wall down or most down as has been suggested inspect for water tracks and general condition of framing.
Inspect wiring and do any repairs needed.
 
It's a stucco siding and I would have most of cavity exposed leaving about 2 ft above and below still sheet rocked( that's the plan anyway?). I would think I could get my hand up inside to get the insulation up to the top and bottom?
 
One way to find out is to try it. I like inspectors idea leaving a foot top and bottom. I can see tucking it up in there and then no ceiling repair to do or removing baseboards.
 
It's a stucco siding and I would have most of cavity exposed leaving about 2 ft above and below still sheet rocked( that's the plan anyway?). I would think I could get my hand up inside to get the insulation up to the top and bottom?

It will be the nails that drive you nuts, let us know how you make out and what ever tricks you come up with
 
R-13 is available in unfaced batts and your plan will expose any fire blocking so stuffing it up and down will be easy.

Since we on the truly left coast, seldom if ever used siding in the era your house was built.
 
R-13 is available in unfaced batts and your plan will expose any fire blocking so stuffing it up and down will be easy.

Since we on the truly left coast, seldom if ever used siding in the era your house was built.

So more nails and more random placing, yes?
 
So more nails and more random placing, yes?

Fewer nails and specific spacing, by code.

Stucco lath is nailed to the studs and if you miss it creates a hole that needs to be patched or you won't pass inspection.

Since we do piece work here, the longer it takes, the less you make.
 
Fewer nails and specific spacing, by code.

Stucco lath is nailed to the studs and if you miss it creates a hole that needs to be patched or you won't pass inspection.

Since we do piece work here, the longer it takes, the less you make.

That's code for plywood and osb, was it there when ship lap was the standard sheeting? I don't think it was here.
 
That's code for plywood and osb, was it there when ship lap was the standard sheeting? I don't think it was here.

Shiplap is an interior and exterior finish product up to about 1930, in municipalities and into the 70's and 80's in rural communities.

OSB is a relatively recent exterior shear panel and therefore required to be nailed to the studs as well.

Nails not embedded in studs are called "shiners" and because they can work loose, are required to be removed and replaced.

More time, less profit.

I'd venture a guess that the OP's house was built in 60's to 70's era.
 
Shiplap is an interior and exterior finish product up to about 1930, in municipalities and into the 70's and 80's in rural communities.

OSB is a relatively recent exterior shear panel and therefore required to be nailed to the studs as well.

Nails not embedded in studs are called "shiners" and because they can work loose, are required to be removed and replaced.

More time, less profit.

I'd venture a guess that the OP's house was built in 60's to 70's era.

OK before plywood came along and got popular it was 1 x 6 or 1 x 8 boards, up here that wood was ship lap. They used ship lap for concrete forms for less leakage and then re used that lumber for sheeting on the house so they just used the same product to finish sheeting the house. I haven't sheeted with it since the 70s but I have seen it used just a few years ago.

Every time I have cut an opening in old construction like that, I have cut the stucco and the the plaster or dry wall on the inside and hammered the nails back to loosen the stucco for easier removal.
 
Learning a lot of factoids about old house construction, but off topic to the OP's question. We simply don't know if he will get hung up on nails or not.
OP: it's seems pretty clear to me from post #6 that you plan on trying your way first, so good luck and let us know how it works. If you find it difficult, you could always expand the hole. Remember that you will need a hole between each pair of studs. Personally, I would rather repair one big hole than many smaller ones.
 
I think his plan is to take 4 feet out of the center of the wall. And replace that with one full sheet.
 
I think his plan is to take 4 feet out of the center of the wall. And replace that with one full sheet.

That's exactly my plan...I will find the center of the stud so the new sheet, whatever that size will be, will have the screws hitting the studs. Yeah, my house was built in 1950, lots of DYI here😆
 
That's exactly my plan...I will find the center of the stud so the new sheet, whatever that size will be, will have the screws hitting the studs. Yeah, my house was built in 1950, lots of DYI here😆

Find a better place to buy drywall and get a sheet long enough for the whole wall.:thbup:
 
Go closer to the corners even if there is no stud where you cut it, a strip of 1/4 plywood or what have you behind the new joint works fine.
 
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