Podcast Episode 74 — The Risks of Insulating Old Brick Homes
Crown molding, eye safety, clapboard siding, and "the nerdery never stops"!
This episodes cuts right to a slew of listener questions, with answers by Fine Homebuilding editor Justin Fink, associate editor Matthew Millham, and editorial director Rob Yagid in this episode.
Thomas, a fan of the show, asks about the perfect wall assembly for the brick walls in his 1840s farmhouse. The guys talk about how that multi-width brick walls in cold climates are super-risky. If things go wrong, “your house will fall apart,” warns Justin. Here are a couple photos he sent in:
Another listener, Pete, asks for advice on crown molding, from miter corners to cutting the crown on the flat.
Finally, a listener named Chris writes about the best way to restore and re-install old clapboard siding. Check out a slew of photos from Chris by clicking the gallery button below.
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Other links related to this issue:
- Martin Holladay on Insulating Old Brick Buildings.
- Building Science Corporation.
- Join Us at the 2017 Remodeling Show and DeckExpo.
- October’s Remodeling and Deck Show in Nashville.
- All FHB podcast show notes: FineHomebuilding.com/podcast.
- Buy a shirt at KeepCraftAlive.org.
Here is the gallery of photos from Chris showing the old clapboard under the vinyl siding on his house:
View Comments
Re: Crown molding episode; it was stated that the hosts never do a miter in a corner. I have to assume that they are talking about inside corners. The reality is that outside corners are fairly common too and I'll bet they seen them. Perhaps where a closet projects off an inside wall, etc. Not all rooms are a simple square/rectangle. So the question still remains. What's the best way to cut a miter for an outside corner?
Re: clapboard segment: What do they think about using Hardieboard siding or some such with the proper moisture protection? I ask because I just had it installed on my dormer walls after the 100+ year old slate was removed.
Replace the lath and plaster and install a rocket stove to supply the house with dry, efficient heat.
There's no question that the brick construction requires careful consideration when working to make the house more energy-efficient, but come on guys, this is a beautiful period house. I'd guess Federal style, which seems straight and true from the picture. It has stood proud for over 177 years. Treat it with some respect. Work on air sealing. Replaster the interior. Perhaps increas insulation in tha cap and pay attention to ventilation and the integrity of the roof. Don't laugh about the planks that were the nailers for the hand-split lathe. They built this house by hand with hand tools. Evaluate it for what it is and honor the know how and skill that created it.
Cutting flat on the saw base is the only way to do giant pieces of exterior crown. The only way I've been able to set the saw accurately is by trial and error with some scrap, the circle and triangle marks on the saw are just a starting point. I like to cope by scanning the extra away with the table saw if the piece is short enough, it makes a knife edge that sits really tight.