INsulating an old masonry building
I was recently listening to FHB podcast ep. 417. They talked to a gentleman who is an expert on insulating masonry buildings. It seems to me his advice was all oriented towards “rebuild the masonry wall with vents”. So then I had a panic attack…
I am rehabbing a 1910 victorian. It is half of a duplex, and was built entirely brick construction with plaster applied directly to the brick. We framed 2×4 walls inside the existing plaster walls and insulated w R19 fiberglass batts. We did *not* install a vapor barrier. We then installed drywall and finished it.
The roof is a flat roof, so there we sprayed ~5″ of closed cell insulation directly on the underside of the roof as both a vapor barrier and insulation. (by “we”, I mean the insulation contractor)
So, did we just make a mess of this house? Should I worry?
Replies
It really depends on the existing conditions. If the old walls were dry, you have nothing to worry about. Your assembly will dry to the inside which is fine as long as there is no active moisture. However, excess moisture could cause mold.
the existing walls are in good shape, and the building has been pretty dry. We replaced the roof recently, and did a very modest amount of pointing, but nothing I'd consider serious for a 120 year old building.
thanks for the input