Hi everyone,
I just bought a 90 year old house that is constructed with real brick walls. That is they are three bricks thick and free standing. Behind the interior plaster and lath walls is the exterior brick wall. I want to tear down the crumbling plaster a lath walls in the kitchen and put new frameing and insulate.
Should I tie the new framing directly into the exterior brick wall or should it be tied to the floor and ceiling joists with gap betweent he studs and brick wall?
Should I add a layer of Tyvek between the framing and the brick wall? I was thinking that I would then fill the voids with rockwool and cover with a vapour barrier.
Is this correct?
Thanks,
Rideau
Replies
Rideau-
I'll be interested to hear what you end up doing, as I'm in the same situation as you (115 year old solid brick rowhouse). I've completed about 75% of the plaster demolition, and I'm fearing the last of it because it makes such a huge mess. Best tools I've found for it are a wrecking bar (the flat $1 horrible freight kind), an air chisel, and an air powered floor scraper (gives you a nice work out). Definitely have excellent ventilation going (an old attic fan stuffed in a window works great for me) and a good mask on.
I'm planning on spray foaming my exterior walls after firring them out with steel, since it's hard to find a straight 10' wood stud in DC. I have to level my ceiling anyhow, so I figure I might as well go full steel in the house. Easier for the one person doing the work, me, to move around all the 2x stock. I don't think there is any structural reason to tie the framing into the brick, but I was going to hold my firring off the brick a 1/4" or so, so that the foam could completely isolate the studs from the brick. Then maybe use a piece of plywood to brace the stud off the wall once I've got everything screwed in.
Good luck,
Z
Sounds like you're a good way ahead of me. I'm just getting started. The plaster and brick mortar dust is murder on the hands as I am finding out. I'll keep you posted on what I decide to do. I need to do a little research first.
Murder on the hands and on the girlfriend :)My cat didn't like it either. Z
Yes, I had to rush out a buy a powerfull air filter for our bedroom and I setup my shop filter on the main floor. It made a big difference.