Imagine this; a 2 story brick house with a 1 story frame addition. For a number of reasons, the brick wall that is now on the inside of the addition needs to be framed over. The question is, if the wall is to be insulated, should a vapor barrier be placed over the brick? By the way, there is a full basement below both the house and the addition.
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Why are you insulating what I take to be an interior wall?
All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
It's an interior wall on the first floor, but an exterior wall on the second. It is a brick house, not a brick veneer house, 3 courses thick on the first floor, 2 courses on the 2nd floor. The issue is, what happens to any water that penetrates the brick wall above the 1st floor roof?
Oh, that's different...you'll be wanting to stop water creeping down the wall, eh. In the UK there is what is called a d.p.c. - damp proof course - embedded in the brick just above ground level to stop rising water. So-o-o, I wonder if you cannot do one above the roof? If you've a gable roof you're stimied, but if a shed roof try cutting thru a mortar joint as deep as you can and inserting something water-proof - strips of torch-on roofing comes to mind. Do it in 3' - 4' stages or the house side will implode. Then flash over the top of the roof and up the wall, inserting counter-flashing into the same void, but above the d.p.c. Hope you don't have to go that route...maybe someone else knows of an application to the brick to water-proof it.
BTW, allow venting up between the brick and the stud wall - top and bottom - to encourage airflow and let moisture out.
You might re-post this in 'general discussion' and catch different specialists...
All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
Edited 11/18/2005 1:34 am by piko