<p>Our house is freezing-
very little insulation & Ihaven’t had time to replace caulking or weatherstripping ( H doesn’t believe in that sort of thing so I do it)
I would love to get insulation, but for that we will need our siding to be replaced, as our house is about 107 years old when all they did was “put another log in the woodstove”
Cedar siding like we have is expensive- so I am contemplating vinyl or aluminium since I also recognize that we don’t paint as often as we should.
( I don’t like heights and I balk at paying going rate to paint the house)</p>
<p>any experience?
Or should we just replace where needed the old growth cedar siding and put on another sweater?</p>
<p>I would not replace quarter-sawn cedar siding just to get insulation! There is a blown-in kind that can be done through small holes from either the outside or the inside. I think it’s cellulose, and it has a fire-retardant. We’re thinking of having it done to some of the walls in our house.</p>
<p>Our contractor recommended a local company that has done this to hundreds of houses in our area. He says that they repair the holes and leave the room “paint-ready” - his term. It is not all that expensive, either.</p>
<p>I will have to look into that NYmom.
I had asked H to do it- cause I was trying to peel him away from his weekend football games- but Ill have to add to my list of things to do.
I know we lose a lot of heat that way.</p>
<p>Oh, and “cedar siding like we have” is no longer available. New cedar siding is of much lower quality, and costs a fortune. You can insulate the whole house from the inside.</p>
<p>I have to say…we blew in siding in my 150 year old house and while it improved the situation, there were still drafts, etc. OTOH…a good friend put up vinyl siding (which I have to say looks just like wood unless you tap on it). When they did her siding, they also put up large sheets of insulation on the outside of the house, and thus closed up ALL of the gaps…and significantly cut down on the drafts while also adding insulation. She needed FAR fewer logs on her fire than I needed on mine. I would go with the vinyl…low maintenance, and the insulation under it too. My current house is only 12 years old and well insulated and I would vinyl side it if I needed to replace the cedar siding.</p>
<p>EKity, hopefully you’ve read MOMof2’s response and got it out of your head to replace a classic like cedar siding with aluminum or vinyl. If the siding is in good shape, there are companies that can minimize the damage while they blow in insulation or foam. It will probably be even cheaper than replacing the siding.<br>
Other posts also tell you the real story. Make sure your attic space is up to at least R32-R38, as this would probably be your first and best solution. And add an attic fan for the summer months when you do this.
Don’t forget the basement if you have one!</p>
<p>Emerald, we just had our attic done by Burnham’s Insulation, who we found through Angie’s List. We also have cedar siding on our house, and they said they could easily blow insulation into the walls through small holes. We didn’t need it, though, as they put fiberglass insulation in the walls when the house was built. We did have them put R-38 chopped fiberglass insulation in the attic, and they did a neat, clean, on-time job for a very reasonable price. (I hope recommendations on particular companies don’t violate the TOS.)</p>
<p>Good luck. For what it’s worth it, I wouldn’t even consider replacing cedar siding. You can repair a lot of problems for a lot less than re-siding your whole house.</p>
<p>I would consider some of the options mentioned above before I went the siding route. Siding bless it’s soul, could verywell make your home look like a double wide…</p>
<p>You might call your utility company and ask about a home energy audit, after you take care of the roof insulation and the walls. Or before, if you’re trying to figure out priorities. Your house will be so much more comfortable after you get some of this done! </p>
<p>Don’t put in loose fiberglass; fiberglass is the next asbestos! Due to the small size of the fibers, they can penetrate deep in your lungs to do a lot of longterm damage… Cellulose, shredded denim or icynene foam insulation is much better</p>
<p>Check to see if air can flow through these places:
Electrical outlets
Switch plates
Window frames
Baseboards
Weather stripping around doors
Fireplace dampers
Attic hatches
Wall- or window-mounted air conditioners</p>
<p>Step Two
Reduce heat loss
Attic (make sure you don’t block any vents)
Walls (don’t remove your nice siding blow in insulation from the interior)
Insulate any basement walls that are above ground, add insulation to floors over crawl spaces, make sure top of foundation wall where joists rest is insulated
Replace old, leaky windows (priciest, but new double pane windows with inert gases will help a lot)</p>
[quote]
Don’t put in loose fiberglass; fiberglass is the next asbestos!{/quote]</p>
<p>I second that. Tiny pieces of glass, a non-biodegradable material, can get lodged in your lungs and never ever get out. Not a good thing.</p>
<p>We have Hardiplank (fibercement - fire retardant). Looks like cedar from afar, but needs no upkeep as far as painting goes, 9 years and holding (builder said paint will last 25 years if we do not get tired of the color). The builder asked us if we wanted Hardiplank or cedar, and looking at the paper-thin cedar being put on the neighbor’s house, we chose HP. The siding contractor was thrilled (sarcasm) - it takes special saw blades and pre-drilling to put this bomb-proof stuff up.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to pass myself off as an expert, I was just sharing a single link that discussed the health risks. I’m pretty confident that – just like asbestos – as long as it is safely tucked away in walls and in the attic, fiberglass insulation is not particularly a health hazard. Even asbestos is only dangerous when it is removed from its normal location and introduced into the air. For example, floor tiles, insulation, and adhesives containing asbestos are only dangerous when they are fractured and introduce dust into the air.</p>
<p>That may well be true But it is still a very significant issue for anyone contemplating remodelling or tearing down. There’s a building at Harvard that no one likes. It should be torn down or at least drastically remodelled for the sake of those working inside it. But the sticking point for as long as I can remember is asbestos removal. That is probably true of many a building throughout the country.</p>
<p>I shudder to think what my Hs lungs look like- he not only has been smoking for decades but for years he installed carpet ( and linoleum) including removing old linoleum, as well as working with all sorts of nasty materials at the Boeing factory, where he complains about the ventilation constantly.</p>
<p>The bathroom is the only room we have really remodeled- taking it down to the studs- but as there was zero insulation ( just plaster and lathe) we have added fiberglass batts which does make it warmer but since it is still the original window ( one of the few left in the house) it doesn’t quite close all the way- hmm perhaps thats the problem!
At least windows are easy to replace.</p>
Due to the small size of the fibers, they can penetrate deep in your lungs to do a lot of longterm damage… Cellulose, shredded denim or icynene foam insulation is much better</p>