Hello Ren- Nice name. It's what I go by myself. I have a question concerning my mothers house which was built around 1880 I believe and has plaster and lath walls without insulation. It's a very drafty cold home and I want to help her out by making it, at least areas of it, a little more comfortable. I was wondering if it would be okay to tear down say the livingrooms plaster and laths, put in some insulation and a vapor barrier, and then sheet rock the walls? Would it just be better to go ahead and have blown in insulation put into the whole house? Or should we just take out loans, hire some professionals and have the whole place gutted and renovated?
Answer:
You're on the right track. I would not take down plaster and lath because of a number of reasons. First, it has asbestos in it and that's a carcenigen, second, it is messy and a lot of work, third, it is masonry and that means it's bulk so it is a tremendous temperature retaining medium. You warm it up in winter and it stays warm longer; you cool it off in the summer and it stays cool longer, and the list goes on. I would blow insulation into the walls, vapour barrier the exterior walls and uppermost ceiling, and then apply drywall. The gains here a numerous.
