Old Home- How to Handle Insulation in Older Homes graphic

If you are an old home aficionado and have your own older home, you know how tricky it can be to restore it! Sometimes, you work tirelessly to maintain your property’s character and originality while bringing it up to modern standards and efficiency.

This is particularly tricky when it comes to insulation installation. Many older homes have a variety of unique features, from unusual crawl spaces to extensive attics. Retrofitting these spaces with modern, efficient insulation is a challenging task that may require the assistance of an Attic Projects insulation specialist.

What are some of the problems with old home insulation?

If you have a home built before the mid-20th century, you can be guaranteed that it wasn’t made to include modern insulation techniques. Homes then were built in large part without insulation, often incorporating open cavities in the walls to allow the house to breathe. Moisture control has been the bane of home builders for centuries. Before modern advances in insulation, the best way to protect against the build-up of moisture was to include a looseness in the building envelope, which would let the house dry out safely.

If you simply stuff insulation in these open cavities, it could effectively act like a sponge, soaking up all that excess moisture and causing a wide range of problems. Adding insulation haphazardly where it was never meant to go could lead to problems like wood rot, peeling paint, and mold and mildew.

What is the best way to insulate an older home?

When it comes to insulation installation in an older home, it’s best to start with the basics. Start at the top and work your way down. The first place to add insulation is in the attic. It makes the most sense, and it also gives you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to insulation installation.

In most older construction, the attic’s interior is easily accessible and presents a blank canvas for modern insulations. Installing insulation on or under the attic floor also keeps with the tradition of older homes of having proper airflow to help with moisture. If there is a water leak, adequate airflow will help keep things dry.

One place to avoid insulation installation is in the walls. While it might seem like a great place to insulate, the reality is that old home construction didn’t incorporate waterproofing. As mentioned above, many walls were designed to allow airflow to help mitigate water intrusion. This means that putting in insulation could leave you with a soggy mess that creates more problems than it solves. When it comes to insulating the walls of an older home, your best bet is to incorporate it into a larger project, like replacing the siding.

One place to pay special attention to older homes is the crawl spaces. These are often great places for insulation installation. It can also help mitigate problems stemming from pest intrusion or poor ventilation. It could also help make your older home more energy-efficient, it could increase the health of your family as well.

Trust the experts when it comes to older home insulation installation!

Attic Projects insulation technicians are the real pros when it comes to older homes. Give us a call. One of our specialists will perform a thorough assessment, checking all of the nooks and crannies in your older home to craft the perfect insulation plan. We’ll work with you throughout the process, always making sure that any new insulation is ideally suited to enhance your older home’s charm and energy efficiency.

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