Owners of historic homes may find things like corn cobs, newspaper, wood shavings or bricks in their walls for insulation. Fortunately, today’s insulation options are much higher performing. When installed properly, insulating older and historic homes can make your home more comfortable and can save you up to 50 percent on utility bills!
Special consideration needs to be taken with older and historic homes in order to maximize energy savings while preserving the historic character. You can request a free home visit from one of our insulation experts by filling out our easy online form or calling 888-292-2382.
Older Homes CAN Be Made More Energy Efficient
Air sealing & insulating a few key places in historic homes—attics, crawl spaces, basements—provides the greatest benefit with the lowest risk of damage.
Wall insulation can sometimes be problematic in historic structures. That’s because it’s difficult for people with inexperience to install it properly due to the unpredictable nature of historic walls.
- There may be old knob and tube wiring in the wall which would present a fire hazard.
- Blocking, fire stops, or forgotten or obsolete chases will result in cold pockets. Anywhere the insulation does not or cannot reach, such as the junction between the exterior wall and the floor joists, can create thermal bridging.
- Blowing insulation into lath and plaster walls can potentially cause the plaster to detach from the furring, necessitating extensive repairs.
Historic Tyler, TX Home Insulated by Kinzler
The insulation experts at Kinzler Construction Services (Home of Garland & Jones Insulation) were hired to insulate the 120+ year old Jester-Butler-Clyde House in the historic Charnwood District of Tyler, TX. Its new owners are doing extensive renovation work, which they contracted with Canfield Construction Management.
One of the projects involves turning a space on the second floor into a laundry room. This area of the home did not have any insulation, so introducing it needed to be done carefully and with particular attention given to proper ventilation.
Kinzler installers carefully removed a piece of wood paneling on a sloped ceiling to gain access into the walls without damaging the structure. Blown-in fiberglass insulation was the best option for this project because we were able to complete the install and increase energy efficiency with minimal disturbance to existing finishes of the historic home.
Kinzler Can Help
Kinzler Construction Services (Home of Garland & Jones Insulation) has the experts to install insulation in your older or historic home. Contact us today at 888-292-2382. to discuss how we can partner on your next project!
