GIMME SHELTER-This cold house: The re-insulation solution


A: Re-insulation is something we do quite a bit. Most houses that are relatively new, from the late '70s to 1980s on, don't require it because they were built to code, but older neighborhoods like Belmont have plenty of houses with no insulation whatsoever.

Belmont has become popular recently, with people buying the houses, fixing them up by repainting, reroofing, or making other cosmetic improvements, and then flipping them without thinking of insulation upgrades. The new owners move in and say, "Why is it so cold in here?"




People should also look at attic insulation. Most older houses don't have enough insulation in the attic, if at all, so they get a lot of heat escaping through the roof. Code for new home construction is R38, which can be reached with about 11 inches of cellulous insulation.

The cost of re-insulation depends on the size of the house and the amount of work involved. For example, with plaster walls, it may be more difficult to locate stud bays and drill holes. The insulation itself is fairly cheap, but it's the labor involved that can drive up the cost.

In the end, re-insulation makes a lot of sense. It's fast, relatively inexpensive, and saves a lot in heating and cooling bills down the road.

David Killmeyer