Start by watching our ‘building science made easy’ video below. The best pre-emptive strike against the possibility of a nightmare exterior wall renovation and insulation project is educating yourself - so you don’t get talked into the wrong wall system by a poorly-informed general contractor. Durable, healthy and sustainable homes need careful research and planning - as changing one element without considering how this changes the dynamics of the building envelope is a potential recipe for disaster.
Walls need to be built to meet their specific climate needs. All too often ‘ the best wall assemblies’ migrate from their own climate to one where they do not belong, like putting interior vapor barriers on homes with aircon in hot humid regions, which simply should not be done if you want your house to last. It may look easy to go buy some packs of rigid insulation panels down at the local hardware store and screw them to your walls, but unless you understand how your existing walls are built and how they "work" in terms of keeping moisture, heat and cold where they should be for durability, the insulation panels might not be the only things you're screwing up!Īdding insulation to the exterior of a home correctly starts with establishing what climate zone you are building in and how the existing wall is built to make sure you are not creating a condensation point at a dangerous place within the wall assembly, or preventing internal moisture from the occasional leak in the exterior skin from running away, so the wall structure can dry out. How to insulate house walls from the outsideĪdding extra insulation to the exterior walls of an older home when renovating or remodeling is a great way of improving a home's walls thermal performance and reducing energy use while reducing heating bills, carbon footprint and improving a building's comfort level.