Meeting Notes - 1/14/13

PM, PS, MN, MN2, JBC,

Doors - Met with Doug Handfield of LePage Windows and doors and finalized the Kitchen door with JB.  It was signed and ordered today.

Insulation - Insulation installation started today.  Will be ready for sheet rock next week.

Security - Pete is making a decision on security.  He is aware of schedule.  Needs to clarify number of smokes needed.  Big Mike will confirm with fire department.

Speakers - We confirmed that we will put 2 speakers front to back in the kitchen toward the range.  4 speakers in the sitting room.  The subwoofer will be installed into the cabinetry under the tv. Pete to supply dimensions of speakers and sub woofer.  The dining room speakers will be run from there own amp.  The wiring location is TBD.

Heat - We will remove one radiator from the staircase where it can be seen from the kitchen.  We can relocate this to the hall where the cracked radiators are located.  The other hall radiator can be replaced by the one that was removed from the mudroom.  The mudroom should be sufficiently heated by the radiant heat so no wall mounted radiator will be re-installed.

Insulation II - Points from articles

• Adding insulation to the interior side of walls of such masonry buildings in cold, and particularly cold and wet, climates may cause performance and durability problems.  There are specific moisture control principles that must be followed for a successful insulated retrofit of a solid load-bearing masonry wall. 

• Uninsulated masonry (even “thick” multi-wythe construction) would have an average R value of roughly R-5, which is far below current energy code requirements; application of insulation has substantial benefits.

• Increasing the building airtightness (which would result from this interior retrofit) can cause indoor air quality problems: mechanical ventilation, pollution source control, and combustion safety measures must be implemented to manage this risk. 

• When examining the moisture problem, the fundamental premise is that mass masonry walls manage moisture in a different way than modern, drained assemblies.  Therefore, the balance of moisture (into and out of the wall) is strongly affected by the application of interior insulation.  For one, the masonry wall becomes colder: the inside face of the masonry wall changes from seeing moderate temperatures to regularly experiencing freezing temperatures.  In addition, the wall has reduced drying to the interior (by cooling the masonry, and by adding vapor impermeable layers on the interior), and the amount of energy flow through the wall (and thus drying potential) has been minimized.  In addition, moisture flow due to air leakage into the interface between the masonry and insulation can result in condensation problems; excellent airtightness is desirable to prevent this.  Another issue is rot/corrosion of embedded elements: embedded wood timbers are a common embedded element with durability concerns.  

• A more successful approach involves spraying an airtight insulating foam directly to the interior side of the existing masonry: all air leakage condensation is strictly controlled, and it is the most practical approach to achieving high levels of airtightness in existing buildings.  The spray foam also acts as a moisture barrier, and any small amount of incidental rain penetration will be localized and controlled.  High-density closed cell polyurethane foam is generally a good solution for thinner applications (e.g., 2” of ccPCF), and open-celled semi-permeable foams (e.g., 5” ocSPF) can be a good choice for greater thickness if the interior is kept at a low humidity during winter and the outdoor temperature is not too cold.

Insulation

JB Clancy
"Milton’s Energy Code requires insulation for the portions of wall that have been opened up and exposed.  So all the areas where we can see the exterior of the wall we are supposed to insulate that wall.  The code states that these cavities need to be fully filled with insulation.  What the code did not anticipate is insulating a building with load bearing masonry walls.  

That said, Insulation can be used but we need to proceed with knowledge and understanding of the existing wall.  I have attached two articles on the subject. 

The key points to these articles are if insulation is used we need to make sure the exterior water infiltration is addressed.  We also need to somehow determine the condition of the brick and its susceptibility to damage when freeze/thaw cycles occur.  Lastly, if we do use insulation my feeling is not to use two much, maybe a single lift of 2” of closed cell spray foam."

Peter Stames

"Essentially the entire wall is a cavity in that there are no stops between the interior wall framing and the brick.  Do we simply assume that what you see is what is insulated?  Probably.

Also, being that there are walls on the third floor that are not  insulated and are originally exposed, what will they require in these areas?  Same for the roof?"

  

Articles on Insulating Masonry Buildings

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/insulating-old-brick-buildings

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-1105-internal-insulation-masonry-walls-final-measure-guideline