Wall Insulation Hamilton

Century Walls Often Hold Nothing At All

A great many of Hamilton's older brick houses were built before wall insulation was standard, so the cavity — where there is one — is empty. Those walls cannot be reached without opening them, which means the honest options are either a renovation that opens them anyway, or dense-pack through small access holes where the assembly allows it. We look at the construction before saying which applies.

Open Cell or Closed Cell

Open cell fills the cavity completely, air seals it as it expands and costs less, which suits interior partitions and standard exterior walls. Closed cell gives a higher R-value per inch, adds rigidity and acts as a vapour retarder at thickness, which earns its place in shallow cavities and on exposed walls. In older masonry assemblies the vapour question matters more than the R-value headline, and it should be settled in writing before the work.

Renovations, Additions and New Framing

These are the three moments the cavity is open. We work to the framing schedule rather than the other way round, and the written scope names the product, the thickness and exactly which cavities are covered. If a renovation is taking a wall back to studs anyway, that is the moment to do it properly rather than closing it up and regretting it.

When the Attic Is the Better Spend

If a house has empty walls and an unsealed attic, the attic almost always returns more for less, and we will say that rather than quoting the larger wall job first. Walls matter, but they are rarely the first thing wrong with a Hamilton house.