This post first appeared on the Green Building Advisor website.
When I purchased my small 1950’s vintage Cape Cod home in 2018, I knew I had a lot of work to improve its performance and comfort. I was planning a multi-year, self-performed (and solo), deep energy retrofit. A case study where I could learn and share the difficulties of such an endeavor.
One of my goals was to improve the insulation levels of both the walls and roof. I went back and forth trying to decide if I should add a layer of continuous insulation to the exterior. After all, I was going to remove the existing siding and replace all the windows. In the end, I decided against it. The gable ends of my roof have no eave (see photos below), adding exterior insulation would have required me to rebuild a portion of the recently re-shingled 12/12 pitched roof. I now regret that decision, more on that later.
Continue reading “How to Plan for Continuous (Exterior) Insulation on an Existing Homes”