I want to insulate the outside of my house, which type of insulation do you think is best?

J
J. Ferguson
Updated: July 29, 2020

I live in Southern Alberta and will be replacing my exterior vinyl siding with wood, I also want to add insulation at the same time. It's a 2x4 wall with pink insulation and a vapour barrier behind the drywall,  and only vinyl on the outside. There are a lot of different kinds of rigid foam panel and I don't want to choose the wrong one, which do you recommend and how much will I need? Thanks, Michael. 

Responses (13)

D
Dave King 5 years ago
Ecohome
Ecohome 5 years ago
Hana Nena
Hana Nena 3 years ago

We have an older brick home from 1960's, can we insulate from the outside?

Mike Reynolds 3 years ago

Hi Hana, yes you can. We always recommend being very careful about the type of insulation and other materials you may install in the process, to make sure they are permeable to moisture and will allow the wall to dry. The page you should read is linked above but here it is again - How to insulate a home from the outside. If that doesn't answer all your questions feel free to write back, and let us know where you live, building for your climate zone is very important

M
Mark Ollinger 3 years ago

Hello. I have read the commentary and admit to not understanding everything so want some clarification please. Our situation is similar. We have a 75-year-old two storey house and we are looking at a complete exterior redo (most windows, all siding, metal roof over existing shingles, soffit, fascia (sp?), and eavestrough/downspouts) in 3-4 years. We can't add the 7" to the thickness of the wall. I would suspect that some of the insulation between the interior and exterior walls is settled cellulose or perhaps even wood shavings. Is the best bang for the buck to blow into the space between the interior and exterior walls from the exterior with additional insulation clad to the exterior wall prior to vinyl siding being installed? 

John Maloney
John Maloney 3 years ago
John Maloney
John Maloney 3 years ago
Sorry I forgot to mention that I will being using 1/2 " plywood for the new sheathing and I'll have to strap the back wall for the new prefinished would siding.