Cracking / Discussions

An insulation contractor toured my 100-year old house near Toronto and told me that they wouldn't recommend installing any insulation in the basement because it could cause freeze-thaw damage to the foundation. Their stance was that these old houses like to "breathe" so it's better to avoid any changes because it's las...

...cracking on the exterior of some of the foundation blocks, where the interior walls had been insulated but not on a portion of the basement walls that were not finished on the interior. I have dug down about a foot on the exterior walls and there is no cracking evident below ground level, on any part of the foundation....

I have read in many posts that insulating a cinder block foundation wall from the inside in cold climates is risky as it can cause cracking. This is due to the introduction of the freeze/thaw cycle. I can't wrap my mind around why this wall would not have already been exposed to this cycle, when uninsulated. Can you he...