A friend of the blog traveled a long distance to help me finish the last part of the construction, arriving on the same day the drywall was delivered, along with some other materials a neighbor had ordered. So it was a busy morning which segued into a busy afternoon. All the insulation is up, and tomorrow we hit the drywall.
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They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means “The Ultimate Argument of Kings,” and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. “We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it’s about: You’ll do as I say or I’ll send my goons to kill you.”
I thought about that for a long time. If there’s an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I’ve got bullets – he’s got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that’s not going to happen. So if there’s an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain’t bullets.
It finally came to me – and that’s when I abandoned the city and most of my stuff, and gave all that was behind me a good stiff Randian Shrug.
The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.
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Nice to see things progressing. Looks like you will be done long before the rain/snow arrives, but remember it’s coming so get ‘er done. …
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/first-snowfall-edmonton-1.4296854
Get-r-done!
Yep. Although I always love your blogging, getting-r-done is the big thing now.
Kudos to your blog friend for literally going the distance for you!
You didn’t mention putting a layer of plastic over the insulation before you put up drywall. It’s a practical thing to do as a wind and moisture block and doesn’t add much cost.
Wondering whether you are well supplied with fire extinguishers?
Zelda — The vapor barriers on insulation are not sufficient? I can see how in Joel’s climate, some extra wind protection could be helpful.
I’ve got some insulation I’m going to be covering with drywall in the next few months. I wasn’t planning to put plastic over the existing vapor barrier, but I have tons of plastic sheeting and it would take only a few minutes to do. My wall is fairly sheltered against weather, but it is on the north side and our area is very damp. Should I or shouldn’t I …?
Not all insulation has a kraft backing, claire.
Well, I know that, Goober. Some has foil. Some is encapsulated in plastic. Some has no backing at all. Some is blown in and couldn’t be backed no way nohow. 🙂
But I don’t think Joel’s insulation is of the unbacked or unbackable kind. And Zelda does have a reputation for being … unusually thorough, but also knowledgeable, in her recommendations. So, just checking.
Claire, if you will use something like when to use plastic vapor barrier with fiberglass insulation as a search term in Google you’ll get well written answers that are better than anything I could do. And I wish he had caulked (foam or acrylic) every teensy tiny crack and hole and join between boards in his walls and floor, but oh well. If you are trying to live frugally in a cold and/or windy climate you can’t be too thorough and all the nitpicking work (yes I do and I have) will warm you for years to come. In the NorthWet be sure you have enough ventilation so your insulation of whatever kind doesn’t accumulate moisture and become useless, and rot your wood. Take your time. It’s easier and cheaper to do it right once rather than doing it over.
Thank you, Zelda. I’ll do more research to see whether there’s benefit or harm in putting plastic sheeting over kraft-backed insulation.
I definitely hear you on caulking. I’ve become the Mad Caulker. I think Joel was gifted with enough Alex Plus caulk to give me a run for that title, though.
My house has a very well ventilated attic and crawl space. Until recently everything else has been accidentally ventilated simply by being in such bad shape. I’m not sure how best to ensure that walls are both sealed against moisture, cold, and bugs, yet not TOO sealed.
I wouldn’t be so concerned Zelda. Yes, there was the Alex caulk, plus I remember Joel making reference to caulking before that, plus I distinctly saw in one of Joel’s pictures where he had foamed some areas on his new walls.
Also, I don’t know all of the particulars, but one must be careful with moisture barriers. As Claire implies, it is possible to trap moisture and cause rot.
Where Claire lives it certainly is possible, which is why I suggested she go online and get some information. How Claire heats her home is a factor – if it’s wood heat from a stove, that will dry her internal air. There are moisture barrier inside paints too, which I’ve used. IMO it’s better and easier to deal with moisture than infiltration. Overall I’d go for sealing the internal space, and that includes a plastic vapor barrier between the insulation and the drywall, unless the drywall is a specialized type. I’m undoubtedly biased because I now live (and have rehabbed a house) in a dry, cold, very windy environment and that’s why all the conditions in every situation have to be evaluated. I noticed Joel did not put up plastic; from what I know of his situation I would have. Hope his use of foam included all of his windows, doors and outlets as well as the tops and bottoms of his walls.