Insulation Installation

Hooray! Today we got insulation installed in the kitchen and bathroom. We're actually putting stuff together instead of taking stuff apart. It's a good sign.

Oddly, we got mixed opinions on the seemingly uncontroversial subject of insulation. Some apparently knowledgeable people said not to insulate the house at all; that old Victorian houses like to "breathe" and weren't designed to be insulated. Insulation traps moisture and accelerates rot, the thinking goes.

Other experts told us it's perfectly okay to insulate as long as it's done properly.

The definition of "properly" changed depending on who we talked to, though. One experienced installer said to use Fiberglas bats with no facing paper. Another said bats with the paper facing inwards (toward the room). In the end, that's what we did.

Everyone agreed that insulating the walls doesn't do much good, no matter how you do it. Most heat is lost through the roof, floor, and windows. Walls are the most obvious, but least effective, target. But hey, that's what we've got open right now so that's what we're insulating. The attic and subfloor can wait.