Does our plan make sense?

[JessicaG]

We have a fairly typical 50s home in the north US (zone 5). We're in the process of replacing the old leaky doors, fixing or repairing all the windows, and redoing our bathroom and kitchen.

We're thinking of replacing all the drywall on the first floor for a few reasons. It's ok as is but not great with a bunch of nail pops, visible seams, wavy in spots with some dings, but repairable as is to an acceptable level. We want to replace all the wiring, seal and re-insulate, possibly with some kind of foam to seal up the million holes on the sheathing from a recent vinyl siding redo.

Would it make economical sense to bite the bullet and replace the drywall? And does our plan make sense? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Sev]

If you want to replace wiring, re-insulate, and the drywall needs repair anyway, you might as well replace it, and now is a good time as it's neither too hot or cold- especially if you will be living there during this renovation. Could make the bath/kitchen work easier, too. Re: windows- consider replacing if you can afford; newer ones are much more energy efficient. If you are repairing, this is good time for caulking- mid point of the annual temperature range.

[marson]

if you have several reasons to replace the drywall, then by all means go for it. it's hard to say whether it makes economical sense. if your house is drafty, then you'll gain comfort and satisfaction which are valuable above and beyond the economics of the job.

i gutted and reinsulated the last house i owned. i firred out the 2x4 walls with 2x2's so i could fit an r 21 batt. then carefully detailed the vapor barrier--taped the seams, caulked the top and bottom plate, caulked the vapor barrier to the floor as well.

i would question the value of plugging nail holes in the sheathing. where you want to stop air is on the warm side of the wall. true, too much ventilation can lead to heat loss by what is known as wind wash. that's when cold air blowing over insulation strips the heat out similar to how it feels to wear a fleece sweater without a wind breaker on a windy day. but i think it takes quite a bit of air movement. nail holes from vinyl siding would be pretty minor.

[Banty]

I have a 1960 house in Zone 5, and, yes, there are nail pops, some areas in the ceiling where previous hangings are apparent, and the very slightly buckled drywall seams along some walls. (If by "visible" you mean cracked, you might consult an engineer about that, though.)

Sure, it makes sense to gut it, put in new electrical wiring for more features (not sure it's so old it's a problem as is, though - ask an electrician or inspector) if you're doing everything at once and can stand all the sanding dust while you stage that project or live elsewhere. Maybe you can get folks here to brain-storm what they would do once the walls are open, like someone here did concerning their kitchen remod. Certainly more outlets, phone jacks, speaker wires, etc. It sure gives you a good look at the condition of the framing, too.

ON the other hand, in my house I've done some rewalling of exterior walls where there were problems and to re-insulate (while I'm at it) with batt. But other walls and ceilings I'm dealing with by texture painting certain ceilings and certain walls are getting a textured wallpaper (a grass or string). But I don't expect perfect walls and I'm doing this in stages while living in it.

It all depends on your situation and standards.

Banty

[RicodJour]

Economical sense? Probably not. That's a big job. Blown in insulation and a good drywall outfit would be far cheaper and give you a much faster payback with almost all of the benefits. Unless you have a drafty house with no insulation the payback time could be many years. The only way to tell if it makes sense is to get estimates of cost, estimate your cost savings for heating, and then determine what another investment would return to you.

The "replacing all the wiring" is the crux. Why do you want to do that? There are plenty of homes with older wiring than that which are still in good condtion. If you have to replace the wiring, and you're ripping all of the exterior sheetrock, removing all of the window casings, etc., you're basically gutting the house. Are you living there now? If so, you won't want to when the gutting starts.

R

[m Ransley]

If you gut it spray in foam will give the best results.

[JessicaG]

"> on a windy day. but i think it takes quite a bit of air movement.

Thanks, I didn't know if would be worth it or not gutting the first floor rooms, it sounds like we're on the right track.

The nail holes I mentioned are from the old vinyl siding we removed, not the new vinyl siding (where those holes are plugged by the new nails). After the new siding we seemed to notice more drafts which I'm guessing is due to all the old nail holes but I'm not positive. We're thinking that foaming it over would solve that problem but we're unsure of the cost or whether it's needed.

[JessicaG]

Thanks for the great advice. Doing it in stages might make the most sense, we'll have to live here while it's going on.

[JessicaG]

When we upgraded the outlets a couple years ago we noticed a lot of fraying in the cloth-like wiring cover for a number of the outlets. We repaired them but knowing that, we think our long-term goal is to totally replace the wiring. We'd also like to add appropriate wiring (speaker, phone, cable tv, network, security, exterior lighting, more outlets etc) in various locations and some empty conduit for future needs. We also would like to redesign the circuits since it doesnt quite make sense (ie the front door circuit also controls the living room fan and the garage lights).

I agree that we don't want to live there while the gutting goes on but unfortunately this isn't really possible, but we're not talking the whole house, just the first floor. It'll be tough at times I'm sure but we'll deal.

[JessicaG]

I think I agree, but everyone we speak with says it's crazy due to high cost. Guess we'll never know until we get an estimate.

[hallerb]

if you have knob and tube wiring which came with cloth covering replacing the wiring is a great idea. fact is today insurance companies wouldnt insure homes with knob and tube.

i helped gut a house once, dirty hard work, allow lots of money for disposal of debris, dumpsters are expensive these days.

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm, Then how about demolishing the whole house and build a new one? I never lived in a house older than 20 years, LOL! I kept building new house every so often, bigger house in a better neighborhood. Now I quit being retired.