Insulation in a Condo

[Paddy Waggin]

Is there any way to insulate existing walls in a 2nd floor condo?

Just a couple walls infiltrate cold air during winter... Being on the

2nd flr, can I dump foam or any insulation down my walls to help my heat bill? What about the downstairs unit? They get MY efforts?

And, also... how bout high ceilings? Can they be more insulated? Not easy to get to.... I called a few co's and was told, "it would be very dusty to blow in stuff"...

True? Anyone have alternative sources to put in place? :-) TIA.

[ransley]

Of course we know how the building is made since you told everyone and we know what type of roof it has.

[Paddy Waggin]

Ransley said::::

And of course I see why everyone thinks you're an @sshole.... Thanks for the help dipshit....

If you don't understand the prob... just ask me smartASS...

[SteveBell]

Check the condo laws in your area before you do anything. Around here, a condo owner owns "painted surface to painted surface", with the rest of the building belonging to the condo association*. You own the paint, but you don't own the wallboard, studs, insulation, wiring, pipes, or outer surface of the wall. Of course, any interior walls are yours, guts included. :-)

This is a rather technical definition, since I'm sure you wouldn't be challenged for fixing a wall gouge or driving a nail for a picture.

• According to my architect brother-in-law in Dallas.

[ransley]

Hey dipshit without knowing how its made it cant be answered correctly, its folks like you asking questions without enough info that make an answer impossible. There is no problem, just no info. Its not a smart as response.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Yes.

No, there will be fire stops in the walls

Yes

Not

Depends on construction. Your question is too generic to give a good answer.

[trader4]

Adding to the lack of info, what is meant by a couple walls infiltrate cold air? Does that mean that air is actually blowing in somehow? Without defining the problem, what insulation is already there, etc, impossible to answer. Also, Steve's comments about who owns and deals with various parts of a condo structure are on point. In the condo's I've been involved with, insulation in exterior walls has always been the responsibility of the association, not the unit owner, because the unit owner's responsibility ends at the interior wall boundary.

[SteveBell]

An pertinent story: My boss long ago was remodelling his attic to make a bedroom for his daughter. He got all the interior work done, then started on the roof opening for a dormer window. That's when the condo association showed up and told him that he didn't own the attic. Everything had to be ripped out. Moral: If you own a condo, check with the association before you do anything. And I do mean anything. Some of them have rules about what you can do to the _inside_ of your dwelling (the part you own).

[buffalobill]

see idea at:

building technical stuff at:

[Norminn]

clipped

The same is true of our condo. The board or management company should be familiar with construction and with any other units which have had insulation added. If there are a number of units with the same issues, then a group of owners getting together may advance the cause. If other owners don't want to put up money, the association may let you go ahead if you pay the way......hopefully, they have contractors they have used and can recommend. Our condo is two story, with attic spaces above the second; one owner insulated the attic space, at his expense; others of the second floor units have huge heat/AC bills.

[Phisherman]

Of course you can insulate walls. One method is to inject insulation foam or as you suggest use blow-in insulation. The unit under you benefits in several ways, but also you get a benefit from them too. High ceilings cost to heat. You might try other energy-saving efforts such as caulking, door weather stripping, electrical outlets, Heat/AC leaks, draft stopping rugs, etc or perhaps a few IR pictures of your condo in winter will show help you locate the more serious leaks. A stick of burning insence can help locate drafts. Wall coverings can work too. Get a programmable thermostat if you don't have one (my night temperature drops to 45 degrees at night, 60 degree day temperature in winter). Windows can leak a lot too, often not a cheap fix.

[Phisherman]

Yet another reason NOT to buy a condo.

[Paddy Waggin]

Thank you, thank you Buffalobill.

That's just what I needed, That low density, slow drying, foam.... The regular foam would blow my drywall off...

Now all I need is to find out if I do put it in MY walls... would it sink all the way down to the unit downstairs? Typically would there be a stud? / barrier? in the exterior walls? to catch the foam and keep it in my walls at my level....

Thanks again BB....

[tbasc]

If drafts are a problem, and the association does not want to do anything, you might solve some of the problem by sealing joints at the trim around windows and along the floor.

T

[aemeijers]

Typically, in a condo, you only own or control the wall as deep as the back side of the drywall. The building shell is considered common area, and any changes must be run through the board, and any work has to be done by one of their 'approved' contractors.

I personally could never live like that- may as well rent an apartment, IMHO- but I understand why they set it up like that, so a clueless DIY can't trash the building for the other tenants.

OP should definitely check his deed and the association rules before he opens things up.

May wanna check with the neighbors- if the whole building was improperly insulated, getting it done as a mass upgrade through the association might bring the per-unit cost down.

-- aem sends...

[Ed Pawlowski]

We already answered that. No it won't, and there are firestops in your walls.

[ransley]

I hought some old 100yr construction did not have fire stops, is that so.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I hought some old 100yr construction did not have fire stops, is that so.

******************************************

True, the old balloon framing did not.

[SteveBell]

My opinion as well. That same brother-in-law has been trying to sell _his_ condo for several years. Lenders don't want to give anyone a mortgage to buy it, because the ratio of renters to resident owners is too high. He keeps it rented out enough to cover the mortgage, usually.