Originally, as pictured in the previous post, behind the vinyl siding, which covered the old wood siding, was tar-felt roofing paper nailed against the studs. If we were going to make this house energy efficient and structurally robust, we needed to put up new plywood/OSB sheathing, housewrap, and new siding. I was attempting to save and put the old wood siding back up, but too many of the weatherboards were too far gone to piece in new boards and refinish the old ones on a reasonable budget. However, we did find another use for them, which will be detailed in later posts.
So, the new wall assembly had to reflect the new energy-efficient and renewable energy powered future of the house---without compromising historical sensibilities, and without increasing the width of the house.
The shiny material is a double-faced foil, radiant/vapor barrier house wrap which reflects the radiant heat from the structure and protects the wood from moisture. This feature will reduce the heat permeating into the structure, allowing the building to stay relatively cool on a hot, sunny day. This will also reduce the cooling load of the HVAC system because it will have to work less to cool the house down when it is running.
This material was also put down on top of the roof decking (with ice and water shield) to further reflect heat from the sun. This, in conjunction with a white metal roof, will not only markedly increase the energy efficiency of the structure, but also assure longevity and comfort within the house. Normally, since the second floor is just below the roof, it might become incredibly hot with just an asphalt roof and no reflective protection. However, since we decided to pursue this building strategy, the house will allow comfortable habitation on the second floor on some of the hottest days.
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