Doggone it - I lost the text of my in-progress posting. Sorry if it
duplicates....

Scenario: I now have completely open to the studs and sheathing
exterior walls on South side of house - both levels - due to insurance
company's delay on approving demo/removal of cabinetry and walls which
had been left for days in 3" of standing sewage overflow. YES - Under
the terms of my HO policy, this is a COVERED LOSS. After about 18
months, we had a major Mold Farm behind the walls. I had pulled the
cabinets and had the walls demo'd and rebuilt at my own expense, but it
was too little, too late. Mold had set in, and now it has taken over,
gone throughout the HVAC air handling system...... and I am living
without flooring, wall finishes, cabinetry, kitchen and bath plumbing,
cooking facilities or , very importantly - INSULATION, which has to go
in before we can put in new walls.

Sprayed - on foam (soy, corn, icynene or polyurethane) all seem to be
equally effective at preventing mold regrowth, according to their
literature. What I am wondering is whether anybody here has any
personal or professional experience with this issue? I know I can add
effective R-value by using foam, and amp it up even further if I add
fiberglass batts on top. I also can stop heat transfer through the
wood studs by attaching foam strips on the interior side, rather than
furring them with wood. (The framing needs another 5/8 of furring added
because the demo'd walls were 3-layer plaster and we are replacing with
drywall - so we need to make the walls meet up with the window and door
framing.)

So: do you think I am on the right track here?

And what about the soundproofing qualities of Foam? Anybody have any
ideas? I have a teenager with a drumset, loud amps and a - God help me
- Band! I want to do something to dampen the sound, as long as I have
to put back insulation between the ceiling (or floor, depending)
joists. Suggestions?

I'd also like to add insulation to the lower level, which has the lower
3' of walls below grade - just a skimcoated & painted poured concrete
foundation, with a jog out at the sill and plaster walls above the sill
plate. There is NO lower insulation and those walls get very cold. The
upper walls get pretty chilly, too. It was suggested that I do one of
2 things:

1. Frame in the whole perimeter and foam it. That would be pretty
expensive, and require a lot of framing labor and lumber - especially
if I want to make the wall vertically flat, rather than to keep the
jog and the foundation sill.
2. Nail/glue rigid foam board to the concrete walls and foam only the
upper walls. I'd have the option of using strips of 2' foam board to
act as framing instead of wood 2x4 studs, on the upper walls, because
they would only be used as boxes to hold in the foam. They'd need to
use longer drywall screws than usual to attach the drywall covering to
the existing wood studs behind the existing drywall, over which the
foam would be applied. Hard to describe - is it possible to envision?
It would be a sort of "sandwich" of (new drywall-new foam) over (old
drywall-visqueen-fiberglass batt)sheathing & siding. I really love the
idea that foam would completely seal all the little air gaps and
eliminate the current heat transfer through the existing wood studs.
My house has become awfully drafty downstairs due to settlement,
various half-assed repairs that didn't get quite sealed, etc. Lots of
little places where daylight shows.

Whadda ya think?

Liz

don't quote me, but...... wrote:

SNIP
2. Nail/glue rigid foam board to the concrete walls

SNIP

I just wanted to respond to this part because
I had a similar situation.

Basement block walls to be insulated before remodel
for rec room. I glued 2" foamboard directly to the block.
No vapor barrier needed as the foam provides it.
Then glued drywall directly to the foamboard.

Worked like a charm and is bullet-proof.
A husky teen can run headfirst into the wall and
bounce off without leaving a dent (in the wall).

You do have to get a little creative to embed
utilities behind the wall...

This method isn't for everyone, I'll admit up front,
so skip the flames.
But it *does* work and at very low cost.

Jim