Shingles under drywall...should I remove them?
 

Hi all,

I recently bought a house built in 1935 and I'm just starting to get
to some renovations. One of the previous owners had build a small
extension on the front of the house, creating a 4' x 8' entry
vestibule. Three of the vestibule walls are external, and the fourth
is the wall bordering our living room - this used to be the original
front of the house. The vestibule was finished with drywall, and there
was a bunch of water damage in one of the corners (from an old, since-
repaired leak) so we've decided to gut it and re-do.

When I removed the drywall from the wall that borders the living room,
I found that the original wood shingles were still there - no furring
strips or anything installed - the drywall was just nailed right into
the shingles. There is even a hole where the original front door light
was hung - wasn't patched or anything!

Anyway, wondering how best to address this without turning this into
an impossible project. My instinct tells me to remove the old shingles
and then do the drywall, using furring strips or framing out a tad if
I need to make up for the thickness of the shingles. Is rocking over
shingles like that an acceptable building practice? If it is, screw
it, I'll save myself a bunch of work and go to town!

My worry with removing the shingles - What about the other walls of
the vestibule? I imagine the corners are attached to the shingles
somehow - how to remove the shingles when they are attached to the
other walls?

You can see pictures of what I'm talking about at

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1213.jpg
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...IMG_1214-1.jpg

Here's the (external) wall to the right of the shingles - check out
the wallpaper!!
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1208.jpg

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Shingles under drywall...should I remove them?
 

I'd screw the drywall right to the shingles just like they had it.
Obviously, it's not a problem.

s


"Loot" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I recently bought a house built in 1935 and I'm just starting to get
to some renovations. One of the previous owners had build a small
extension on the front of the house, creating a 4' x 8' entry
vestibule. Three of the vestibule walls are external, and the fourth
is the wall bordering our living room - this used to be the original
front of the house. The vestibule was finished with drywall, and there
was a bunch of water damage in one of the corners (from an old, since-
repaired leak) so we've decided to gut it and re-do.

When I removed the drywall from the wall that borders the living room,
I found that the original wood shingles were still there - no furring
strips or anything installed - the drywall was just nailed right into
the shingles. There is even a hole where the original front door light
was hung - wasn't patched or anything!

Anyway, wondering how best to address this without turning this into
an impossible project. My instinct tells me to remove the old shingles
and then do the drywall, using furring strips or framing out a tad if
I need to make up for the thickness of the shingles. Is rocking over
shingles like that an acceptable building practice? If it is, screw
it, I'll save myself a bunch of work and go to town!

My worry with removing the shingles - What about the other walls of
the vestibule? I imagine the corners are attached to the shingles
somehow - how to remove the shingles when they are attached to the
other walls?

You can see pictures of what I'm talking about at

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1213.jpg
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...IMG_1214-1.jpg

Here's the (external) wall to the right of the shingles - check out
the wallpaper!!
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1208.jpg

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Shingles under drywall...should I remove them?
 

On Aug 11, 6:50*am, "Steve Barker DLT"
wrote:
I'd screw the drywall right to the shingles just like they had it.
Obviously, it's not a problem.

s

"Loot" wrote in message

...



Hi all,

I recently bought a house built in 1935 and I'm just starting to get
to some renovations. One of the previous owners had build a small
extension on the front of the house, creating a 4' x 8' entry
vestibule. Three of the vestibule walls are external, and the fourth
is the wall bordering our living room - this used to be the original
front of the house. The vestibule was finished with drywall, and there
was a bunch of water damage in one of the corners (from an old, since-
repaired leak) so we've decided to gut it and re-do.

When I removed the drywall from the wall that borders the living room,
I found that the original wood shingles were still there - no furring
strips or anything installed - the drywall was just nailed right into
the shingles. There is even a hole where the original front door light
was hung - wasn't patched or anything!

Anyway, wondering how best to address this without turning this into
an impossible project. My instinct tells me to remove the old shingles
and then do the drywall, using furring strips or framing out a tad if
I need to make up for the thickness of the shingles. Is rocking over
shingles like that an acceptable building practice? If it is, screw
it, I'll save myself a bunch of work and go to town!

My worry with removing the shingles - What about the other walls of
the vestibule? I imagine the corners are attached to the shingles
somehow - how to remove the shingles when they are attached to the
other walls?

You can see pictures of what I'm talking about at

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1213.jpg
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...IMG_1214-1.jpg

Here's the (external) wall to the right of the shingles - check out
the wallpaper!!
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1208.jpg

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yep. As long as it can be applied to give a level surface it doesn't
matter.

Harry K

Shingles under drywall...should I remove them?
 

Shingles are not very strong, easy to cut with a saw or even a knife. I
doubt the side wall is attached to the shingles as they will not hold
anything up, the nails probably penetrate through into whatever is behind
the shingles, or the house frame. I doubt there is plywood behind the
shingles, probably either boards or nailing strips. Just pull the shingles
off and cut them with a saw or sharp knife where parts run behind the
sidewall framing.


"Loot" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I recently bought a house built in 1935 and I'm just starting to get
to some renovations. One of the previous owners had build a small
extension on the front of the house, creating a 4' x 8' entry
vestibule. Three of the vestibule walls are external, and the fourth
is the wall bordering our living room - this used to be the original
front of the house. The vestibule was finished with drywall, and there
was a bunch of water damage in one of the corners (from an old, since-
repaired leak) so we've decided to gut it and re-do.

When I removed the drywall from the wall that borders the living room,
I found that the original wood shingles were still there - no furring
strips or anything installed - the drywall was just nailed right into
the shingles. There is even a hole where the original front door light
was hung - wasn't patched or anything!

Anyway, wondering how best to address this without turning this into
an impossible project. My instinct tells me to remove the old shingles
and then do the drywall, using furring strips or framing out a tad if
I need to make up for the thickness of the shingles. Is rocking over
shingles like that an acceptable building practice? If it is, screw
it, I'll save myself a bunch of work and go to town!

My worry with removing the shingles - What about the other walls of
the vestibule? I imagine the corners are attached to the shingles
somehow - how to remove the shingles when they are attached to the
other walls?

You can see pictures of what I'm talking about at

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1213.jpg
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...IMG_1214-1.jpg

Here's the (external) wall to the right of the shingles - check out
the wallpaper!!
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w...p/IMG_1208.jpg

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Shingles under drywall...should I remove them?
 

Thanks for the replies, everyone

EXT - I like your answer - I feel like leaving the shingles there
would be lazy...sure, it might not hurt anything, but if I'm going to
go through the time and expense of re-doing the vestibule, I want to
go the extra mile and do it right. Besides, that will give me a chance
to explore the wiring and framing of that wall...

What are the prevailing thoughts on vapor barriers for insulation in
the Northeast (Norwalk, CT, to be exact) - Most things I've read seem
to encourage the use of vapor barriers between the insulation and
drywall... However, I also read that in climates where there is a hot
summer and cold winter (sounds like where I live), it's better to let
the moisture pass back and forth, so no vapor barrier. Who's right?

I have 2.5" of room to play with in the exterior walls - trying to
decide what kind of insulation to install. Foam board, batts, etc...

Oh - one other question - on the exterior walls, now that I've taken
out the old drywall and loose-fill insulation, I can see some light
coming through from the outside...should I seal these small cracks/
holes with caulk, or leave them be?

thanks for all the help!