Last winter, our heating bills were getting totally out of hand, you know, the kind where you're scared to even open the envelope? Anyway, a buddy of mine mentioned wrapping his whole house in insulation from the outside. At first I thought he was joking—like putting a sweater on your house seems kinda weird, right? But turns out it's totally a thing.
So we went ahead and did it this summer. Took a good chunk of time and money, but honestly, now that it's getting colder again, I've noticed a huge difference. Not just bills-wise (though that's definitely nice), but also how cozy it feels inside—even with the thermostat turned down a bit. It's like the house is finally holding onto heat instead of letting it slip out into the neighborhood.
Still, I'm curious if others have tried something similar. Anybody else here done this kinda "house sweater" thing or am I the only one who took my friend's weird advice seriously?
Interesting approach, but did you run into any moisture or ventilation issues? I've read that wrapping a house too tightly can sometimes trap humidity inside, leading to mold or air quality problems down the line. Not saying your solution isn't effective—clearly it's working for you—but I'm curious if you considered or experienced any downsides like that...
"I've read that wrapping a house too tightly can sometimes trap humidity inside, leading to mold or air quality problems down the line."
That's a really good point. I've tackled a couple of similar projects, and moisture management was always something I had to keep in mind. The key for me was making sure I didn't overlook proper ventilation—especially in areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. Installing exhaust fans that vent directly outside and using breathable house wraps helped a lot. Also, I made sure to seal up any gaps around windows and doors carefully but left attic spaces properly vented so moisture had somewhere to escape.
One thing I'm curious about though is whether you used any kind of humidity monitoring afterward? I found it helpful to keep track of indoor humidity levels after finishing my project—gave me some peace of mind and helped catch any issues early on...
Good tips on ventilation—definitely can't overlook that stuff. I've never sprung for a fancy humidity monitor myself, but I picked up a couple cheap hygrometers online (under $10 each) and set them around the house. Honestly, they've been pretty reassuring...I glance at them every now and then just to make sure nothing weird's going on. Might be worth a shot if you're budget-conscious like me.
Good call on the cheap hygrometers, they're usually enough to keep an eye on things. I've done exterior insulation jobs for clients a few times, and ventilation is definitely key—seen some nasty mold issues when people skip that step. But yeah, wrapping the house can make a noticeable difference in comfort and bills. Just gotta make sure it's done right or you'll end up fixing more problems down the road.
