Insulation

Some good points here.
Personally, I don't like the method used there....as Eric mentioned, the facing should be stapled to the face of the stud, not pushed into the stud cavity. That effectively reduces the insulative ability of the batts at the edges where they're pushed in.
Also, once I have a wall open, out comes the old stuff, and in goes new. I've torn apart a bunch of walls to find the old FG has shrunk or something and is no longer the full depth of the cavity.
It's been said.....those look like 2X4" walls, so I think the best you can get is R-15.
Oh, and do any/everything you can to seal. Depending on when that house was built, and how, I doubt it was sealed well before the insulation went in.
Menard's has some foam board stuff with little pebbles or gravel embedded in it that can be used on the outside of the block portion. It's this stuff...........http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...444176542-c-9532.htm?tid=-7783229168544494651
Several sizes and colors.
And, as usual, Eric's talking to himself........again.

 

The house was built in 1977 and its drafty as can be one day I want to put in new Windows throughout maybe next year. I'm going to tear out all of the old stuff and check for leaks and replace it all with new I found a bunch of mouse trails throughout it last night when I was investigating it again so it will all be replaced. And yes it is 2x4 construction so I guess r15 is the best that I can put back in there? Also a lot of it is stapled to the studs but it looks like it was pushed in and then stapled either way it's coming out and I'm getting a new stapler.

 

1/2" of insul board and spray foam the edges on top of the pink already in there might be an option. Looks like lots of gaps along edges and around outlets.

 

Mice don't need much of a hole or gap to get in.
That small strip of insulation w/o a vapor barrier to the left of the window in pic #3.........pull that and use some spray foam, and don't forget to use the window and door stuff around the windows as well.
I also see a LOT of gaps at the tops and bottoms of stud cavities. Someone decided close was good enough.
They were wrong.
Another, more expensive option would be to put in a couple layers of foamboard to fill the bays, then spray foam around the edge (similar to JustWood's suggestion).

 

To add......... the stuff I found was the same brand you have.

 

mattjm1017, I know you said budget was not to tight but spray foam was out. Have you called around. I have a reputable foam company that about .75 a foot for 2 pound at your thickness of 3.5 inches runs a dollar board foot. Worth checking into about double cost of pink.

 

It's pretty reasonable here too. Lots of competition. By the time you figure your labor putting pink in you can get it sprayed.
I'm almost done putting an office inside of a commercial building. I had over 100 sheets of 1" insulboard given to me. We put 3 layers in the walls and can foamed the edges. Another month and i'll have it done. Im hoping to heat it with a candle.

 

JustWood, my point exactly, buddy garage burnt down. We built him a new one 2 by 6 construction. 24 by 28. with 10 foot walls and bonus room above 7 foot high at peak attic truss. fiberglass without labor was 2400 total foam 5.5 thick was 3400. He stopped using pellet stove as it got too hot. small Englander pellet stove on lowest setting was normally 80 plus in there..

 

Free....great price. You ended up with R15 then? Nice.

I've never filled a wall cavity with board insulation. Do you think it took any longer than placing batts?

 

That's a big downside of batts. Its too easy to not do it correctly.

 

Actually ,,,,,, I got paid to haul it out. Went to pickup a dumpster off a construction site and it was stacked full.

Definetly took longer but I saved prolly 3 hours not running to Home Depot .
I'm guessing prolly better than R15 being solid insulation. We shal see.

 

To be honest,,,,,,,, all but 8-2x4's and 3-2x6's came out of dumpsters also.

 

Awesome! I've got a shed that I'm building that a major portion of the structure was from some 2x6s that someone threw in the tree dump.

 

Ill have to call around and see if there is anyone in the area that does spray foam insulation. I looked into just filling the area with foam board and that started getting expensive quick at $20 a 4x8 board. Its probably going to end up being regular old FG insulation with spray foam around the windows and bottoms of the walls along the block.

 

Done right that's a good system you're planning. It would be interesting to see what prices you come up with

 

I dont have a NC 30 I have a Fireview and havent been using it very much with all of the warm weather weve been having.