There's a high likelihood of us settling down this year, most likely in the Upper Midwest (e.g. Milwaukee, Twin Cities, Madison, or Detroit). Based on what we've seen so far, the houses that we are looking for (~two-story 2,500 sq. ft. SFH) tend to fall into the following categories:
-1) Brick/ stone construction from the 1920's to 1930's;
-2) Stucco construction from the 1920's to 1930's;
-3) "Cinder-block" first level and sidings for second level; 1940's to 1960's;
-4) Siding construction from 1960's to late 1980's, some with occasional other materials on the façade;
-5) Newer construction from the 1990's onwards.
If we do live in certain neighborhoods, the choices we have are likely to be overwhelming a mix of 1) and 2). In other locales, it will be mostly 4). My suspicion is that 1)-3) would probably be lacking in this department compared to 4), and 4) might be worse than 5), but I don't know if I'm at all close in my preconception.
My question are as follows: is there a rule of thumb re: quality of insulation (assuming no additional insulation work has been performed) for the five types of house? And how noticeable are the difference in insulation?
Lastly, is there a likelihood that houses of category 1) above might on average cost $150/month more for cooling/heating as compared to houses of category 5)? So for instance, heating/cooling bills for former might cost $300 when bills for the latter might run ~$150. And if such differences are indeed probable, are there any ready remedies to improve insulation, and how much would such remedies cost?
Many thanks in advance.
-1) Brick/ stone construction from the 1920's to 1930's;
-2) Stucco construction from the 1920's to 1930's;
-3) "Cinder-block" first level and sidings for second level; 1940's to 1960's;
-4) Siding construction from 1960's to late 1980's, some with occasional other materials on the façade;
-5) Newer construction from the 1990's onwards.
If we do live in certain neighborhoods, the choices we have are likely to be overwhelming a mix of 1) and 2). In other locales, it will be mostly 4). My suspicion is that 1)-3) would probably be lacking in this department compared to 4), and 4) might be worse than 5), but I don't know if I'm at all close in my preconception.
My question are as follows: is there a rule of thumb re: quality of insulation (assuming no additional insulation work has been performed) for the five types of house? And how noticeable are the difference in insulation?
Lastly, is there a likelihood that houses of category 1) above might on average cost $150/month more for cooling/heating as compared to houses of category 5)? So for instance, heating/cooling bills for former might cost $300 when bills for the latter might run ~$150. And if such differences are indeed probable, are there any ready remedies to improve insulation, and how much would such remedies cost?
Many thanks in advance.
Statistics: Posted by InvisibleAerobar — Sun Jan 28, 2024 4:34 pm — Replies 11 — Views 588