drywall before insulation and heat?

bjherron · 11-19-2007, 09:09 AM

I live up in Michigan, and it's starting to get cold. I have an ICF house I am building that has been dried in for about 1 month. We are just about ready to drywall, but I do not have the furnaces fired up or insulation in the attic.

I have heard varying opinions about whether or not I should let the drywall be installed before the house is insulated and heated. If it's best for the drywall, I'll have to staple up fiberglass insulation so I can fire up the furnaces. If it's not a big deal to insulate after drywall, I'd rather spray foam a 2" layer of insulation to seal everything tight, and then put in the fiberglass.

What would you do?

**joasis** · 11-19-2007, 09:18 AM

Drywall the ceiling, if you have a reason not to have your hvac boots put in yet (assuming this is overhead, and block where the boots will go with fiberglass, and at least insulate th attic...maybe just four inches to start with. It would take a heat and air guy a day to do the work....why aren't you doing that?

bjherron · 11-19-2007, 02:35 PM

the HVAC is underneath, it's a 1.5 story w/basement. All of the HVAC stuff is in place, so we could fire the system now. The only hold-up is getting the insulation in. I think I will ask them to do the ceilings so I can spray insulation and heat the structure. Good plan?

**joasis** · 11-19-2007, 05:38 PM

That is what I would do. And I am an ICF builder.

sluggermike · 11-20-2007, 01:27 AM

What is an ICF house? I've never heard the term before that I am aware of.
Thanks

**joasis** · 11-20-2007, 06:01 AM

Insulated concrete forms. The only way to build, if I have a choice. Search out concrete homes on the net and you will find a lot of information. You can also go to contractortalk.com and look in the construction picture post at one we built last summer.
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rutalkn · 11-27-2007, 11:11 PM

hang the drywall in the entire house, but I would highly recommend having a permanant temperature controlled environment before the taping begins. Temporary heaters... like salamanders or any propane units will only cause problems down the road. I'm speaking from expeirence as a professional drywaller. expansion, contraction, humidity from propane, temp differences between attic with no insulation and inside house, all factors effect the drying, cracking, shrinking of the taping process.