Hello.

South Louisiana home constructed approximately 1867.

The question relates ONLY to the front wall of the home which is approximately 12′ high (interior) x 36′ wide (interior). The front wall has four tall walk-through windows (the sashes slide up into the wall pocket above) and one entrance door with a transom, so it’s close to or more than 50% glass across the front and the original windows and door are in-place.

We don’t operate the windows, so I am not concerned about not being able to move the sashes into the pockets.

The house was renovated around 2019 and all other walls were addressed by removing wood siding, adding fiberglass batts in the walls, adding plywood sheathing, building paper, and new Hardie or similar horizontal cementitious siding.

The front wall of the home was NOT addressed. The interior of the front walls are plaster, the wall cavities are NOT insulated, and the original wood siding exists. As this is all original, the exterior wood siding is directly over the studs without wall sheathing or any sort of vapor barrier or building paper.

The wall framing is balloon framing over wood sills over brick piers. Wood blocking and Great Stuff gaps and cracks foam was installed at floor level to close off the balloon framing at the bottom, just above the wood sills, in order to restrict air flow and critter access into the walls.

I’d like to insulate the front wall without tearing it completely open.

I am considering blown-in cellulose (loose fill, DIY). I have been able to locate with thermal imaging the limited horizontal wood blocking between some of the studs and I also have very good access to the top plates above this wall as the roofline extends out another 6-feet past the front wall to cover the front porch.

Will installing the loose-fill, blown-in cellulose create any problems? I am concerned about the cellulose absorbing moisture. The front wall, as just described, is covered by a five foot to six foot porch overhang as the main roofline extends over the front porch so it is not subjected to rain other than when we have blowing rainstorms (which are not uncommon) but the likelihood of general moisture movement may be a concern. Looking out of the front windows from inside, I am looking 131 degrees southeast.

I thought about injecting low-rise foam into the walls and am not opposed to this but am concerned that the foam may not stick to the plaster and the wood weatherboards inside the cavities as I am sure there’s a lot of dirt and grime from more the last approx. 158 years. Perhaps this is not a concern.

If the loose-fill, blown-in cellulose is used, I can drill various stages of holes in the interior side of the front wall (and possibly in the top plate above) in order to install the cellulose. The same would be true for the low-rise foam.