I just purchased a raised ranch house and the downstairs is located on ground level & sits on the concrete foundation (there is no basement in the house). I am told that it gets very cold during the winter and I suspect it's because a) I don't think that insulation within the walls are not that good, and b) it sits on ground level and the flooring is above concrete.

How much would it cost to hire a contractor to tear down the 2 exterior walls and replace it with new insulation and new sheetrock? One of the walls is 15 feet long, and the other is 22 feet. Each are 8 feet high so we're talking about a total of around 300 square feet?

Missed that second question so here it goes. Since you are talking about hiring a contractor just call for 3 estimates. A handyman can do this work so your don't need hire a construction company. What R valve are you trying to get in the walls and how thick is the cavity?

I don't know what R value I should consider. I live in northern NJ so I'm looking for the best bang for the buck, but would err on the side of better insulation. The heat downstairs is (expensive) electric so I want to keep out the cold as much as possible.

I don't know the cavity thickness either. Any easy way to figure that out?

Styrofoam insulation works really well for this application and I don't think you meant exterior walls. I think you meant interior walls.

You do have to be careful about basement installations because of moisture issues. You may find that you have to do some waterproofing when the sheetrock comes down.

Make a small hole in the wall, or just poke a screwdriver through it. This will tell you how much wall cavity you have. 3/4" means you have drywall on furring strips, 2 1/2 means you have 2x3 studs, 3 1/2 means 2x4 studs. This will also give you some kind of idea about what kind of insulation is in there. As KISS said styrofoam with foil facing will give you the most insulation value, but is expensive.

KISS,
EasyEJ said no basement and if I understand correctly, floor is above grade so there shouldn't be any water problems.

Be sure to check for any state rebates for energy efficiency projects. We had insulation blown into the first and second floors of our 1927 Tudor in Buffalo, NY and had the rim joists in basement foam sealed. NY offers a 10% rebate for projects like this. New windows and doors as well. Many states offer rebates for making your home more energy efficient.

If you're calling contractors/handyman anyway, ask if they participate in any state rebate programs. It's worth a look, I suppose.

I reread your post and now wonder if you know for sure there is no or little insulation in the walls. Lower levels in a raised ranch tend to be colder because of inherent design error back in the 60s and 70s. Not enough return air ducts were installed and supply ducts were not balanced. Are you lower level floors carpeted, that helps a bit.

Ballengerb1. The air duct return is part of the problem. The furnace is attic-mounted so it essentially has to be blown two stories down into the ground floor downstairs. Electric heat was installed to complement the heat, but it's obviously expensive to run.

So are you saying that the insulation might be fine, but rather its just the retarded design of the home? It was built in early 70s. Even if the insulation is fine, I want new sheetrock anyway because 30 years of people hanging pictures, etc. has made the walls look like crap and not smooth anymore.

Just occurred to me that I haven't gotten a ballpark answer of a) how much would a typical contractor charge to tear out and replace sheetrock (price by the square foot), and b) install the insulation. (assume mid-high range insulation product).

I need this done to a total of 300 square feet of wall.

Hot air rises so lowest floor is coldest. HVAC folks can balance the system to put more air down and less up but that sometimes needs to be reversed when the seasons change. Handymen in my area are charging about $10 per sheet hung and taped materials not included. Unless the wallboard has a fist hole in it you will find a good taper/finisher can bring those old walls about as good as new.

I have a highranch built in the mid 90's. With all the bells and whistles it is still cold down stairs

I know most folks who finish their basements have this problem, the house was not designed to heat the basement. With a raised ranch I just never could figure why the HVAC design could not keep both floors comfortable. It is straight bad design.

EasyEJ

We can't really answer you question about cost. Labor rates vary too much. Some dry wall hangers will quote price by square foot, some by the sheet. In this area residential most often quoted by the sheet. Bet your present drywall can be repaired by a good finisher such that you couldn't tell the difference between it and new after painting.

Well I would estimate about 3 to 6000 that's without seeing property but for about 300sq ft around here kind of ranges in that price and ballengerb1 has a good point if the walls are in fair shape and your just wanting to get rid of a few nail holes I would go with a refinish it would be a lot cheaper in price range and still look just as good as replacement

Eric's Home Refabrication & Flooring
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ballengerb1 has a good point on the refinish that is if your just wanting to get rid of a few nail holes but around my area 3 to 6k is about average estimate for 300 sq ft
Eric's Home Refabrication & Flooring
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