Is a vapour barrier needed on single brick wall?

[Nik14]

Hi everyone 😊

We’re currently renovating a guest room that’s attached to the main house. 3 walls are external, however thy are protected from the rain. They are single brick walls, no insulation, cladding or plasterboard. Just painted on the inside and bare brick for now.

We want to insulate those walls from the inside (R2 insulation) and install plasterboard over it. The big question I’m asking myself is whether we need a vapour barrier or not.

I’ve spent hours seeking information about vapour barriers, unfortunately no luck yet. I’m confident that is going to change now!

Any help is highly appreciated. We live in far North WA, close to the NT border. Dry warm winter, wet and hot summer.

Thank you very much for your support! One of the three external walls

Cheers Nik

[EricL]

Hello @Nik14 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your question about your brick wall.  

It sounds like you'll be building a timber frame inside this room to hold the batts in place. I think installing a vapour barrier is a practical step as the cost of it won't be that significant and it adds a safety barrier for your insulation. But it's advisable to consult with a local building professional. They can provide guidance tailored to your region's requirements and best practices, ensuring that your wall design effectively addresses moisture management and complies with any local regulations or standards.

Let me call on our experienced members @Nailbag and @Dave-1 for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Nailbag]

Hi @Nik14 

I agree with @EricL on his suggestion to first check local building codes. A domestic draftsperson can advise on this in person and draw up some plans for you to follow. Especially if that space wasn't already a living one. For example the level of the floor internally compared to externally may require some form of drainage at the doorway to protect from internal flooding during rain events.

Nailbag

[Dave-1]

Morning @Nik14 

I am thinking that it cant hurt with a vapour barrier then insulation and an internal frame. I wish I had installed a vapour barrier when I retrofitted my garage as I found out that thereare fine cracks in morta and bricks even if you cant see them lolIts not a biggie but as @EricL said  "it cant hurt"

Here are some of the project parts of my retrofit of the garage area.

Garage converted into library room 

Garage lining for stud walls stage 1 

Garage lining for stud walls stage 2 (Cornice and skirting boards) 

Dave

[Nik14]

Hi Dave-1,

Thanks for your help mate!

That's a very good point with the cracks in the brickwork! I'm wondering it it'd be helpful to coat the outside of the brickwall to stop the water from entering the bricks at all?

Cheers

Nik

[Nik14]

Thanks Nailbag!

The bedroom used to be a bedroom already fortunately

[EricL]

Hello @Nik14 

Preparing the wall before you cover it with a frame is a prudent step. By eliminating all possible leaks in the wall, there will be no surprises when you install the timber frame and seal it up.

Eric

[Nik14]

Thanks EricL!

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @Nik14 

 @EricL beat me to it, a little more effort and one less issue down the track to potentially rise. I often sit there "foguring out" how much it would cost knowing that I am going to do it but not wanting to spend the money. Redoing work tho, something I hate is the thing that tips me over into "doing it right" everytime.

Dave