Last year, my wife and I bought our first home, and so far, we've been really happy. However, when I recently went to change some decorative shutters, I discovered that when I drilled into the walls, I was just hitting insulation board behind the drywall. It appears that the house has no OSB—just studs with a layer of polyisocyanurate foam board that has aluminum foil faces, topped with vinyl siding. This revelation has left me feeling anxious about the security and soundness of the structure. I'm curious if it would be a good idea to add OSB if I were to replace the siding eventually, or if I'm just overthinking this situation.
1 Answer
It sounds like your house was built with budget in mind—many homes use similar construction methods these days. In most cases, homes are structurally sound enough to pass inspections, even if they seem a bit flimsy. Adding plywood when you replace the siding probably isn’t necessary, and it might just be a waste of money. If someone really wanted to break in, they would more likely go through a window or door instead of cutting through the wall.
Yeah, I heard about similar cases where people cut siding to break in. It happens more often in certain neighborhoods, but generally, they’ll just smash a window if they want in.