Oinkety

Wonder what R-value horse hair has

One of the first things you do when you move into a new home is take walls down. Right?

So I get out the sawz-all and start in the kitchen. Apparently, insulation was a flexible concept a hundred years ago.

There was a big hunk of horse hair wrapped around some pipes. And there were some brittle newspapers crumpled up in the walls. Nice. I think maybe newspapers are missing a marketing opportunity here.

Working on the kitchen at the new Willamette home.
After the dust settled, it's still recognizable as a kitchen. Someone might be in over his head, but, well, can't stop now!
Big hunk of horse hair at Willamette.
At first, when I found this big hunk of hair, it scared me. Then I was excited because I thought I might have found someone's remains. But no. Just horse hair insulation.
Newspaper insulation at Willamette.
The house was built in 1910, but there were apparently some renovations later. This Gazette insulation's headline reads: Brains Beat Beauty: Good girls get best jobs because employers are shy of flappers, college expert says
Newspaper insulation at the new Willamette place: 1928 Gazette
November 1928 Gazette. Here's that flapper, apparently. She's missing out on jobs. Tramp.