Clarification/Follow-up by jocase on 12/01/06 9:11 pm:
My wife says we moved in to our house in 1962. So it is 44 years old. Neither the attic nor walls were insulated. We had insulation blown in the attic twice. This week we put down insulating bats in the attic.

People are surprised to hear that the walls are not insulated.

The wall cavities are interrupted by fire blocks and a top plate.

Since I wrote this my neighbor (same contractor built his house) told me that he had holes cut on the outside, with insulation blown in. He then had the whole house re-stuccoed.

Thanks for your response, I guess the guy that built this house just didn't want to bear the cost of insulation.
John

Clarification/Follow-up by labman on 12/02/06 8:03 am:
If he did lath and plaster walls and no insulation in 1962, he must have been a real throw back to ''this is how we have always done it''. I am sure by then knob and tube wiring was outlawed. On another site this morning somebody has a 6 year old house where the outside stucco walls aren't sealed to the foundation.

Clarification/Follow-up by jocase on 12/02/06 12:07 pm:
No knob and tube here...the house is in Southern California where the living is easy and energy costs are high now.