2011-06-30
It’s easy to overlook a
basement or crawlspace
when it comes time to insulate your home, especially if the space is unfinished. What may appear to be an easy way to cut corners and save money, (by leaving these areas uninsulated), will soon prove otherwise. These areas are small, but very important parts of the building envelope.
Insulating an existing crawlspace:
After
removing any old insulation
, we would then put a polyethylene plastic down over the floor, (or dirt). The poly covers the floor and comes up, overlapping the bottom portion of the walls by a few inches. After the plastic is put into place,
spray foam insulation
is applied to the walls and the portion of the poly that overlaps the wall, encapsulating your crawlspace as part of the building envelope.
Basements:
Achieving an air seal in your basement is best done by using spray foam in the plates, (the area between the floor joist, the subfloor, and the concrete). The process is done quickly, and no mess is left behind.
Consider the building envelope of your home when insulating. Nothing protects your home and helps lessen your energy consumption like a properly insulated and air sealed home!