Is It Worth Insulating Under Basement Floor

To enclose the space in a thermal envelope.

Is it worth insulating under basement floor.

Floors above cold spaces such as vented crawl spaces and unheated garages. Insulation projects are often focused on exterior walls and attics. What s an effective economical method for insulating the floor of a cottage on piers. For that matter don t do anything.

If the basement floor is wet hire a professional find the source of the problem and fix it before doing anything. Nothing good will come from insulating on top of a wet basement floor. To get the highest r value completely fill the cavities between the joists. Without insulation heat and cool air are easily lost through the floor.

While insulating these areas is important homeowners can also save money on their heating and cooling costs if they insulate the space under their floors. Once the basement is prepped choose an insulation to reduce heat loss and moisture transfer from the slab. There are two types of crawl spaces ventilated and unventilated and each requires its own form of insulation. The old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure really means something in a basement.

Also insulate 4a any portion of the floor in a room that is cantilevered beyond the exterior wall below. 4c as an alternative to floor insulation foundation walls of unvented crawl spaces. If you can t afford to fix the problem or don t want to invest the money do not insulate the floor. The goal however is the same.

Filling the spaces between the floor joists under the cottage with insulation batts is the simplest and most cost effective method. For homes without basements and those with unheated cellars adding insulation can bring heating costs. You want the most insulation in the attic tapering down to the base. Buildings tend to lose heat in descending amounts form the top down.

You know we re kidding about the cold feet but it really is true. If you have an insulated floor you re going to find that that floor surface is a lot warmer than it is right now. Insulating a basement is a great idea if it wasn t insulated when built as before we began insulating foundation walls and below slabs see slab on grade it was generally estimated that basement heat loss accounted for about 1 3 of the total heat loss of a house it is likely that such an abysmal starting place made the addition of any insulation at all seem sufficient so basements built to. While it is always a good idea to insulate concrete slabs you don t need to do so especially in your climate.

Address uneven floors prior to installing any floor system the low spots should be fixed with concrete patch or floor leveler. Underfloor insulation can take a variety of forms. I posted on the basement insulation site but i ve developed my thinking a little more and now ponder whether this would work for the concrete basement floor that i very much want to finish in ceramic tile 6 poly 1 xps foam 3 4 advantech 1 2 hardibacker thinset and 1 4 tile.