Basement insulation / Discussions

...basement. I have a few questions: 1. What kind of insulation should I add behind the rim joists? I feel like spray foam is the answer, but I'm a little concerned about off-gassing. 2. I'm worried about condensation between the vapor barrier and the insulation / studs in winter, especially in the areas where the foundat...

...basement foundation is likely solid and should not be negatively impacted by adding interior insulation. And your wall assembly sounds good, particularly omitting the vapour barrier. You may have seen this but here is our page on how to insulate basements properly to avoid mold. You will see one very easy upgrade on th...

...basements, and poses exactly the risks you are hearing about - that insulating them can trap moisture and cause them to rot. There are pages here about how to finish basements - How to insulate basements properly without causing mold or rot We are of the opinion that the heat loss is preferrable to rotten joists, so I ...

...basements Why basements are moldy and how to avoid it Choosing the best insulation for basement renovations Those pages should help a lot, but a few things to mention - I see your point about how the uneven walls will be tricky if you count on rigid foam boards against the concrete to stop the inward drive of moisture...

...basement with ICF walls is a far better way than the mold-inviting normal practice of trapping moisture in basement walls with a vapor barrier. A crawl space is a just a short basement, so if you did it with ICF then kudos to you for a good design, but in general we find the very notion of a crawl space a bad building ...

...insulation. Laying a footing and stem wall to get below the frost line is a building technique that dates back to a time before the advent of insulation, where dirt was the insulator. Now insulation can be the insulator.

...basement improvements, here are good ones to start with – Why are basements moldy, and how to prevent mold in basements Eco-conscious tips for finishing a basement to prevent water damage Basement waterproofing and heating with radiant floors It sounds like you are protecting your stud wall from the wet concrete on t...

...insulation, is that it is used to being warm during the winter, and the addition of insulation can subject it to stress through seasonal freezing and thawing. In milder climates like yours it is less of a concern, but for good measure I would do an inspection of the joints before you close the walls to be sure they wil...

...basement walls in between the floor joists of the upper floor. I am thinking some panels sealed in with insulation foam adhesive  For insulating the floor joist cavities in basements, you can use foam panels and you suggested. It can be busy work with a lot of cutting, but it works well and it is a lot cheaper and heal...

...insulation against foundation walls followed by a stud wall and Roxul / Rockwool insulation and drywall is a good idea. You may have seen it but this page shows the best way to insulate basements Building better basements: how to insulate your basement properly If you look at some of the diagrams in that page you will ...

...basement wall that has a lot of moisture and has rotted the studs I see you mentioned to do drywall, studs with mineral wood then 2" of rigid insulation attached to block foundation would it be ok if I put Delta MS against the block foundation then apply the rigind insulation Thanks for your help. Putting a membrane li...

...basement for a contractor and what we did was put tar paper on the concrete walls the left about 3/4 to an inch of air space than a 2x4 wall I think 16 on centre and used pink fibreglass insulation with vapour barrier break under the bottom plate and over the insulation on the interior warm side and then drywall over t...

...insulation aspect of finishing our basement correct, but I'm still not sure. The two different kinds of foam boards I've been looking at are, Kingspan Insulation R-10 2in*4ft*8ft unfaced polystyrene foam board from Lowes and the Foamular 150 2in*4ft*8ft R-10 unfaced squared edge insulation sheathing from Home Depot. Ar...

...basement, however I wasn't going to insulate my basement because I have a wood stove, and it stays pretty warm. But I feel for summer I want to have some insulation to keep it cool. Can I put foam board in between my studs and tac nail it? You could put foam between the studs, but why not batts? Were you choosing foam ...

...insulation job. My concern with leaving a large, contiguous air gap is that mold has potential to grow between the stud walls with the rockwool insulation and the closed cell spray foam.  My concern with trying to fill the void will also likely have air gaps and the rockwool gets pretty beaten up when stuffing it betwe...

...basement, last year I noticed condensation on the concrete behind the vapor barrier and insulation while doing a project.  I had never noticed any issue prior, no water on the floor and no smells.  It was by accident that I noticed it.  It is in a corner of our house and after opening up the walls it dried up.  I reins...

...insulation, that will help you understand where each insulation works best no matter what the structure is, and  if you clear up some of my confusion I can help more. 

...insulation is an excellent idea. It’s great to have on the inside of basements, but exterior insulation is even better as you keep the thermal mass of concrete warm to help regulate interior temperatures.   You will have a choice between foam panels, we would recommend EPS rigid foam instead of XPS as it is cheaper and...