Insulation / Discussions

...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 to use when finishing my basement. I was on a website of an eps insulation manufacturer and under their technical/spec section for this particular rigid panel it says the vapour permeablility for 1" is 0.5 perms. would using 1" panel be sufficient instead of the recommended 2"? EPS rigid foam insulation is m...

...insulation against the block wall then poly? If so - remove the poly it will hold moisture in the wall when it needs to be able to escape. That's why its wet and moldy. Read here first -  Why basements are moldy and how to insulate basements properly That page will explain, but the short story is you should never have ...

Is it a good idea to add comfort board or similar to outside of SIP, and if so how do u deal with window set back?

...insulation. and reinsulate and sheath. As well should I be putting the WRB barrier on the sheathing or the outer rigid insulation? Lastly, when adding a rain screen, I assume insulated vinyl siding would be of limited insulation benefit...correct? Thanks, any input would be appreciated. Bart Depending on how much insul...

...insulation, is that the exterior structural walls will then be exposed to moisture and freeze every winter since you are preventing heat loss. This would be contrary to the advice you received to keep it warm.  For typical homes in situations like this we advice people to insulate the exterior of the walls to protect t...

...insulation is best and how much you have room for. But in general, here is a good page to start on –  How much insulation does a basement need?  As for carrying out the work, is there a history of flooding? It would be smart to install a sump pump to avoid basement water damage before you install a new floor.  And as f...

...insulation for your needs as well as determine the right amount of insulation for energy efficiency.  Finding the best insulation really depends on individual circumstances, learn more here -  What is the best insulation for a home?  And we’re always happy to discuss eco friendly building materials, but first let’s sta...

...insulation. To determine the ideal envelope to a reasonable a degree of accuracy you would need to hire a designer who is able to do energy modelling, and finding a Passive House designer would be wise if you want to pursue that route. The only problem with that, is that the cost of the designer could eat into the budg...

...insulation. Spray foam provides the insulation, vapour barrier as well as an air barrier, so it’s a nice all in one solution, though we would recommend you source one of the brands that have moved to lower GWP blowing agents which to our knowledge at the moment are Demilec and Elastochem. Aside from spray foam, you cou...

We moved into a condo that has some poorly insulated venting windows and sliding doors to a balcony.  If there existed a rectangular clear plastic bladder with three layers that could be made to fit in the space between the inner and outer windows, and if this bladder could be blown up with air, would it be effective i...

...insulation), you are exposed to animals underneath, and houses on posts don’t have as good a resale value.  That said, I would first point you towards either EPS deck insulated concrete forming system to go the screw pile route as you suggest, but if it were me I would sooner raise the grade with compactable fill to th...

...insulation We often recommend blown in cellulose insulation for attics, or blown fiberglass, but for a home as old as yours you will need to be careful about ventilation. It was not built with the intention of adding insulation, so if there is none already it likely isn’t being properly ventilated either. Read here abo...

...insulation?  I want to insulate my existing basement concrete floor, on top of it.  I have very limited head room, no more than 5 ft where there is no pipes on the ceiling.   GPS insulation is Graphite polystyrene insulation, and it does offer a bit higher R value. We don't have a page specifically on GPS foam but you ...

...insulation between the joists, Im wondering if I can increase the insulation or if that is of no use since the stairwell is open.  Blowing cellulose overtop of fiberglass insulation is no problem, but you need to be very careful about how much insulation you blow in, and make sure don’t block your ventilation openings ...

...insulation on the exterior of a slab we did and had to rig up a method to attach them. It’s pretty redementary and we would do it differently in the future but it did work.  you can see here in this video –  How to finish the exterior of a slab on grade foundation If you say you saw a foundation with parging flaking of...

...Insulation Tips for Insulating Crawlspaces Properly One option would be to insulate the walls and concrete slab floor with spray foam, that would act as a vapour barrier as well as air barrier and thermal barrier. It hardens enough that you can walk on it if necessary, and it sounds like a space you won’t even be able ...

...insulation, especially over the unheated garage. Is wool insulation over the existing fiberglass recommended, or should I simply add unfaced fiberglass insulation? Thanks, DB