Insulate Old House Floors Without Subfloor

According to the 2012 irc the minimum r value for floor assemblies is r 13 in zones 1 and 2 r 19 in zones 3 and 4 r 30 in zones 5 and 6 and r 38 in zones 7 and 9.

Insulate old house floors without subfloor.

In many cases these floors are casually insulated with fiberglass batts and covered with osb or plywood. Before the floors in the living space were warmer because i was heating with baseboard heaters in each room but this year the electric company raised the price 2 cents a kwh and i got a 300 00. If you want to insulate a floor assembly by leaving the joist bays empty and installing rigid foam on the underside of the joists here are a few things to keep in mind. To enclose the space in a thermal envelope.

Adding insulation mitigates the problem but there are some considerations to keep in mind. 4b slab floors built directly on the ground. 4c as an alternative to floor insulation foundation walls of unvented crawl spaces. Without insulation heat and cool air are easily lost through the floor.

Also insulate 4a any portion of the floor in a room that is cantilevered beyond the exterior wall below. Your yard should have a 5 slope all around the house. But keep an eye out for damage in case you need to replace a subfloor sooner. If the batts aren t thick enough to fill the joist bays they may fall away from the subfloor and rest on the osb below.

In the quest to make our homes warmer and more efficient floor insulation is often overlooked. The goal however is the same. There are two types of crawl spaces ventilated and unventilated and each requires its own form of insulation. Floors above cold spaces such as vented crawl spaces and unheated garages.

A pier and beam home built on top of sturdy supports typically has an open crawl space between the floor of the house and the earth. Insulation also helps to preserve the air quality and reduce energy costs. It has concrete floors not covered with carpet or anything other flooring it s 22 degrees outside and the hardwood floors upstairs are pretty cool. Unfortunately in old homes this is a common place for heat to escape so it s worth thinking about how insulation can make them more thermally efficient hold heat for longer and protect your home from damp.

Make sure rain drains away from the house on all sides. An uninsulated floor allows heat to escape making the house less energy efficient. Such floors can be found in homes with post foundations in rooms over garages and in cantilevered bays. Insulation can actually make the problem worse by keeping the subfloor cool.