Community Forums

monkey · 02-15-2015, 08:07 AM

This is concerning a sticks and bricks house. Has anyone installed spray foam insulation under your house, or had it done? We have a crawl space under the home, and there is No insulation under the floor. Needless to say the floor gets cold this time of year. I do cover the vents around the outside foundation walls during winter .
Was wondering if the cost would be way too high... I measure approx 1650 sq ft on the bottom floor. Just looking at under the floor, as I'm not going to rip walls apart. (although it could sure use it!)
I see a "kit" for Green Foam and the cost is almost $2000...

So if we get a contractor etc to do it, what are we looking at,,, $8-10,000 ???? We sure don't have that kind of coin laying around... Idea's ???
Thanks,,,,, Monkey

Turbofans · 02-15-2015, 03:19 PM

I would give consideration to the following:

Pipe and wiring access (if foam covered)
Moisture buildup
Mold/Mildew
Access to sub-floor itself

On our house, We have fiberglass insulation that is held up by a network of string that is stapled in a criss-cross pattern along the joists. Our floors seem to stay tolerable in the winter considering we live in the Pacific NW. Might be less expensive(?).

I hear your pain.. I hate a cold floor.

gbstewart · 02-15-2015, 03:33 PM

I remodeled the basement of my rental house, I had the contractor stud the concrete walls with 2x4s and spray foam the walls,wow what a difference, after seeing this stuff and how much warmer it is I will never go back to pink again. In my house that I live in, part of it has a crawl space and I am getting it done in the fall. Not sure of the price yet, for the basement it was about $4800. for about 1000 sqft. Keep in mind I'm in northwestern Ontario, and its been -30cto-42c all week

I really like the foam and it gets into every nook and cranny and seals things up.
gbstewart

TinCanTee · 02-15-2015, 03:47 PM

You might want to consider insulating the walls of the crawl space and putting down a vapor barrier on the ground. Would take less materials and is a recommended method rather than insulating the floor itself. Google is your friend for doing this.

monkey · 02-15-2015, 03:53 PM

Thankyou everybody for your input ! I really appreciatte it and will look into all idea's !!

monkey · 02-15-2015, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbofans

I would give consideration to the following:

Pipe and wiring access (if foam covered)
Moisture buildup
Mold/Mildew
Access to sub-floor itself

On our house, We have fiberglass insulation that is held up by a network of string that is stapled in a criss-cross pattern along the joists. Our floors seem to stay tolerable in the winter considering we live in the Pacific NW. Might be less expensive(?).

I hear your pain.. I hate a cold floor.

I have also wondered about pipe access... That's my main worry here in NW Arkansas,, is the pipes freezing... Spray foam would be great to keep them protected,,, BUT as you say, if needed to get to them for a repair could be a real pain.... We've been here 10 yrs now, so far so good as far as no frozen/broken pipes... But better safe than sorry.... Thanks again,,, Monkey

Doggy Daddy · 02-15-2015, 04:28 PM

Insulation foam comes in a can to fill in holes, cracks, seams, spots where fiberglass batting/rolls won't easily fit into. Foam noodles are made to fit over water pipes and fittings for the sole purpose of insulating. In lieu of or with fiberglass batting, solid styrene planks/blocks could be used. And if that does not keep out enough of the cold transfer to the floor, You can always install a heated floor system. Electric Radiant Floor Heating by Thermosoft OR you can go old schools and lay carpets or rugs on the floor surfaces.

http://www.sprayfoam.com/spps/ahpg.cfm?spgid=67

beamisl · 02-15-2015, 05:04 PM

I have seen programs where they used spray foam insulation both in the basement and under the floors. Some also have a termite powder in them the termites hate and will not get into your wood with the foam there.

One guy sprayed all joists and floorboards (except for those containing pipes and electrical wires) He then put batt insulation in those areas so he could still get at them if he needed to.

My Mom's floors were freezing and my son and I crawled around with pink insulation and did the joists only. I could not believe the difference and neither could Mom. It was huge comfort wise for her. We also put the Styrofoam pipe covers over her pipes and then batted those runs. No more frozen pipes and no cold floors. Might jus try that if cost is a huge issue.

I went down in crawl space and measured the space. Old place, not all same size. My son cut the piece and sent it to me by a plastic slide that I had hooked a rope to. He also had a rope on his end so he could pull the slide to him to refill it. Worked great!

Good luck either way. Insulation is never a waste of money.

Ray,IN · 02-15-2015, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinCanTee

You might want to consider insulating the walls of the crawl space and putting down a vapor barrier on the ground. Would take less materials and is a recommended method rather than insulating the floor itself. Google is your friend for doing this.

My cousin is on the schedule to have that done to his house as soon as weather permits.

baraff · 02-15-2015, 08:30 PM

I had a crawl space liner installed a few years back to cover the nasty dirt floor. At that time they used a spray foam at the joint between the foundation and the house, the plate. It greatly lowered our gas bill, less bugs, no smells, and DRY! I don't worry about frozen pipes because we have hot water heat and there is enough residual heat from the baseboard piping to keep things above freezing down there, even in the coldest winters.