Our house is built on piers and we have insulated under the floor with fiberglass batts with vapor barrier facing the floor. We have wire mesh over the insulation to prevent critters etc. We live in New Mexico. What is the best way to seal the crawl space off so that the house is warmer in the winter?
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Replies
What do you have for a skirt around the crawl now?
Closing in a crawl space
Dear VQAPgagbYF,
Unfortunately, the insulation material you chose is not very appropriate for insulating a floor. Fiberglass batts tend to sag over time, and the wire mesh is unlikely to deter rodents for long.
I would advise you to install a continuous layer of foil-face polyisocyanurate insulation to cover the bottom of your joists. Tape the seams with compatible foil-faced tape.
Then install a skirt of cementitious backerboard or HardiPanel to enclose the sides of your crawl space. The skirt panels are installed on pressure-treated 2x4 framing. Pay attention to airtightness, and remember to build a weatherstipped access door.