I am getting ready to lay the stone on my new house and wanted some advice on insulation. The house is in Central WI and the basement is partially exposed with stone on the upper 5 feet. It will have hydronic heat in the basement floor. The basement will also be finished in most of the areas that will have stone on the outside.
I have a couple of questions.
How much EPS should go under the floors? GC says they put in 1 inch. I am thinking a minimum of 2, but have seen 4 inches in 2 layers running perpendicular to each other. How much is too much? Any other advice?
Should I try and put some EPS (1/4 inch or 1/2 inch) behind the stone veneer. The rest of the exterior walls have 2 inch EPS. What will I gain if anything? If I do put some insulation on, should I put the water shield under or over the EPS?
Thanks.
Replies
For the floor, 2" thick rigid foam, the kind with the good compressive strength, at a 4 foot width around the perimeter, is what you need. In the center nonfoamed areas, bring your stone base up to the level of the foam top. Then do a 6 mil poly cover, lapping all joints 6", and tape the laps. Then mesh, tubing, and pour.
For the walls that aren't completely covered on the outside with 2-inch foam, do the 2-inch foam on the inside face, shot and glued to the crete, then use canned foamseal to do all the cracks.
Bob,
Why don't you put insulation under all of the floor/
You don't need it beyond that four-feet outer perimeter. It is at the perimeter where you are insulating to prevent heat loss into the substrate base and soil. In a continuously heated structure in a cold climate, the heated space has successfully warmed the soil under the center areas of the basement.
thanks Bob
tony