This is similar to the “father-in-law driving me nuts” thread –
I have a 16×16 room off the back of my house that was built in 1978 – 4 years after the main house was built. It was designed to be a “sunroom” – two large sliding glass doors on the south and mullioned casements (4 each) in the west and north walls. The room is built on frost walls and footings, the area under the floor is vented with foundation vents, and the floor is supposedly insulated with FG batts.
During a renovation five years ago, we had to tear up a portion of the subfloor and replace an exterior door and part of the sill and rim joist sue to damage from rot and carpenter ants. The insulation was not very adequate. We also ran a small section of baseboard heat (removed from another part of the house) to try to heat the room in winter. Current conditions are such that I have to run a space heater in winter due to poor insulation, and an air conditioner in summer due to all the glass.
Now the questions. I need to insulate the floor and remove some of the windows and one of the sliders. The windows and glass door are relatively easy, it’s being re-sided. However, I have no access to under the floor framing, no way to get to that space to re-insulate it. The depth from bottom of framing to dirt ranges from a minimum of 14″ to a maximum of about 27-28″. Not even a crawl space. Do any of you have any bright ideas about how I could possibly insulate the floor without cutting a hole through my basement concrete wall and excavating tons of dirt to MAKE a crawl space? Insulating the frost wall won’t work because the space is vented, and closing the vents will cause all kinds of moisture and air flow problems that I don’t even want to think about.
Replies
not sure if I understood. Are you prepared to remove and re- install your floor in this room from the top or not? If the subfloor can come up, then you can make a nailing strip in all your floor bays, drop in PT plywood, then insulate that cavity with icynene or any insulation, then put subfloor, then put finish floor. Otherwise from what you described you have no access?
That's exactly it. I'd have to remove the entire subfloor (and existing finish floor, which I'd like to keep) in order to have access, OR find another way in.
You can put an inch or two of solid foam insulation ontop of your existing subfloor, seal the perimeter with foam from a foam gun, and then put another layer of plywood on top of the insulation, and call it a day.
Sounds like it would work, but I have three exterior doors (one of which is being removed) to deal with. Adding 1-1/2 to 3 inches of material, plus finish flooring, on top of existing, does not work.
OK, here's a crazy concept, tell me if it's crazy. Supposedly there's already batt insulation there. What if, every 12-16" we drilled a 3/4" hole in the subfloor and sprayed insulation in each hole? Ideally, it would flow out on top of the FG batts and fill in the spaces that the FG isn't in.
heh heh
sometimes extreme situations call for extreme measures.
What does the total flooring in the room consist off?
Edited 10/4/2006 5:54 pm ET by rez
2x8 floor joists, 16" o.c., 3/4" plywood subfloor, Uniclic laminate.
JonE-
Not the greatest thing to hear as we all hope to discover a slick trick to save the pain.
A 16x16 with 3/4inch plywood subfloor and a laminate covering. If you are willing to consider 3/4inch holes drilled 12"to 16" apart thru your laminate and deal with a spray foam insulation you might as well take up the floor and do it right.
You could address the vaporbarrier then as well, maybe run some extra electric easily if desired.
Trash the fiberglass and use foamboard.
A little hydralic jack usually pops the ply up from beneath with little damage and put down some luan to cover the seams after reinstalling.
That's the least expensive way and still getting 'er done. 16 x16 isn't THAT horrible of a project.
be just another two cents