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Looking for ideas on insulating under wood floor of old (1895) house

1,585 Views | 8 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by histag10
mncag
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The house is pier and beam with original floors.
In the winter, the house is hard to heat and I was told by the HVAC guy that heat and air are escaping mostly through floors and we have sealed windows and doors.

I have heard of suspending insulation(like the pink stuff) with chicken wire under, anyone have a genius cost effective idea.

texagvet95
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Yep, chicken wire suspended insulation. Did it to a 1916 hill country house. Works!!
Martin Q. Blank
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Sounds like a good nest for pests. How about closed cell spray foam?
toolshed
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AG
If the crawl space is large enough, which houses that old are typically higher, I'd spend the extra money on foam insulation.

Have the walls ever been insulated? If not, I'd say you're losing as much or more there than through the floor. Cellulose in the walls is the best bet. Small entry and air flow holes and it will fill the wall cavities fairly well.
Rustys-Beef-o-Reeno
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AG
Remember this is a house built in 1895, not exactly designed for spray foam which can lead to mold issues.
Insulation and netting
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The Fife
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Martin Q. Blank said:

Sounds like a good nest for pests. How about closed cell spray foam?
I'd absolutely go with spray foam insulation. If your crawlspace has humidity/moisture issues you'll be a lot better off than with fiberglass insulation. The reason being, cooled air from your living space will still infiltrate down into the crawlspace and you'll end up with condensation in the insulation. Brown rot will be the end result.

With closed cell foam you'll prevent that movement and the underside of the foam will remain above the dew point so no condensation will be possible.
jt2hunt
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AG
Is there insulation in the walls?
who?mikejones
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AG
Closed cell foam. Only need a couple inches. Worth every penny
SpillersEG
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Closed cell in the crawl space for sure. Let me know if you have any other questions or need someone to do it. I'd be more than happy to help.
histag10
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AG
I'm not going to say it was a "good idea", but our 1905 house had a small portion that wasn't part of the basement that had a decent sized crawl space where most of our water pipes ran. At some point (not us), someone put blown in insulation in that area. Not exactly great if you had to crawl under there, but it kept our pipes insulated in -40 temperatures and helped keep that area of the house warm.
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