Mike Boley
New Member
Hello,
I have spent close to 20 hours reading through every thread on here that I could possibly find that relates to my situation. At the conclusion of that I have decided on what I think is the best solution to my situation.
The zip code is 62341. I have a poured concrete foundation that is a walk out basement. The east side of the house is the walk out portion and is above grade. The north and south sides are on a slope where at the west side it is about all below grade and at the east side it is all above grade. The west side of the house is totally below grade.
I had discovered some minor, typical cracks in the foundation that had produced some water over the years due to insufficient gutters/downspouts and poor grading. Those issues have since been remedied. The cracks in the foundation were sealed with a 2 part epoxy and the dirt around the foundation has been graded for proper runoff. Seamless gutters and oversized downspouts with extensions were added.
The previous setup included poly on the walls between a standard 2x4 framed wall with faced R11 insulation. The floors were 2x4's laid flat 12" on center, with 1.5" of regular Styrofoam in between them with poly on top of that and then 3/4" T&G plywood. I am removing everything and starting with a clean slate.
After looking at the various products available and extensively reading up on their pros and cons, I have decided that I think my best option is to utilize XPS for the walls and floor. I do have some concern with the chance of small amounts of ground water surfacing through the floor in cases of severe rain. So, I thought I could lay down 6 mil poly on the floor, 1" XPS then 3/4" T&G. And secure that with Tapcon screws to the floor. I will be installing laminate floor as the finished product.
For the walls, I thought about 1" XPS there as well and then butt up a standard 2x4 framed wall that will be filled with R13 unfaced fiberglass. I already have the fiberglass, so if possible I would like to be able to use it. I have read where this system has been recommended for other threads, however it appears that your climate can dictate what will work the best so as to not build up condensation on the cold side of your framed wall. I would like to build all of my walls on top of the subfloor so as not to have any wood on the concrete to help reduce the chance of any mold/rot. I would atleast do this on the walls that are entirely or partially below grade.
I guess first, will these materials work for my situation? Second, do I need to do anything at the floor to seal where the floor and wall XPS meet? And what would I do to seal the top of the XPS where it meets the floor joists at the rim joist? Is there a recommendation as to how many screws to put in per piece of subfloor? Is there a specific tape that seems to work better than others to seal the seams? And should I leave any gaps around the perimeter foundation walls? I guess some of these questions are probably a little premature as I'm not even sure that this process will be applicable to me.
So any advice I can get will be greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to the responses.
I have spent close to 20 hours reading through every thread on here that I could possibly find that relates to my situation. At the conclusion of that I have decided on what I think is the best solution to my situation.
The zip code is 62341. I have a poured concrete foundation that is a walk out basement. The east side of the house is the walk out portion and is above grade. The north and south sides are on a slope where at the west side it is about all below grade and at the east side it is all above grade. The west side of the house is totally below grade.
I had discovered some minor, typical cracks in the foundation that had produced some water over the years due to insufficient gutters/downspouts and poor grading. Those issues have since been remedied. The cracks in the foundation were sealed with a 2 part epoxy and the dirt around the foundation has been graded for proper runoff. Seamless gutters and oversized downspouts with extensions were added.
The previous setup included poly on the walls between a standard 2x4 framed wall with faced R11 insulation. The floors were 2x4's laid flat 12" on center, with 1.5" of regular Styrofoam in between them with poly on top of that and then 3/4" T&G plywood. I am removing everything and starting with a clean slate.
After looking at the various products available and extensively reading up on their pros and cons, I have decided that I think my best option is to utilize XPS for the walls and floor. I do have some concern with the chance of small amounts of ground water surfacing through the floor in cases of severe rain. So, I thought I could lay down 6 mil poly on the floor, 1" XPS then 3/4" T&G. And secure that with Tapcon screws to the floor. I will be installing laminate floor as the finished product.
For the walls, I thought about 1" XPS there as well and then butt up a standard 2x4 framed wall that will be filled with R13 unfaced fiberglass. I already have the fiberglass, so if possible I would like to be able to use it. I have read where this system has been recommended for other threads, however it appears that your climate can dictate what will work the best so as to not build up condensation on the cold side of your framed wall. I would like to build all of my walls on top of the subfloor so as not to have any wood on the concrete to help reduce the chance of any mold/rot. I would atleast do this on the walls that are entirely or partially below grade.
I guess first, will these materials work for my situation? Second, do I need to do anything at the floor to seal where the floor and wall XPS meet? And what would I do to seal the top of the XPS where it meets the floor joists at the rim joist? Is there a recommendation as to how many screws to put in per piece of subfloor? Is there a specific tape that seems to work better than others to seal the seams? And should I leave any gaps around the perimeter foundation walls? I guess some of these questions are probably a little premature as I'm not even sure that this process will be applicable to me.
So any advice I can get will be greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to the responses.