Insulation - Basement Insulation Upgrade with Fiberglass Blanket and Low-E Replacement Basement Windows

Dr. Energy Saver was called to help transform the basement of a 100-year-old house into an energy efficient and comfortable space with insulation and replacement windows.

Upgrading Basement Windows

We're going to work on this house to make it more energy efficient by changing the basement windows because as you can see they're very old being it's a 100 year old home that's very leaky and inefficient.

Insulating Foundation and Rim Joist

We're going to insulate the rim joist and the foundation also each window is custom manufactured and ordered beforehand to fit the opening. The windows are now going to be screwed into place, shimmed, foamed for tightness and then mortar is used to match with the stone wall. Also our energy efficient windows with Low-E glass, all vinyl so they never need to be painted and look a lot better.

Fiberglass Blankets To Insulation Foundation Walls

Foam boards really need to be covered by dry wall if you're going to finish the basement because of fire codes you shouldn't leave foam exposed on walls in living spaces or potential living space, crawl spaces and attics it's okay however foundation walls really need to be covered. In this case we're going to be using fiberglass blanket insulation which will conform to the bumpiness or irregularities

Seal And Insulate The Rim Joist

So we came here today to make the basement of this house energy efficient. We've replaced the windows, insulated the foundation walls and we sealed and insulated the rim joists, which will make a big difference in the home forever.

Read Full Video Transcript Below:

Hi, I'm Larry Janesky from Dr. Energy Saver; it's a beautiful day in October and we're going to work on this house to make it more energy efficient by changing the basement windows because as you can see they're very old being it's a 100 year old home that's very leaky and inefficient. At the bottom of the house it sucks air in and blows air out at the top, so by changing these basement windows we'll make them tighter so less air can get in. One other thing that we're doing is sealing the rim joist in this 100 year old home, so its in the transition from the masonry, stone, concrete or block foundation to the lumber of the home and that's what we call the rim joist. We're going to insulate the rim joist and the foundation also each window is custom manufactured and ordered beforehand to fit the opening.

The windows are now going to be screwed into place, shimmed, foamed for tightness and then mortar is used to match with the stone wall. Also our energy efficient windows with Low-E glass, all vinyl so they never need to be painted and look a lot better. The walls of the foundation are stone making them bumpy and hard to install rigid foam boards on them, which is one reason we're not doing that. Another reason is that foam boards really need to be covered by dry wall if you're going to finish the basement because of fire codes you shouldn't leave foam exposed on walls in living spaces or potential living space, crawl spaces and attics it's okay however foundation walls really need to be covered.

In this case we're going to be using fiberglass blanket insulation which will conform to the bumpiness or irregularities. Since the homeowner is not going to be finishing this basement, plus we have low ceiling height so we don't have to worry about it being left exposed. Now if we have to take all the obstructions off the wall so we can get the insulation behind the fiberglass blankets that are tucked into the basement waterproofing system previously installed so if there's a leak the water will go down into the basement waterproofing system. The insulation is cut around the windows, electric boxes, pipes and other obstructions. This customer's still in the middle of a big remodeling project but as you can see we've got the wall insulation all done and we have plenty of insulation on these stone walls to prevent heat moving from more to less. The advantage of 2-part spray foam inside is that it can get into all the irregular shapes of the rim joist inside and around the pipes and wires very well. However if it was a standard house with standard rim joists we could use foam boards in there but in this case with the home having a ballooned framing spray foam would work best.

This home is being completely remodeled and the siding is being taken off with the exterior insulation being installed in the foam boards on the outside of the existing wall sheeting. This homeowner is replacing some boards and allowed us access to the rim joist from the outside in several walls where it was much easier than in here where we have floor joists right against the foundation wall and there's a space up there but we cant access it so we're spraying foam in that rim joist space from the outside.

So we came here today to make the basement of this house energy efficient. We've replaced the windows, insulated the foundation walls and we sealed and insulated the rim joists, which will make a big difference in the home forever.

Now if you would like to make your home more comfortable, if you have issues where one room doesn't seem to get warm in the winter, is too hot in the summer, if you would like to lower your cost of homeownership by reducing your heating/cooling or electric bills call Dr. Energy Saver, we'd love to help you. Remember we'll come out and evaluate your home, talk to you about what your experience is living in this home and what you'd like to accomplish, then we'll set a plan based on priorities and let you know exactly what it will cost as well as perform that work for you to get you the results that your looking for.