BASC Search

Air-seal the floor above a garage when there is living space above the garage and make sure floor insulation is in full contact with the underside of the subfloor.

Image

Retrofit of cantilevered wall showing details at the outside corner for installing air sealing and rigid foam insulation in the wall and closed-cell spray foam in the overhanging floor

Image

ICF foundation walls wrap the floor slab in R-22 of insulation while the entire space under the slab is covered with 4.3 inches of closed-cell spray foam.

Image

Retrofit of cantilevered wall with beam showing details at the outside corner for installing air sealing and rigid foam insulation plus water control membrane in the wall and overhanging floor

Image

Right - Foil-faced polyisocyanurate insulating rigid foam sheathing is installed below the floor framing of this house built on piers; however, the seams should be sealed with metal taped and the plumbing elevated and protected.

Image

Right – Workers lay radiant floor loops over the concrete reinforcement which is laid over a heavy vapor barrier installed over the sub-slab insulation before the slab is poured.

Image

A floor cavity between the first and second floor can provide a conditioned space for HVAC ducts if the rim joists are insulated and air sealed, if sufficient space is available, and if open-web floor joists are used

Image

When looking for plumbing pipes to find floor penetrations, remember that plumbing pipe may consist of several different materials, such as PEX (white pipes on left), copper (right), plastic, or insulated with foam (gray, far right).

Image

The fiberglass insulation stuffed into the large hole around this HVAC duct will not prevent air leakage from the unconditioned basement to the conditioned space above; the large gap should be sealed with a rigid air barrier and caulked or spray foamed.

Fiberglass insulation stuffed into the large hole around this HVAC duct won't prevent air leakage from the unconditioned basement to the conditioned space above; the large gap should be sealed with a rigid air barrier and caulked or spray foamed.

Image

Floor Above Garage

Guide

Guide describing how to create an air barrier between the garage and the conditioned space above it to prohibit pollutants from entering a home's interior.

Floor Above Unconditioned Basement or Vented Crawlspace

Guide

Guide describing how to air-seal and insulate the floor above an unconditioned basement or crawl space.

Cantilevered Floor

Guide

Guide describing how to air-seal and insulate a cantilevered floor.

Building Code Training - Residential Thermal Envelope - Air Sealing

Presentation

Presentation describing the Georgia State Minimum Standard Energy Code air barrier requirements, envelope concepts including air flow and thermal properties, and common missed insulation and air-sealing opportunities.

Slab Happy, BSI-059

Reference

How hard can it be to insulate a flat sheet of concrete? I mean you only have three choices – on the top, on the bottom, or on the edge. OK, you might have some combination of the three as well.

Water Management of Existing Crawlspace Floor

Guide

Guide providing information about treating bulk water drainage issues and moisture control measures in existing basements and crawl spaces.

Air Sealing Duct and Flue Shafts

Guide

Guide describing how to air-seal duct and flue shafts.

Builders Challenge High Performance Builder Spotlight: Kacin Homes, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Case Study

Case study describing a building project in the cold and very-cold climate zones.

Advanced Framing: Minimum Wall Studs

Guide

Guide describing how to frame a wall with minimal wall studs to prevent heat losses and gains through walls.

New Orleans House Profile

Image

Right – Open-cell spray foam fills the attic floor joists.

Image

The application of intumescent coating/protection layer protects this elevated floor system from below.

Image

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Tindall Homes: The Legends at Mansfield, Columbus, NJ

Case Study

Case study describing a new construction building project of 20 luxury homes in northern New Jersey that were more energy efficient than ENERGY STAR and met the 50% energy savings requirements of the federal tax credit for new homes.

Right - The rigid metal HVAC ducting is installed between the floor joists rather than in an unconditioned attic or crawl space to minimize heat loss.

Image

An IR camera image shows gaps around HVAC flue pipes allow conditioned air to leak through blown fiberglass into the attic

Image

The slab floor in this multistory multifamily building is continuous, providing the interior floors and balcony floors; rigid foam placed in gaps in the slab at the exterior wall helps to reduce thermal bridging

Image

After setting precast concrete basement walls on an 8-inch bed of trap rock, this builder sprayed 2 inches of closed-cell spray foam directly onto the ground then laid piping for radiant floor heating before pouring the concrete floor slab.

Image

Air-seal the floor above a garage when there is living space above the garage and make sure floor insulation is in full contact with the underside of the subfloor.

Retrofit of cantilevered wall showing details at the outside corner for installing air sealing and rigid foam insulation in the wall and closed-cell spray foam in the overhanging floor

ICF foundation walls wrap the floor slab in R-22 of insulation while the entire space under the slab is covered with 4.3 inches of closed-cell spray foam.

Retrofit of cantilevered wall with beam showing details at the outside corner for installing air sealing and rigid foam insulation plus water control membrane in the wall and overhanging floor

Right - Foil-faced polyisocyanurate insulating rigid foam sheathing is installed below the floor framing of this house built on piers; however, the seams should be sealed with metal taped and the plumbing elevated and protected.

Right – Workers lay radiant floor loops over the concrete reinforcement which is laid over a heavy vapor barrier installed over the sub-slab insulation before the slab is poured.

A floor cavity between the first and second floor can provide a conditioned space for HVAC ducts if the rim joists are insulated and air sealed, if sufficient space is available, and if open-web floor joists are used

When looking for plumbing pipes to find floor penetrations, remember that plumbing pipe may consist of several different materials, such as PEX (white pipes on left), copper (right), plastic, or insulated with foam (gray, far right).

Fiberglass insulation stuffed into the large hole around this HVAC duct won't prevent air leakage from the unconditioned basement to the conditioned space above; the large gap should be sealed with a rigid air barrier and caulked or spray foamed.

Floor Above Garage

Floor Above Unconditioned Basement or Vented Crawlspace

Cantilevered Floor

Building Code Training - Residential Thermal Envelope - Air Sealing

Slab Happy, BSI-059

Water Management of Existing Crawlspace Floor

Air Sealing Duct and Flue Shafts

Builders Challenge High Performance Builder Spotlight: Kacin Homes, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Advanced Framing: Minimum Wall Studs

New Orleans House Profile

Right – Open-cell spray foam fills the attic floor joists.

The application of intumescent coating/protection layer protects this elevated floor system from below.

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Tindall Homes: The Legends at Mansfield, Columbus, NJ

Right - The rigid metal HVAC ducting is installed between the floor joists rather than in an unconditioned attic or crawl space to minimize heat loss.

An IR camera image shows gaps around HVAC flue pipes allow conditioned air to leak through blown fiberglass into the attic

The slab floor in this multistory multifamily building is continuous, providing the interior floors and balcony floors; rigid foam placed in gaps in the slab at the exterior wall helps to reduce thermal bridging

After setting precast concrete basement walls on an 8-inch bed of trap rock, this builder sprayed 2 inches of closed-cell spray foam directly onto the ground then laid piping for radiant floor heating before pouring the concrete floor slab.

Cantilevers, Technical Bulletin F2

Concrete Floor Problems, BSI-003

Cold Climate Building Techniques and Concepts: building a raised floor

Ducts in Interstitial Floor Framing