Insulating Concrete Walls Above Grade

Although concrete walls are most commonly found in below grade construction such as foundations the benefits and popularity of concrete walls for above grade applications are growing in the united states and specifically in maryland.

Insulating concrete walls above grade.

Rigid foam board is then fitted between the furring strips and drywall installed over that. Leave the floor above it uninsulated vapor seal the ground below with polyethylene and a thin concrete slab insulate the walls with a foam based insulation such as 4 in. My house is a brick cape cod. Ideally treat it like a mini basement.

I do not believe there is any type of gap between the two. The insulation may be rigid board extruded or expanded polystyrene or polyisocyanurate closed cell spray polyurethane foam cellular glass fibrous batt or fibrous blown in insulation note however that fibrous insulation is susceptible to moisture. Insulating above grade concrete wall. I am new to this forum and am in the middle of gut job remodel.

For a below grade block wall see basement perimeter drainage and leaking foundations. Bryan is faced with a totally un insulated cinder block wall with 1x2 strapping and a plaster covering. Rigid foam board insulation such as polyisocyanurate or expanded or extruded polystyrene are used on the exterior of walls. But in markets across the south especially florida it s the way to build the first floor of almost all homes.

Solid concrete construction is a long term quality alternative to typical wood and steel framed houses. He is thinking about stripping it back to the block and then working from the inside to make an insulated wall accepting that he might have to loose a. Of unfaced expanded polystyrene r 15 that allows the foundation to dry inward and condition the space with air from inside the house. And in terms of resistance to infiltration by water and radon gas by ensuring that.

If the floor is concrete slab on grade any furring boards that make contact with the floor must be of. Placing insulation on the exterior face of masonry walls takes advantage of this thermal mass. My question is how do i insulate my exterior walls. Structurally by checking for cracks crumbling of the concrete and so on.

As the federal energy star program and international energy conservation code continue to push the envelope for effectively insulating exterior walls against thermal loss to boost a home s energy efficiency builders of. Interior insulation refers to insulation applied to the interior side of the concrete masonry as shown in figure 1. Above grade perimeter walls built with concrete masonry units or cmus may only represent about 7 of the new home construction market nationwide. This article deals with a block wall above grade.