[Greenbuilding] overhead cellulose dense pack?`

[Reuben Deumling]

The temperature is highly stratified in the living space above right now. I
am pretty certain that insulating the floor will make a big difference. My
heating is a woodstove (upstairs as it were), so heating the basement
actively is not really practical or my intent. My basement consists of a
slab of unknown age and non-vertical concrete sloping berms around the
perimeter. Above these are posts and beams on seven foot intervals with some
minimal wood in the spaces between. I will be replacing all of this with a
foundation of concrete block and 2x8 knee wall + Larsen trusses above grade
in a year or two. I'll also be increasing the height from 6' to 7-1/2' at
that time. This will be as well insluated as I can, but I still think having
8" of cellulose in the floor is a very good place for insulation... Or am I
missing something?

Reuben Deumling

On 4/4/07, Drew A. Gillett, P.E. <deaneg at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> why insulate the ceiling rather than the exterior walls inside or out?
>
> the walls should be much easier, dont involve as many penetrations, avoids
> the rewiring, and as a bonus you get insulated heatable basement space and
> a
> warm floor.
>
> ps knob and tube works great given how many old bldgs it is still in. it
> does rely to some exrent on air coolingaround the wires, but so do romex ,
> etc.
>
--Knob and tube is a really generous description of what I have. What is
actually have is very little of either, but a lot of splicing and use of
cloth-backed black electrical tape. Although I dislike the PVC in romex, I
have a bunch left over and since the layout of the electrical system in the
basement is currently abysmal: 1 outlet & three sockets I figured it would
be sensible to do this now.