Best Way to Insulate Pier and Beam House Floors

With different construction methods, not every house is built the same way. When you or your contractors use a different method to create your dream home, new challenges arise. One of those challenges will be insulating your home.

With the pier and beam method, it is your floors, not your windows that may be the weakest heat link. When choosing this construction option, you need to consider how you will insulate those floors. There is a lot of heat loss using that escape route.

Take a few minutes to see how you can meet that challenge and overcome it. There are different methods you can use.

How to Insulate Your Pier and Beam Home

One of the challenges to insulating your flooring in this type of construction is installation. It needs to be done right so birds and animals do not make nests out of those insulation materials.

Here are some insulation options you have to choose from:

1. Spray Foam- This is where a professional spray foam insulation company comes in and does the work for you. They spray the foam under the floorboards and around the beams and piers.

As the foam dries it expands providing you and your home with more coverage. also, this type of insulation is resistant to mold.

2. Foam Boards- This option, you can do it yourself without too much hassle. These boards are very stiff and need to be placed very tightly together. You nail or staple them to the bottoms of the joists and then seal the joints with caulking or duct tape.

The downside is that insects do burrow through this type of board. You may have to spray it with an insecticide to keep the insects from ruining your insulation.

3. Traditional Fiberglass Roll Insulation- This goes on easy and again; you can do it yourself. All you have to do is place the rolls inside the joist spaces and then staple them to those same joists. Just like you would if you were insulating your ceiling.

The drawback to this option is that you will need to cover it with some sort of plywood sheeting, or Masonite sheets to keep animals away. That will add to your costs significantly

4. Skirting– With the raised area underneath your home, the heat will go right through the floor. But so will the cold outside air when it is driven by the wind. You may experience a lot of chilly nights inside your home if you do not do something.

The solution would be to add skirting around your house to block the wind from coming inside. This option, too, will add costs to your construction but it is worth it as you may save more when you do not lose any heat during the winter.

Also, this option can be used with all of the three previously mentioned options. It is an added layer of protection and will help keep birds and animals from using your insulation for their needs.

A Construction Tip: Before you sign on the dotted line, get more than one quote. The more quotes you have the better chance of driving down your construction costs. This will include the insulation portion of the construction.

Save money wherever you can and getting good quotes from reputable insulation sub-contractors is one way to do that.

The Importance of Insulation

You may not have thought about it very much but insulation can help you save a lot of money and be energy efficient. Having the right insulation in the right spots will cut your heating and cooling costs significantly.

They say that for every degree you lower your thermostat, you can lower your energy bill by 3%. That may not sound like much but over time that amount can add up to some very nice savings.

For example, on a $100 heating and electric bill, you would save about $3. Over the year that savings can stretch to $36. In this day and age, every penny saved counts. Especially when your energy bills are over $100 every month.

Some Final Words

A word to the wise. Make sure you get the right insulation for your pier and beam home. Good insulation means that your family is being protected from the elements and they get to remain healthier longer.

Also, you get to save money by making the right choices. Take your time when you are looking at your insulation options so that you do not spend more than you need to for top-quality products.