camp house floor insulation

[joeu235]

Anyone know of an easy/inexpensive way to insulate the floor for a pier & beam camp house? It's new construction.

Fiberglass batts between the floor joists I think would just end up as rodent nests
I've thought about insulating skirting around the perimeter and skipping the floor insulation
Foam boards between the joists seems like a lot of labor

 

[gsganzer]

I'm having the floor of my pier and beam house sprayed with closed cell foam. It's not cheap, but it's less prone to insects and moisture. We're having all our carpets replaced with hardwood floors and they'd be crazy cold if I don't insulate the underside of the floor.

 

[RNeumann]

Roxul is an option. Unfortunately about anything you do isn’t rodent proof. If you aren’t too far along I’d add 1/4” plywood to the bottoms of the joists. If that isn’t an option a distant second would be to add metal screen material. Something fine enough that bugs can’t get through.
Note that any building insulation is relying on little to no air movement. So batts of any kind (fiberglass is by far the worst since any moisture also degrades performance) that are not protected both sides won’t help much.

Another option, again if you aren’t too far along, would be to add rigid above the subfloor and then sheet over that for flooring. This would require door height/header adjustment and the transition between inside and out will need to be worked out to get the heights worked out. Chances are you wouldn’t need to add blocking around the base- except, as usual, for the tile shower pan.

 

[joeu235]

Here's how far along I am

 

[EddieWalker]

I was watching one of those building in Alaska shows and they put plywood under their floor joists, then filled up the open areas with fiberglass, then put down their sub floor. I would imagine that the plywood under the insulation would keep out the mice.

 

[joeu235]

Do you think something like Tyvek would work instead of 1/4 plywood?

 

[EddieWalker]

No, that's what they do for mobile homes, and it always ends up tearing. Maybe the mice, rats, squirrels or racoons tear it? But I've seen all sorts of materials used under mobile homes, and they are always torn open.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Sheets of Foam under the joists, then fiberglass between.

 

[JB13502]

Here's how far along I am

View attachment 536073

Thanks for the belly laugh!:laughing:

 

[RNeumann]

Do you think something like Tyvek would work instead of 1/4 plywood?

Tyvek isn’t rated for continued exposure to weather. Plus it is noisy.

 

[Halftrack]

I hope your neighbor with the ranch doesn't mind that you are building that close to him.

 

[RNeumann]

If you are worried about having to lay on your back to attach plywood consider adding a 1x2 to the bottom edge of the joists before they go in. Then you can rip strips of treated/sealed plywood that you can drop in between the joists. Then drop your insulation batts in and run the subfloor. Everything would be done from above using this method.

 

[747driver]

I am with RNeumann. Never thought of adding the 1x2 cleats then put down 1/4 inch plywood and fill with fiberglass batts.. Closed cell foam would also be a good choice.

 

[tcreeley]

I've used chicken wire between the joists figuring that if rodents did get up there the fiberglass bat would not fall to the ground. Then I sheathe with plywood, 1" foam on top of that plywood and finish flooring. Plastic sheeting goes over the foam for a vapor barrier. The floor I did this has held up very well.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I was watching one of those building in Alaska shows and they put plywood under their floor joists, then filled up the open areas with fiberglass, then put down their sub floor. I would imagine that the plywood under the insulation would keep out the mice.

What about spraying the plywood with foam?

Brett

 

[pmsmechanic]

I want to see what you end up doing with this. One thing for sure. Extra effort at this stage will be well worth it long term.

 

[Oldpath05]

I have a similar situation with a 8'x16' add on to my house, the floor gets relly cold so I'm thinking of trying something like this spray foam this summer>>>>>> Touch 'n Foam 2 Board Foot Polyurethane 2-Component Spray Foam Kit-4222 - The Home Depot

 

[civilian]

What is the possibility of buiding the floor joists upside down? Meaning, build a section of floor joists, add the 1/4" plywood, turn over that section and place on your piers, then do another section, until complete. Then insulate the cavity and put on the subfloor? Similar to the 1" x2" but different. Just a thought. Jon

 

[pmsmechanic]

What is the possibility of buiding the floor joists upside down? Meaning, build a section of floor joists, add the 1/4" plywood, turn over that section and place on your piers, then do another section, until complete. Then insulate the cavity and put on the subfloor? Similar to the 1" x2" but different. Just a thought. Jon

I thought of the same thing. Only using a light tin instead of plywood. If the tin was installed with 2x2's with longer screws and all the joints were blocked ai think you would be able to keep all kinds of rodents out. I saw once what squirrels did to a cabin. It was a mess!

 

[aczlan]

If you are worried about having to lay on your back to attach plywood consider adding a 1x2 to the bottom edge of the joists before they go in. Then you can rip strips of treated/sealed plywood that you can drop in between the joists. Then drop your insulation batts in and run the subfloor. Everything would be done from above using this method.

Or, screw a 1x3 to the underside with deck screws so it hangs out on both sides of the joist.

Aaron Z