Our home has a walkout basement. The entire foundation is block, including the end with the walk out. There are glass block windows on either side of a 48" steel door. The ground slopes down from both the front and back with this walkout at the side. At the front it's almost completely below grade and at the back that corner is about 50% below grade (which then slopes up along the back.) Since there is no insulation on the block it loses a lot of heat in the winter. None of the basement is finished, but this section of the house was built in 1949 and the rest was added in 1969. There is a door from the newer section of the basement to this older section. There is a very noticeable drop in temperature during winter when you go into the older part.
I'm trying to figure out the most cost effective way of insulating that wall. The entire length is about 32'. We do have a serious foundation issue at the front that needs to be fixed but are probably 18 months away from being able to do that. (Cracked foundation in the front older section, water seepage in the front newer section, effluence on the back wall of the newer section. Plan to excavate, repair, replace drains, etc.) I was thinking of getting 3" foam boards but they are expensive and still need to be covered. So if I have to frame and drywall, maybe fiberglass makes more sense. Then I got concerned about moisture even though most of this wall is above grade. Do I need some kind of vapor barrier? If so, what? Should I use 1" foam board, then frame and use fiberglass?
At this point my head is spinning. After the foundation issues are addressed we will hopefully be able to insulate the below grade walls but I'd like to get the walkout done asap to help with heating costs and to make the room above it more comfortable.
I'm trying to figure out the most cost effective way of insulating that wall. The entire length is about 32'. We do have a serious foundation issue at the front that needs to be fixed but are probably 18 months away from being able to do that. (Cracked foundation in the front older section, water seepage in the front newer section, effluence on the back wall of the newer section. Plan to excavate, repair, replace drains, etc.) I was thinking of getting 3" foam boards but they are expensive and still need to be covered. So if I have to frame and drywall, maybe fiberglass makes more sense. Then I got concerned about moisture even though most of this wall is above grade. Do I need some kind of vapor barrier? If so, what? Should I use 1" foam board, then frame and use fiberglass?
At this point my head is spinning. After the foundation issues are addressed we will hopefully be able to insulate the below grade walls but I'd like to get the walkout done asap to help with heating costs and to make the room above it more comfortable.
