Insulation in the new basement bathroom
As you learned in our previous post, the first part of our basement finishing project included a few phases. Some plumbing groundwork for the bathroom, the framing of the walls, a soffit, rough electrical, plumbing, and our rough-in inspection.
Right after passing that first inspection, we moved forward with the next phase: Insulation. Or in our case, DIY Basement Insulation.
For different reasons that we explain in this post, we insulated both, all the walls (including interior walls) and the ceiling. And, in less than a day of work, we were ready for our insulation inspection and to continue with the rest of the project.
DIY BASEMENT WALLS AND CEILING INSULATION
Before we even started, we made sure we had all the tools and materials we needed to complete the insulation project. It is so easy to do it, you do not need a whole bunch of stuff. You can calculate the amount of insulation you need based on the square footage of the room you are insulating. The complete list of items includes:
SHOULD YOU INSULATE YOUR BASEMENT’S CEILING?
While it is not absolutely necessary nor required by any building code, it is very advantageous to do so. It will soundproof your basement, and you will not regret the extra expense (especially, if you are building a bedroom where there will be people sleeping).
HOW TO INSTALL INSULATION IN BASEMENT CEILING
As long as you get the right product, it is very easy to install insulation. It does not take that long either. I do not know the exact amount of time it took me to complete this project, but it was less than a day for both the ceiling and the walls.
I would have loved to blow in some insulation in the ceiling, but due to the size of this project, it was not worth the extra expense and hassle of renting the machine. We went ahead and used R30 attic insulation batts.
It takes a bit longer to install the batts because you are working overhead, but it is still very easy and fast. All you have to do is cut it to length using a pair of scissors or a utility knife and push it in between the floor joists, it should stay in place.
We used R30 insulation batts soundproof the basement’s ceiling
DO YOU NEED TO INSULATE BASEMENT WALLS?
The short answer is, yes!
The long answer is, yes, for many reasons. If your basement is heated, and I would assume that most are, insulation will help keep it a bit warmer. If you are building different rooms, it helps to soundproof the different areas (assuming you also insulate the interior walls). And last, but not least, it is required by local building codes!
Just starting the insulation work in the basement’s bathroom
A few minutes later, after insulating the first wall
An overview of the basement while installing insulation
WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED R VALUE FOR BASEMENT WALLS?
Although it varies by location, our town’s building department and building permit required, at least, R13 for all exterior walls. It was not required to insulate the interior walls. We went ahead and did it anyway to help with soundproofing as mentioned before.
In our area, R13 is the minimum R-value you can use on basement walls
Insulation comes in different colors, but it doesn’t really matter what color you use
HOW TO INSTALL INSULATION IN BASEMENT WALLS
To install insulation in the basement walls, you basically follow the exact same procedure you used for the ceiling. It is easier this time, though, because you are not working overhead.
Our wall studs were framed at 16” on center, so we used 15” wide insulation. All you have to do is cut it to length using a pair of scissors or a utility knife and push it in between the studs, it should stay in place. For narrower openings, you just cut it a bit wider (let’s say 5” for a 4.5” opening) and push it in there, you don’t even need anything to hold it.
Repeat these steps until you cover the whole area.
Another one of our bedroom’s walls almost completely insulated
We insulated all interior walls for soundproofing
And that’s it, your walls and ceiling should be completely insulated in less than a day!
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Hi Tony
What kind of insulation did you use? the one in blackish color? and did you install vapor barrier over it?
Thank you,
Blue
Hello Blue,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I bought the insulation at lowes, our building permit required R13 and that’s what we installed, it came in both white and dark brown in color.
I asked the inspector and also a friend who is a general contractor and they both said that the vapor barrier is not required in basements. I’m sure that requirement can vary depending on your location.
Are you working on a similar project?
Tony,
What’s your opinion of the foam bead pumped insulation used on preexisting walls? Wall insulation was not used on a wall I recently inspected (don’t know why) and just wanted to insulate the wall and not reduce the interior dimensions. What would you do?
Good afternoon, Liam,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
In my opinion, assuming there are no obstructions inside the wall, it is perfectly acceptable to just blow in the insulation.
Let us know how the project goes!