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Posted by Woodchuck34 on September 11, 2007, 11:28 am
wrote:
> Give serious consideration to blown in place cellulose. It's better
> insulation, it's fire retardant, and also mold and bug resistant. You can
> start your research at:
>
> http://www.centralfiber.com/cellins.shtml
>
> steve
>
>
>
>
>
> > We moved into a 14 year old house 1 year ago and I have been crossing
> > items off the honey-do list at a good pace. Last week, SWMBO asked me
> > to look at the basement insulation, which we knew had some mice
> > issues. The house had sat dorment for about 6 months before we bought
> > it (no one crazy enough to do all this work), so the mice had free
> > reign. As I started pulling down the fiberglass bats, the fecal
> > matter kept raining down. Ultimately, I ripped all of the insulation
> > down and still feel that it was the right decision due to the amount
> > of droppings.
>
> > I have been researching the insulation options and need help. Our
> > intention is to finish the basement into a playroom for the kids in
> > the near future. I do not want to have to repeat the expense/time of
> > ripping down insulation and cleaning the mess again. Right now I'm
> > leaning towards gluing rigid foam board insulation inbetween the
> > ceiling rafters and either screwing/gluing (or both) a layer of
> > drywall directly to the insulation for fire safety issues. The
> > drawbacks of the rigid foam as I understand it are that is not as safe
> > in a fire as fiberglass and its more expensive, but I don't want to
> > create another mouse highway in my basement with fiberglass bats.
>
> > My questions are these:
>
> > 1. Is the rigid foam and the method I'm considering even going to keep
> > the mice out (at least in between the subfloor and the insulation)?
> > If not it not worth the expense.
>
> > 2. If #1 is yes, is attaching a layer of drywall an adequate fire
> > retardent (SWMBO is big on fire safety)
>
> > 3. If I use this method and eventually finish the basement; I will be
> > installing a drywall ceiling. Is it acceptable to then install a
> > drywall ceiling to the rafters (since I will essentially be installing
> > a second layer of drywall).
>
> > Here are the other considerations:
>
> > -Poured concrete foundation approx 8.5'
> > -the plan is to finish the basement, but not necessarily constantly
> > heat it, rather just heat it when its being used (I mention this
> > because I've read that it isn't even as important to insulate under
> > the 1st floor, but might be better to spend the money insulating the
> > basement walls instead)
> > -we've had an extreminator on contract since the dog "gave" SWMBO a
> > mouse in the old house. They have put out poison and are coming
> > tomorrow (first time they'll get a great look since the insulation is
> > gone). Point is we have a professional involved. They did mention
> > that mice aren't likely to chew through drywall. They just don't like
> > it.
> > -Basement is mostly dry but now is ready for me to seal every nook and
> > cranny. Also will be looking for mice entry points.
> > -have not found evidence of mice protrusion into the rest of the house
> > except for the attic
>
> > Any help/opinions would be very much appreciated.
>
> > Thanks,
>
> > WoodChuck34- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Steve,
Thanks for the reply. I'm not considering cellulose insulation after
reading the following article:
http://www.askthebuilder.com/054_Cellulose_Vs_Fiberglass_Insulation.shtml
Check the author's notes at the bottom.
Also, Cellulose Insulation would not solve my mouse highway issue. I
couldn't use blown in insulation anyway, because I'm talking about
insulating the ceiling of my basement.
Chuck
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