[ddawg16]

I got a bonus from work...so....I'm doing some extra things.

One of them was to insulate the crawl space under the existing part of the house. The new addition is nice a cozy...but when you walk down stairs in the morning to the existing part of the house....COLD.

1027 sq ft....$792. Guys were done in 2 hours. The crawled under the house and installed R19 between the floor joists.

What a difference.

And so worth the money to not have to crawl under there and do the work.

This is one of those projects where DIY is not really worth it. Materials alone would have been over $400....not to mention my time to pick it up...and then do all the work.

Yep....enjoyed writing that check

 

[BigJim]

Good grief, those boys were getting with it, 2 hours is smoking. That insulation will pay for itself in short order.

 

[ddawg16]

Good grief, those boys were getting with it, 2 hours is smoking. That insulation will pay for itself in short order.

It's the same outfit that did my 2-story addition. Well known in the area....respected.

I thought it was fast...but I also made it easy for them. The access to the crawl space is in a closet with a window real close....I opened the window and told the guy to feed his partner with the batts.

They tossed everything down below then got to work. My crawl space is relatively clean so it was easy for them to move around.

When I first moved in, the house had already been replumbed with copper....but all the old galv pipe was still there. I spent hours yanking all that stuff out.

I'm kinda OCD about my crawl space.

 

[Fix'n it]

how cold does your crawl get ? what are average day/night temps outside these days ?

i want to insulate my basement. its about 55 down there now.

 

[ddawg16]

I don't have a 'basement'. Just a crawl space with about 20-24" of space between the dirt/rock and floor joists.

Right now we are getting into the mid 30 to high 30's which is cold for LA and close to the ocean. This week I doubt the highs will get above the 60's.

 

[Windows on Wash]

+1

We get calls from customers all the time that were going to air seal and insulate themselves and get about 2 hours into before they decide that this is money well spent.

 

[ZZZZZ]

A couple of years ago I insulated my floor between the joists. I DIY'd it.

Every time I enter the crawl space, I thank the builder or the original homeowner who 30 years ago decided to pour a concrete floor in the crawlspace. I don't know, maybe the local concrete co was having a big sale or whatever, but it sure makes working down there almost tolerable.

Working a couple of hours a day at it, it took me about a week's time to insulate the 750 sf floor with R19. Aside from never having done it before, there was a lot of ductwork and wiring to work around. And a nasty spider bite, too. :biggrin2:

But it does makes a huge difference in the comfort level of the house in winter. (It's a bit warmer in the summer too, but I think it's a good trade-off).

So yeah, Dawg, you got a great deal on your floor.

 

[craig11152]

how cold does your crawl get ? what are average day/night temps outside these days ?

i want to insulate my basement. its about 55 down there now.

If your in Chicago (area) you will see a return a whole lot faster than somebody in southern California.

 

[ddawg16]

If your in Chicago (area) you will see a return a whole lot faster than somebody in southern California.

No kidding....

But even if it takes 10 years for me to see the payback....the comfort alone is worth the money.

I walked down this morning.....NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prior to this, on cold nights, we would need to turn on the heat a little early because that part of the house was getting cold.

Wish I had done it sooner.

 

[craig11152]

No kidding....

But even if it takes 10 years for me to see the payback....the comfort alone is worth the money.

I didn't mean to suggest you wasted your money. I merely meant that if ddawg in SoCal is happy with the results imagine what a guy in the midwest would realize.

 

[ddawg16]

Craig....I didn't take it that way at all.

The reality is, the payback will be about 10 years...or more. Hey, it's California.....when in the summer I'm wearing shorts and t-shirts....in the winter, shorts and sweat top....

I might even break down and add AC to the house.....for the 2 weeks or so a year we could use it.

 

[Fix'n it]

ok, gotcha. my house would be done already. but i'm not getting any younger and starting to have health isssues that slow me down, ESPECIALLY in the winter. anyway, i want to do my basement walls, just gotta find the energy.

 

[bob111146]

crawl space insulation

:smile:I had a similar job done in my upstairs several years ago. I have a 2-family house and it got very cold in the second floor. Insulation work was very reasonable. The only thing I had to do was cut an opening in the ceiling of an upstairs closet so that the installer could work.
It also was a huge improvement.

 

[bob111146]

Craig:

Where is the quote about cutting off the head of the greatest hitter from and who is the hitter?

 

[Oso954]

Ted Williams.