Cold Basement turned Comfortable in St. Louis, MO

Friday, September 20th, 2013 by Melissa Bednarz

Challenge

This St. Louis, MO couple finished most of their basement with the intentions of using their new space for relaxing and entertaining. Once their project was completed, however, they quickly learned that this new space was unusable during the winter months. Their basement (over 75% finished) was cold, drafty and downright too uncomfortable to enjoy during cold weather. They found themselves avoiding this level of their home unless absolutely necessary.

Dr. Energy Saver St. Louis' BPI Certified Building Analyst, Chad Kues, discovered:

**Although the walls of the basement had been studded and drywalled, the rim joist was left open and unsealed.

**The fiberglass batt insulation used to "insulate" the rim joist was allowing cold, outside air to enter the home, creating draft issues

Solution

Dr. Energy Saver St. Louis' install team removed the R-13 fiberglass batt insulation that was currently "filtering" the cold air as it passed into this St. Louis, MO basement. The team then did a complete air seal of the rim joist using two-part spray foam insulation. The spray foam sealed all cracks, gaps and penetrations where this cold air could find its way in. As an added bonus, any unwanted pests or allergens will now be blocked as well!