Believe it or not you lose a lot of heat through your floor during the winter months and on the reverse end of things you can gain unwanted heat during the summer months. You can save money each year by insulating your floor. This is a home improvement must that is often overlooked.

Make sure your crawl space is well ventilated. You should have several foundation vents to provide cross ventilation. Check for insects such as carpenter ants or termites and also check for dry rot before you begin. If you have these problems I suggest you contact a professional before you begin.

Make sure you wear a mask, goggles and protective clothing (coveralls are a good idea).

You will need:

R-19 Kraft Faced Insulation Batts

Staple Gun with Staples

Polypropylene Twine

Six-mil black opaque polyethylene sheeting (also know as visqueen).

Here’s how you install it:

Push insulation up between the joists making sure the paper side is away from you and touching the sub floor. Don’t compress the insulation as it will lose its R value. Once the insulation is in place staple the twine across the floor joists, back and forth about every 12 inches.

Make sure all water pipes not covered by the batts get insulated. The easiest way is to use insulated sleeves. You can find them at any home improvement store.

Finally, you need to lay down ground cover. Make sure all debris is removed and carefully lay down the visqueen. Also make sure it is extended up about 6 inches along the foundation walls and the entire ground area is covered.

That’s it. This project will take a day or two, depending on the size of your floor. You will find that it will be well worth your time and you will enjoy your savings!