First, let me own my novice DIY status and say I screwed up. I bought a new house last year in the Indianapolis area and immediately went to work finishing the basement. The builder attached batts of insulation to the top half of the poured concrete walls to just below grade, but that's all. I framed the walls just off those batts — so several inches from the foundation. Didn't consider any other insulation as I assumed like a novice that I'd just insulate the stud cavities after everything was done. It's only recently I've become aware that the preferred option is rigid foam attached to the concrete walls for moisture control. I've now got a 2000 sf basement fully framed with electrical run and I'm wondering what my best and most cost-effective course of action is for insulation. Thanks for any advice!
Basement – Insulating basement that’s already framed with electrical run
basementinsulation
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Best Answer
Just wanted to come back and say my plan is now to remove the fiberglass insulation from the top half of the wall, cover the walls with foam foam board insulation (EPS) by threading sheets through the studs and at the large openings for my egress windows, then reuse the fiberglass in the stud bays (along with more I'll need to purchase). This approach has been recommended to me on several forums in order to minimize condensation on the cold concrete walls when warmer air from inside hits it -- especially in winter. For about $1000, it seems the smart thing to do, albeit a bit of a pain to get all that foam delivered and installed. But this is a large basement that will have a lot of living space, so it's obviously best to do it right. Thanks for replies all! Any further input is certainly welcome!