Another basement floor insulation question
I have a walk out basement I want to insulate and finish. I have read the articles and plan to put down I inch if rigid foam insulation and two layers of half inch plywood on the floor. I live about 2 hours southeast of St Louis, zip code 62935, which I believe is mixed-humid. I have one issue. The walkout wall has a standard door, and the door opening is 1.5 inches above the concrete floor. Do I replace the door so it opens 2 inches above the concrete (or higher to accommodate more flooring) or? I’m thinking if I put 1/2 inch foam down and 1/2 in plywood plus flooring where the door opens, and the rest of the basement 1 inch foam board and a total of one inch plywood plus flooring it wood, look odd. The walkout wall with the door is already framed insulated and dry walled. Thanks.
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Replies
I’d replace the door with one that will open above the level of the finished flooring. Having a raised edge right at the door would be a trip hazard, and having a recessed area would always look like a screwup. Replacing the door will give you the best finished appearance.
Bill
You may be able to re-use the door if you want to depending on how much space is left to the the underside of the header. Otherwise just swap it out with one that will work properly with your new floor height.
There might be enough space in the rough opening to slide the door up without too much trouble. It is pretty routine to leave 1/2" or more around the door when framing.
However, you don't want to leave the door too close to the floor. You need to leave room for carpeting, door weatherstripping, etc. Even if it means cutting some masonry, having a right-height door is pretty important, and worth taking the time to get it right.
Or just cut the door down from 80" to 78" and raise the threshold.
Hi Chris -
the worst place to have less insulation in your basement is at the walkout entrance. I would go with swapping out the door to maintain your thermal performance at this entrance.
Peter