warm floors

[bobtheengineer]

I'm considering building with a post and beam foundation.  I was wondering for those of you, who have, or are considering building, how does that type of floor system perform in the winter?  I don't want a frigid floor to walk on.  I could do a slab with hydronic heat, but that adds alot of cost and complexity to the project.  Those of you who have an insulated floor above an unheated crawlspace, how does the floor perform in the winter?

Thanks,

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Bob, I don't know a lot about this, but we lived in a house with a crawlspace in Oklahoma.  The floors were always really cold in winter until we put in new laminate floors.  The underlayment for the laminate is like a thin foam and I never imagined it would do much to insulate, but it really seemed to make a difference.  I still didn't walk around in winter barefoot, but I did wear flip-flops indoors in winter.

[MountainDon]

The key to the comfort is in the insulation.

My neighbor in the mountains has a post/pier cabin. The floor joists are 2x8 with R25 fiberglass (compressed slightly = R24 according to the charts). As for cold weather performance, we've only been in their cabin in late fall with about a 32 F outside temperature. Their floor feels nice under foot wearing only socks.

[brian_nj]

Post and beam floors are not a problem with being cold as long as they are done right. I have done heating and cooling for over 15 years and the area that I just moved from (costal NJ) Pier and beam was verry common. The keys are

1. Seal all the air leaks
2. good insulation with no gaps
3. Seal all the air leaks!

I am a fan of using pressure treated plywood to seal the bottom of the floor joists and then using a mastic sealant to seal the seams. Use the water based mastic if at all possible unless you want to be feeling pretty giddy by the time you are done This is the best way that I know close up the bottom. Then the cans of great stuff foam become your friend. Seal any and all penetrations through the plates. Once that is done I can not tell the difference in temp from a post and beam or a full basement.

Brian

[glenn kangiser]

Good info, Brian.  Thanks.