Insulated Ground Floor Slab Construction

Slab on grade foundation detail design.

Insulated ground floor slab construction.

2015 iecc irc section r402 2 10 n1102 2 10. Design considerations such as existing ground conditions the presence of radon gas or methane gas and the intended use of the building are among the factors that will dictate the choice of ground floor and also the insulation used within them. There are many different soil conditions and corresponding slab designs. Kingspan installing insulation on top of the floor can present problems with ceiling door and window cill heights.

Ground floors are usually constructed as either solid ground floors or suspended ground floors. Eps can be a cost effective alternative to pir for floor insulation and the same thermal performance can be achieved with increased thickness. Both codes state slab edge insulation is not required in jurisdictions designated by the building official as having a very heavy termite infestation otherwise both codes require that slab on grade floors with a floor surface less than 12 in. Kingspan vips offer an ultra thin build up of just 26mm image credit.

The answer is simply that the thermal performance achieved is essentially the same as only adding insulation under the floor slab for the first 1 2 m from the. A recent caller to the branz helpline asked why the branz house insulation guide does not include examples of a slab on ground floor insulated using either polystyrene under the entire floor slab or a much thicker layer of insulation. Below grade need vertical insulation at the slab perimeter. Insulation under ground floor slabs is a good way of meeting the increased requirements of parts l f of the building regulations.

Insulation below the slab suits continuous low level heating gradually warming the thermal mass of the. These sections deal with in one way or another the values called u values which a home should be insulated to and the energy which is saved by implementing this insulation. This page is about how to build a thickened edge concrete slab on grade fpsf footing on soil with a high water table to prevent frost heave by first installing drainage below the slab. Building additions that include a slab on grade construction also are subject to the slab edge requirements listed in the iecc irc.

A typical way of constructing a solid floor would be to provide a base of hardcore with sand blinding with a layer of concrete over that. Kingspan s new range of vacuum insulated panels vips offers an interesting solution for those needing an ultra thin build up. Related slab on grade foundation pages. Heat loss thermal insulation there are three general types of ground floor construction.

Insulating a solid ground floor below the ground bearing concrete slab can be done using either pir insulation boards or eps insulation boards.