If the ground floor in question is of a suspended timber construction and whether this is a renovation or new build project then the insulation would normally be installed in the joist zone that is installed between the joists.
Timber frame floor insulation.
Within the external wall cavity or internally on the warm side of the studwork.
A polished timber floor looks warm and inviting but looks can be deceiving.
Bradford optimo is the ultimate in underfloor insulation for suspended timber floors keeping homes warmer and reducing energy costs through winter.
A second continuous layer of insulation can then be fitted externally of the breather membrane.
If closed panel timber frame is specified additional care must be taken to protect the panels from exposure to moisture during construction with moisture content checks carried out before full closure.
Using a 140mm timber stud selected for frame rigidity with 60mm pir insulation between the studs and 60mm pir as an insulation wrap around the outside you can attain a u value of 0 16 w m2k.
Insulating concrete slab floors.
The insulation boards should be restrained in accordance with the timber frame manufacturer s guidance.
However the reduced mass of the wall means that insulation materials need to provide a higher level of acoustic performance to compensate.
If you ve got a suspended timber floor which is not insulated it can contribute to as much as 20 of heat loss during winter.
Whilst many homes in australia now have insulation in their roofs and walls if your home is built suspended off the ground this could be the unknown area where heat is leaking out of your home in winter and entering it in summer.
Timber frame systems come with a layer of oriented strand board or plywood fixed to the external face of the studs along with a breather membrane.
Timber frame floors are typically insulated with polystyrene boards or sheet insulation made from glasswool fibreglass wool polyester wool polyester mix and mineral wool.
Depending on u value requirements there may be additional insulation required this might be placed outside the sheathing board i e.
Here two layers of rigid kingspan thermawall insulation are separated by breathable membrane and osb plywood sheathing.
For information about performance durability and environmental properties of each material see our insulation materials factsheet pdf and the materials section of this site.
In a timber framed wall insulation is typically installed between the studs this insulation can be pir or glass mineral wool gmw.
Most australian homes have ceiling insulation and new homes now also include wall insulation which is installed at the time of construction.
Insulation should not be installed until the structural timber frame is below 20 moisture content and the building is weather tight as wet insulation can retain moisture.
Concrete slab floors are typically insulated with polystyrene board.
All ground floor constructions unless very large commercial floors will require some insulation to be included within the floor zone to comply with building regulation requirements.
