Hi – I’m new to this forum and new to much of what I’m tackling in outr 1930s house. Still, I’m willing to learn and fairly handy. I’ve been asking around and doing some research and have learned the concept of constructing an insulated “envelope” in our basement where I want to finish part of it for a room and bathroom. (the basement isn’t hugely damp, but it is old and there are cracks etc, so the dryer I can make it inside the better).
I’ve read the buildingscience article and am reading more online. But I have one very basic question – if I put down rigid foam on the walls and floor, then how do I attach the wall frame and sole plates to the walls and floor? I imagine that attaching them will pierce the insulation and this would defeat the purpose. Or am I thinking wrong and it doesn’t really matter? I recently demolished a bomb shelter in the same basement (complete with windows so you could see out to see if the radiation had gone and it was safe to leave!) and the sole plate was essentially heavy 4x4s that weren’t fixed to anything except the studs. That seems kind of dodgy though.
Any advice you can give would be most welcome.
mj