LESLIE: Karen in Ohio is on the line with an insulation question. How can we help you?
KAREN: Hi. We live in an older home, built around 1925. And in our dining room and living room, we have wood floors. And I wondered if we should put – and we do have a basement underneath.
TOM: OK.
KAREN: And now we wondered if we should put insulation on the ceiling of the basement, which would be underneath the dining room and living room floors.
TOM: Is the basement finished?
LESLIE: Is the basement finished? Jinx.
KAREN: It’s not finished but it does have a cement floor.
TOM: OK.
KAREN: I mean it’s not a dirt floor.
LESLIE: But is it heated?
KAREN: Our furnace is down there. We don’t really – it’s definitely …
TOM: Yeah, it’s not heated. It’s an unfinished basement.
LESLIE: So it’s not a conditioned space in any way.
TOM: Yeah. You know, it’s not a bad idea to put insulation into the ceiling of the basement. It’ll make that floor much warmer and more comfortable.
KAREN: That’s what I was wondering. Because a couple people had told us, “No, you don’t want to do that.” But there’s nothing underneath the wood floor. If you go down to the basement and look up …
TOM: There’s no reason. Basically, the reason we asked you if the basement was finished is because you don’t want to put insulation between two heated spaces. But the basement is unfinished and so there’s no reason – the heat is really not designed for the basement; the heat really covers the finished side of the house, which is the first floor. So insulating the floor is not a big deal and it’s going to make that first floor that much more comfortable, Karen.
KAREN: Oh, OK. Good, good. OK. That’s what I needed to know.
TOM: Alright. Good luck with that project.
KAREN: OK. Thank you.
TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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