framing

9/11/2011 at 9:08:30 PM

Hi Michael, If you have gone as far as exposing 2X2 framing, you might as well go all the way and take it out as well. I am assuming these are the exterior walls. You should not let the new framing contact the walls anyway. You should decide on your type of insulation before new framing. If you are using batts, best practices would be to put up a breathable vapour barrier directly on the wall (reversed tyvek or equivalent) and then frame in front of that, leaving a gap to get insulation behind the studs. This will create a thermal break between the concrete and studs. If you are using spray foam, you don't need the vapour barrier but should frame with the same gap to allow the foam to expand behind the studs. Chances are you are only going to do this exercise once so you might as well do it as well as you can.

Jim Kuzma

Kettleby Handyman Services

9/13/2011 at 9:19:02 PM

Jim is correct. One other alternative is to apply rigid foam insulation on the foundation wall and then construct your 2x4 frame in front with batt insulation. You will not need a VB in this scenerio. Also, do not forget to place a sill gasket under the base plate and ensure you insulate the RIM joist space as well.

Regards,

Kingsway Construction Inc

Glenn Rosborough