You could cover the ground with poly before skirting the building but the more usual way is to skirt the building but include adjustable vents with screens. Ideally you would have insulated under the floor boards to keep the air conditioning in during the summer and the heat in during the winter. I wouldn't fancy crawling under there now.
If you do choose to skirt I suggest that you trench a few inches around the building and burry the bottom edge to discourage skunks from setting up housekeeping under there. Also be sure to insect screen any vents against bees etc. If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie ----- Original Message ----- From: Max Robinson To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 9:37 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Blocking the wind. Both my shop and Sue's teddybear cottage are sitting on blocks with the bottom of the siding about 12 inches above ground. We have thought about installing 1 by 12 treated boards around them to keep the cold wind from infiltrating underneath and taking away heat. One reservation I have is trapping ground moisture under the buildings. This would be a permanent year round installation. What are the thoughts of all you handy men and women? Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: [email protected] Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to. [email protected] To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lee A. Stone" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 7:52 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Blocking the wind. > 7 > we still pak snow on theNorth and West side of the house after the > first few snow falls. does great for stopping some drafts. and for > the bilco doors we cover them with plastic and pile the shnow on top > of that. Lee > > On Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 07:30:40PM -0600, William Stephan > wrote: >> Yes Dale, very helpful. The guy at the lumber yard I talked to was >> trying >> to sell me plastic sheeting like you might cover a window with, so I'm >> going >> to have to do some more research into what we have available here. >> Thanks >> again. >> >> >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[email protected]] >> On Behalf Of Dale Leavens >> Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 17:10 >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Blocking the wind. >> >> >> >> >> >> The Polystyrene we buy usually comes in 2 by 8 sheets with rebate like >> edges >> so that they can overlap. It comes in various thicknesses, usually inch >> and >> a half or two inches. You can cut it with a hand saw or even score it >> deeply >> then snap it but that isn't as nice an edge. for some reason they usually >> colour it blue to distinguish it from the open cell Styrofoam, this stuff >> is >> a higher insulation value. There is special sealing tape, it is a lot >> like >> the wide packing tape you are probably familiar with, when I bought it it >> was red I don't know if that is significant. >> >> The point is to insulate but also to keep warm air, particularly when you >> have paid to heat it inside. >> >> Now this stuff can be flammable and is best covered if there is any >> significant risk of exposure to open flame. It can also be helpful for >> holding it into place. You can run screws through something like particle >> board and the foam into structure beyond it. I have used wide washers, a >> couple of inches to hold the heads of screws to hold it into place. A >> little >> glue like liquid nails or even some calking on the structure then press >> the >> foam into it should also work well in your application. >> >> Hope this helps. >> >> If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: William Stephan >> To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> >> yahoogroups.com >> Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 3:14 PM >> Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Blocking the wind. >> >> Dale: all good points really. The only reason I was thinking about a >> temporary set up is that occasionally, the varmint-killing cat leaves us >> a >> little something under the porch until the possums get it. But, of >> course, >> if the foundation were blocked he wouldn't be doing that in any case. The >> roof itself, according to the manufacturer, is pretty well insolated. >> It's >> about five or six inches thick. If the snow ever meltsz, I'll go see what >> the lumber yard has in terms of >> >> Extruded Polystyrene. Thanks for the eye-opener. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> >> yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandyman@ >> <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> yahoogroups.com] >> On Behalf Of Dale Leavens >> Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2010 21:14 >> To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> >> yahoogroups.com >> Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Blocking the wind. >> >> Is there any good reason why you wouldn't want to block air infiltration >> in >> the summer as well? >> >> It would be my inclination to wrap the inside of what ever skirting you >> have >> around the deck foundation with something like extruded polystyrene >> sheets >> and seal them together with the tape sold for that purpose. I would look >> for >> ways of sealing it tightly at the top and bottom, keep any air from >> entering >> or leaving except between the room and under the floor. Unless the dogs >> are >> piddling through the deck or for some other reason you need to air the >> area >> to keep stink down there isn't any good reason to loose heated or cooled >> air >> to the good outdoors and, it is expensive as well. >> >> I would consider insulating under the roof as well if there is a >> convenient >> and practical way to do so. You would probably find your heater raised >> the >> temperature 50 or 60 degrees, you might even find you want to turn it off >> quite a bit. >> >> If you feel the need to circulate air through the structure you can >> always >> open the windows and in that way choose when and how much cold you >> require. >> >> If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: William Stephan >> To: blindhandyman@ <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> >> yahoogroups.com >> Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2010 9:40 PM >> Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Blocking the wind. >> >> All: >> >> We have a sort of three-season room on the north side of our house. It >> faces off into a yard surrounded by privacy fences and a couple garages. >> The room is sort of unique. It started life as just an open deck. We had >> a >> pre-fabricated aluminum room added shortly after we took up residence >> here. >> This room is all aluminum and glass with two aluminum doors and many >> sliding >> windows. During winter we use this room as a sort of mud room, and it's >> where we groom our dogs as well. Because of that, when it was >> constructed, >> the deck floor was taken up, and an aluminum screen was put in place, and >> the deck flooring was then replaced on top of this screen. Our idea was >> that snow from boots and shovels and dogs, and spillage from our fountain >> etc. would just drain through the cracks between the decking, an bugs >> couldn't come through either and that part's worked well for us. >> >> We've been having snow here, more snow than anybody's seen in twenty or >> thirty years. It blows here too, and there's quite a bit of snow piled >> and >> drifted around this three season room. To keep it more or less useable, >> we >> have one of those Sun Twin 5,000 BTU heaters there, and typically, it >> keeps >> the temperature between 20 an 25 degrees above the outdoor temperature. >> This year though, it's been keeping the room about 30 or 35 degrees above >> the outside temperature. I imagine a lot of this is because of the snow >> around the foundation. There are several gaps that allow air to circulate >> pretty freely under thestructure. >> >> So, it might be a good idea to block these gaps, though probably only >> during >> the Winter months. >> >> Does anyone know if there might be say, bladders, that I could fill with >> a >> compresser that would form themselves in a way so as to fill gaps ofa few >> incheshere or ther, and if so, what is the correct term for them? >> >> Thanks in advance for any input on this. >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> >> >> >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> > > -- > You will remember something that you should not have forgotten. > . > > > ------------------------------------ > > Send any questions regarding list management to: > [email protected] > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 > Or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ > > Visit the archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the following > address for more information: > http://www.jaws-users.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [email protected]! 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