Our house is 7 years old and the basement is not finished. The previous owner installed studs and r-12 insulation. The vapour barrier is torn and 50% of the insulation is damaged. I have to remove all insulation to seal along the top of the concrete wall as we have mice visiting us in the fall. Is it advisable to move the studs further away from the wall and install r-20 insulation or would I see an advantage? How far should the studs be from the wall? I forgot to mention I live in New Brunswick and all but 8" is below grade. Should there be an air gap behind insulation? From your show I know to install the insulation and vapour barrier to within 8" of floor.
Answer:
Once you've gone to the trouble of dismantling all the rest of it, it's certainly worth a bit more to move the studs 1-1/2" from the wall and install R-20. Don't discard the existing insulation; use it instead to insulate above the frame all along the perimeter because that's your greatest heat loss area. You do not need a gap between insulation and concrete wall.
