Crawlspace Insulation
in Lougheed, BC

The Lougheed area of Burnaby spans both sides of the Lougheed Highway as it passes through the municipality, with residential neighbourhoods extending north toward Burnaby Lake and south toward the Brentwood area. Burnaby Lake, while now a regional park, influences the hydrology of the surrounding area — the water table in some residential blocks near the lake is higher than would be expected based on topography alone, and seasonal fluctuations correspond with the lake level.

The majority of homes in Surrey and the surrounding communities built before 2000 have fiberglass batt insulation installed between the floor joists in the crawlspace. When this insulation was new and dry, it provided reasonable thermal resistance. The problem is that fiberglass batts installed in a vented crawlspace environment in a high-rainfall climate like ours rarely stay dry. They absorb ambient moisture, sag out of their cavities, and gradually collapse onto the ground. Wet fiberglass insulation has essentially zero R-value, adds weight that can pull down on vapor barriers or staples, and provides a hospitable nesting environment for rodents.

For crawlspaces that are not being fully encapsulated, we install new unfaced fiberglass batts or mineral wool between the joists, but only after addressing the moisture conditions that destroyed the previous insulation. Installing fresh batts into a still-damp crawlspace environment means you'll be back in the same situation within a few years. Proper sequencing matters: drainage, vapor barrier, then insulation.