City of Minneapolis has a basement finishing handout that states that "as an alternative, insulation need not be in installed in basement finishes". I'm questioning why and asking for opinions on why they give you the option to NOT insulate. (In case you guys are wondering, Minneapolis requires minimum R-10 foam if insulating.)
After doing some research, my ASSUMPTION is that insulating basements can be complicated due to moisture infiltration which is almost bound to happen sometime down the road. Even if you do insulate with rigid foam, moisture will ultimately seep through and get trapped between rigid foam and concrete wall. This can cause mold on concrete. Also if enough moisture gets through concrete wall, it can drip down causing moisture damage to basement finishes. Choosing not to insulate allows walls to breath and solve the moisture issue. Also basements are below ground and that itself aids in keeping heat/cold out of home.
What are you opinions on this?
After doing some research, my ASSUMPTION is that insulating basements can be complicated due to moisture infiltration which is almost bound to happen sometime down the road. Even if you do insulate with rigid foam, moisture will ultimately seep through and get trapped between rigid foam and concrete wall. This can cause mold on concrete. Also if enough moisture gets through concrete wall, it can drip down causing moisture damage to basement finishes. Choosing not to insulate allows walls to breath and solve the moisture issue. Also basements are below ground and that itself aids in keeping heat/cold out of home.
What are you opinions on this?