We live in an old farm house in cental Ontario and over the past number of years have been doing renovations. Our current problem is a serious draft under the kitchen cupboards whenever there is an east wind. I have tried to attach a jpg file to give some idea of what I am describing.
I am looking for advice and here are the options I am considering so far
1 - apply some kind of external barrier (blue styrofoam board or ???) to the external wall for the winter and remove it in the summer
2 - put some type of insulation in the dead space under the cupboards - there area couple of considerations here (a) sometimes the water pipes to the sink and the dishwasher freeze if is there is a prolonged severe east wind and if I insulate around these pipes it will be very difficult to thaw them and (b) some cupboard sections have drawers and there is no top to the dead space under the drawers.
Is there another possible approach that minimizes the disruption and does not involve major construction?
You have yourself a little problem. The goal is simple enough and that is to stop the wind from driving the cold into the dead space below the cabinets. The easiest is to add to the exterior wall to seal the leaks with foam board and and new exterior surface. That might not fly because of how it might look. I am too lazy to add to my seasonal change over work so any solution would have to be permanent.
After looking at your drawing I would think that you are getting air infiltration from the entire area and the cold air drops to make it feel like it is coming mostly from the dead space. In my experience the best solution would be to pull the cabinets [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] and add a one inch layer of foam board to the inside wall. While not the best it would help a lot. I know it is a lot of work and I do not think I would do it if the cabinets are difficult to remove.
I would blow cellulose into the dead space and see what it does. If the pipes freeze and you need to get in there, a shop van will get you to the pipes. Just make sure you put as much insulation between the pipes and the cold source. If that helps but you need more relief have a contractor try to pump foam into the space between the logs and the drywall. Not much will get in but what does will stop the flow of cold air down this space.
One other possibility is to give the cold air another place to go. It would not be my choice but I have known people to cut holes in the floor below the dead space to let the cold air fall into the basement. This could help some but is just putting the cold air somewhere else.
Do you notice a draft in the basement? From your drawing, it appears you may have leaking around the rim joists or sill. (Not as serious as it sounds). If this is the situation, the solution can be as simple as piling up snow around the house in the winter to keep the air from hitting the wall. Or, a little more complex would be to stuff some fiberglass batts into the spaces between joists and over the basement walls. (Remember to keep the paper side inside.). You might try entering the basement on a sunny day and turning off the lights. Then look at the top of the basement walls and search for cracks of light.
The other possibility is that the logs have lost their chinking and there is indeed cold air leaking down the inside of the wall. Best fix at that point would be to clad with foam and then reside. I'd check the rims and sills first.
I'd put some insulation in the dead space and if you're really concerned about the pipes wrap some heat tape around them. Another thing to do is to spend some time in your basement the next time you have a real cold wind. I'd be willing to bet that you're getting some air in between your foundation and log wall. If you can find where the air is coming from and stop it - even with a piece of plastic sheeting, this will help to solve your freezing problem.
A real quick solution and one that is common with some of the older houses around here is piling up several bales of straw on the windy side of the house. The bales stop the wind and also provide a little insulation. They are also useful in the spring in the garden or during mud season on a path to the house.
I would consider foam insulation behind the strapping/drywall and heat tapes for the waterpipes. It would be a tedious/patience job getting the foam insulation in place. It could be done from either the inside or outside.
We spent 25 years living in a log house.
It would seem to me that the most practical way to add some permanent insulation would be to blow cellulose between the interior side of the logs and the drywall. It would require you to cut holes in the drywall that would have to be patched later. Old homes have a charm that can not be duplicated but they do have their drawbacks. I would bet that the original chinking of the logs has failed so there are many air leaks in the wall.
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