How can I hide some ugly exterior insulation?

Question

I inherited my parents' home, a lakefront cottage whose foundation is covered in external insulation...sheets of styrofoam-like stuff. In places this is exposed maybe two feet above the ground line. It is extremely ugly, and over the years it's begun to crumble in places. My idea is to mound up landscaping stone -- septic stone -- and hide the exposed insulation. Has anyone else had to deal with this? I don't have a lot of money for home repairs, and I suspect that this is one of the less expensive ways of hiding the foundation. Help me, home gurus!

Answer 1

Try to get some ugly exterior insulation covers and fit over it!

Answer 2

Well seeing you are willing to build up the ground around the cottage by using stone it appears you're willing to hide the foundation.

That being said, without knowing the look of the land around the home, I would suggest you remove the styrofoam insulation, buy a spray-on insulation (I'm unsure of the cost), let it dry and then build up the earth around the home. Dirt is a great insulator also so this will help you maintain (possibly even improve) your insulation value while hiding/removing the ugly, crumbling styrofoam.

Once you've built up the ground around the home you can plant landscaping materials (rock, plants, shrubs, etc) to hide the remainder of the spray-on insulation.

Answer 3

You really don't want to remove the insulation, you'll loose a lot of heat. I would suggest getting some of those landscaping blocks that lock together and build a wall in front of the insulation. The blocks I'm talking about are textured on one side and flat on the other, and you just fit them together, no mortar needed. Since you don't have a lot of money you could buy a few each month and in no time you'll have your problem solved. These blocks are available at Lowe's or Home Depot or a landscaping supply store.
Hope this helps.

Answer 4

You may want to spray paint it, just to seal it. That might also inhibit the crumbling problem.

Rocks is a quick fix, but for a long term fix, you might want to plant some hedges in the area. While they will take some maintenance, they will look pretty, and if the crumbling continues, you can always let them grow taller.

Answer 5

Probably the cheapest way is to get some lattice at a home improvement store. It's used a lot for this kind of thing, hiding the area under porches, or mobile homes, under decks and such.

Answer 6

Don't paint it. It won't look good. Remove it and paint or lattice the foundation. Assuming the house is properly insulated on the inside. Your idea will work too.

Answer 7

spray paint !!!