If a basement wall is wood-framed, enter it under Above-Grade Walls, even when it encloses a finished basement. In CODE, Foundation Walls are solid concrete walls with continuous insulation only. They have no inputs for studs, spacing, cavity insulation, or framing fraction.
Which section to use
| Wall | Enter it under | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete or masonry wall, partly or fully below grade | Foundation Walls | CODE accounts for the soil and the insulation depth on these walls. |
| Framed wall at basement level that faces outdoors, such as a walkout wall | Above-Grade Walls | It needs stud size, spacing, and cavity insulation. |
| Framed knee wall on top of a concrete stem wall | Both: the framed part under Above-Grade Walls, the concrete part under Foundation Walls | Each part is built differently, so enter each one where it fits. |
| Wall between two conditioned spaces, such as two finished basement areas | Leave it out | It is not part of the thermal envelope. CODE treats every Above-Grade Wall as an exterior wall, so entering it would add UA that isn't there. |
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