Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - guesthouse insulation (floor&pipes).

Our family just moved into a new home in the high desert area of New Mexico. My wife and I have talked about building a guest house/art studio.

I envision the building sitting on concrete block piers with enough clearance to crawl underneath if necessary. I don't want to build a fully enclosed crawl space if I can avoid it. In other words air will pass freely under the building.

The only heat source will be from a wood stove which will only be burning when the building is being used. There will not be any AC so there is no plan for ductwork.

I am trying to figure out how I should insulate the floor and how to prevent the pipes from freezing when the building is not in use.
Is this possible?

I'm just starting to think about the project, so I'm open to all suggestion (including design).

Jim

Jim,

Hope these help;

http://www.reflectixinc.com/crawlspace.asp

http://www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_01.html

http://www.owenscorning.com/roadmap.html

You may want to find some links associated with New Mexico and current building methods used there.

Good Luck!