finished basement?

[albireo13]

We have a nice, dry basement which we would like to partially finish. We have been using it as a workout space and want to spruce it up. This would be just half the basement. Adding walls, drop ceiling better lighting and some local heating (radiant?).

Any words of advise, or recommendations before we dig in?
Still haven't decided how to do the external walls. They are poured concrete halfway up. The upper half is studded and insulated.


Thx

 

[finnski1]

We have a nice, dry basement which we would like to partially finish. We have been using it as a workout space and want to spruce it up. This would be just half the basement. Adding walls, drop ceiling better lighting and some local heating (radiant?).

Any words of advise, or recommendations before we dig in?
Still haven't decided how to do the external walls. They are poured concrete halfway up. The upper half is studded and insulated.


Thx

Get some good heavy rubber mats for the floor for warmth and cushioning.
Be careful when covering the concrete walls with studs/sheetrock etc that it is properly insulated. By that I mean you don't want moisture collecting between the concrete and your insulation/drywall. One method would be to use closed cell spray foam insulation on the concrete before attaching any thing to it. Another would be to leave an inch or so air gap between your studs/drywall and the concrete to allow moisture to safely drain to the floor. You wan to avoid mold issues.

 

[Ronstar]

For the outside walls - you could add furring strips to the concrete walls and furr out the upper studded wall to line up.

Heating could be done by adding ductwork above the drop ceiling or add electric baseboard units.

Also - Caution about carpeting the floor. Assuming your water heater, etc is in the basement, carpeting could get ruined in a plumbing snafu. I carpeted ours and had that problem and had to re-carpet. But carpet is a lot warmer than tile or wood.

If you want wood, use engineered due to possible moisture issues. Engineered hardwood may not survive a soaking, but it would survive more moisture than solid hardwood.

 

[albireo13]

Thx. I will try and post a pic later of the basement space.

 

[H2ODude]

For the outside walls - you could add furring strips to the concrete walls and furr out the upper studded wall to line up.

Heating could be done by adding ductwork above the drop ceiling or add electric baseboard units.

Also - Caution about carpeting the floor. Assuming your water heater, etc is in the basement, carpeting could get ruined in a plumbing snafu. I carpeted ours and had that problem and had to re-carpet. But carpet is a lot warmer than tile or wood.

If you want wood, use engineered due to possible moisture issues. Engineered hardwood may not survive a soaking, but it would survive more moisture than solid hardwood.

Well this gave me a chuckle since my hot water heater is in my attic!

 

[Ronstar]

Well this gave me a chuckle since my hot water heater is in my attic!

Normally I would think that would be a bigger problem. But you probably have a good pan underneath with a drain pipe to the outside. (I hope)

 

[H2ODude]

Normally I would think that would be a bigger problem. But you probably have a good pan underneath with a drain pipe to the outside. (I hope)

That's a "Yeah, but!" I did have a leak that somehow managed to follow a pipe and drip right outside the pan! I watch it now and have a water alarm in the pan. I've considered re-locating but it's gas and with a fairly well occupied garage (tools) I don't care to give up that real estate. I've even considered putting a smart meter on the main supply line that monitors for leaks like Phyne.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We have had two issues of basement flooding in the summer with frozen condensation. It was entirely our fault. Getting moisture sensor alarms for the basement.

We had a drop ceiling and recessed lighting put in when we finished the basement nearly 20 years ago. Baseboard heat is adequate and simple. Good moisture resistant carpeting is helpful. with the two floods we had, we ripped the carpet up ourselves and called a service for industrial fans. Some of the padding had to be replaced but the carpet was fine.

 

[Scrapr]

As far as heating consider mini split or wall radiant heaters. Brand name i remember is Cadet heaters. IDK if there are others. Some of the small apts & condos use them in place of all the space a forced air unit would take up.

 

[Bamaman]

I've done a couple of basement renovations. And you should be glad you have poured walls.

I would stud out the back wall with 2x4's and use fiberglass insulation in front of the poured wall. The easiest ceiling is suspended. With a little planning, they're easy to install. And led lighting can be incorporated too.

For heating/cooling, the easiest thing is to use a PTAC unit on an outside wall. That's like they use in hotels, however you can get them really strong in BTU's. Cut a hole in the wall, put in the outside jacket and slide the unit in. No outside help required to get it going. And the heat pump versions with regular wall thermostats are very efficient too.

I was spoiled at my last house. I had a 28' x 38' den downstairs with 10' ceilings and the room was trimmed with wide crown molding. Also had a beautiful gas fireplace in it. We sold the house and downsized a year ago.

 

[GenXguy]

Be sure to pull all the necessary permits. Look into it if in doubt of the need. And make sure they get closed when the final work is completed.

 

[bigcmagor]

The most time I spent in our finished basement was when I did the work. I hope whoever buys the house wants the pool table because that 800lb slab of slate is staying.

 

[travelover]

My last house had a dropped ceiling in the basement and I ended up taking it out and drywalling it. That gave me more overhead space and it looked like a finished room as opposed to a basement.

Before you cover the walls, think about how to contain any moisture that wants to migrate through the cement or through the finished wall, condensing on the cement foundation.

 

[jollystomper]

We finished 2/3 of our basement almost 20 years ago. It was a very basic remodeling, we didn't need fancy just a finished space. Drywall painted white, linoleum floor over concrete.

We have a high basement ceiling (8.5 feet) so we did a drop ceiling. A couple of water pipe issues were easily fixed and only needed 2 panels to be replaced. It has also helped for hiding my home computing center/home theater wiring.

The external walls are sealed concrete block and are insulated, with a gap between the insulation and the drywall. Aluminum studs. We have not had any mold issues.

Heat comes from three vents added to the ceiling ductwork that was already in place. That has worked out fine, no heating or cooling issue.

The only moisture issues we had were with a drain outside the basement door. It is at the bottom of a stairwell where leaves tend to collect. That, and at times the gutters overflowing during very heavy rains, would cause water to rise in the stairwell enough to come in and run to the finished side (which would remind me "cr*p, I forgot to sweep out the drain area..."). I finally figured out a good, consistent fix by putting a screen at the top of the stairwell to minimize leaves blowing in, and a screen over the drain cover. The screen keeps the leavers from the drain cover and rain water can get in through and under the screen into the drain without issue. Since setting it up no more water coming in.

 

[Koolau]

Our basement (last house we lived in) was actually the lower level of a tri-level. SO it had a couple of windows which helped with light. The folks who finished it used a decent quality of paneling on the lower half (drywall above as above was actually against the outside - same as a first story.) SO, what I noticed was it was NEVER bright enough down there - not even on sunny days. We finally just painted over the paneling (almost stark white) and put in a lighter carpet. We even added more lighting. THAT made the space a lot more desirable to enter. Before that, it was more dungeon like than "play room" or "family space." Just a thought as YMMV.

 

[Ronstar]

We have a finished walk out basement. Lots of windows and 2 doors to the back yard. Family room, bar, laundry, full bath, home office, exercise room. We spend all day down there. Only go upstairs to eat and sleep. Bar area was our kitchen during kitchen remodel.

Back 1/3 is unfinished for utilities and storage. Tile near the bar and doors, carpet elsewhere. Drywall ceilings. Hvac is gas forced air with ac in ducts in walls and ceilings. Sewage ejector discharges wastewater to septic field.

We had a finished basement in our previous house also. great use of space.

 

[Andre1969]

Normally I would think that would be a bigger problem. But you probably have a good pan underneath with a drain pipe to the outside. (I hope)

One word of warning about those water heater drain pans. Make sure to check the drain pipe periodically!

About 11 years ago, my water heater went bad, and overflowed. Turned out, one of those little clear pieces of plastic that they put on dress shirts, at the collar, to keep them nice and crisp looking, had fallen into the pan, and covered that hole. So, I ended up with a nice little mess. Fortunately I caught it fairly quickly, so it didn't do any permanent damage.

That house didn't have a basement, but a crawl space underneath. Water heater was in on the main level, in the laundry room

 

[Koogie]

Jeff is a really good contractor. Watch this series and I bet you'll have a better clue than most basement guys you could hire.

Ottawa Reno

 

[Ronstar]

One word of warning about those water heater drain pans. Make sure to check the drain pipe periodically!



About 11 years ago, my water heater went bad, and overflowed. Turned out, one of those little clear pieces of plastic that they put on dress shirts, at the collar, to keep them nice and crisp looking, had fallen into the pan, and covered that hole. So, I ended up with a nice little mess. Fortunately I caught it fairly quickly, so it didn't do any permanent damage.



That house didn't have a basement, but a crawl space underneath. Water heater was in on the main level, in the laundry room

I have a water heater pan, but I worry that it won’t work as intended.

Thinking of getting Wi-fi leak detectors

 

[jazz4cash]

Here’s another YouTube channel devoted to finishing basements. We ‘ll probably hire a contractor this year to have ours done.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Here’s another YouTube channel devoted to finishing basements. We ‘ll probably hire a contractor this year to have ours done.

Wrong Youtube link?

 

[Music Lover]

I'm just finishing my basement. For insulation I framed 2x4 walls a couple inches away from the outside cement walls and had it spray foamed. It's more expensive but worth it. closed cell spray foam is both an insulation and a vapour barrier and makes a continuous and perfect seal.

I also put in a suspended ceiling using fairly nice tiles, not the cheap looking 2' x 4' tiles that look like an office. But if I had to do it again I would drywall the ceilings instead...nothing screams "basement" louder than a suspended ceiling. But if you do go with a suspended ceiling buy the metal tracks not the plastic tracks...the plastic ones twist easily and can look horrible after a couple years.

Carpet in a basement is a bad idea, I'm planning on using vinyl plank flooring with a couple of area rugs.

I used drywall for all the walls (but might add wood for a feature wall). If you drywall keep it a fraction of an inch off the cement floor.

Add a bathroom, if the rough in plumbing is already there this can be done inexpensively. Running up and down the stairs to use the bathroom gets old real fast.

If you lack windows it's worth it to add more for additional light.

If you want, post a plan of the basement and the good folks here will give you some advice on layout.

 

[JRon]

I agree with building a stud wall in front of the concrete wall, insulate in-between the studs and put plastic up over studs and insulation before drywall to prevent moisture issue.

Carpet on the floor with a nice pad will make it so much more comfortable. I agree that Sheetrock ceilings look better than ceiling tiles, but your house so your decision.

If you can’t extend heat and A/C ducts into the space, a fire-place can add heat or some radiant heater will work. Remember to have plenty of electrical outlets added before insulating the walls. Enjoy it.

 

[CRLLS]

Our house is a bi-level. The lower level is on a slab just like a basement has. We have several floor coverings, tile, Pergo (type), cork and carpet. Of course the carpet is the warmest. The cork is a very close second. Ours was glued down and then varnished like a regular wood floor is (before prefinished planks). Some advantage of cork are it is naturally resistant to mold, mildew, and is antimicrobial. Unlike carpet, it doesn’t shed any microfibers. I can highly recommend it. Look into it and decide for yourself.

 

[Freedom56]

I would finish the walls a plastic vapor barrier studs and then cover with sheet rock. For the floor, if you are concerned about humidity, I would put a plastic vapor barrier down and lay tongue and group plywood over 2 x 4 studs. You can screw the plywood down onto the studs. The weight of the plywood will keep the studs from moving. After that you can put whatever flooring you want (carpet, ceramic tiles, wood flooring).