finished basement?

[Music Lover]

You probably are on a deep city sanitary sewer. I’m on a septic tank and the sewer line from my house to the tank is about a foot deep.

Actually, I'm also on a septic tank...my line is about 2 feet under the basement floor which is 6 feet underground. A very few of us (a few hundred out of hundreds of thousands) are still on septic in the city while the majority are on deep city sewer about 8 feet down.

 

[Bamaman]

But then how do you finish the bottom foot to look consistent?

You use white plastic base molding to cover up that last inch or so. It doesn't soak up water and looks great.

 

[NgineER]

Pressure treated wood for anything in contact with the concrete slab of course. I’ve had mixed results with drylock. It is a band aid at best. Proper grading and water proofing on the outside is key, anything done from the inside is a band aid.

 

[finnski1]

Pressure treated wood for anything in contact with the concrete slab of course. I’ve had mixed results with drylock. It is a band aid at best. Proper grading and water proofing on the outside is key, anything done from the inside is a band aid.

I agree with this..
I live in NH and have a typical New England poured concrete basement with 8 ft ceilings. It is not a walk out and so I have never finished it and don't plan to. We built 22 years ago and my basement is bone dry from following the proper procedures. I only suggested Drylok earlier because the OP was considering not furring out the concrete wall. I would even consider it just to brighten up the grey concrete in my basement. If I were going to paint the concrete why not use a drylok type product as opposed to any old regular paint. If you have water issues already in your concrete walls they need to be addressed with proper grading and use of appropriate perimeter drains and exterior concrete water proofing.
If I had a walkout basement such as in my previous house then I would definitely consider finishing it off. With only 2 of us in just under 2000 sq ft. I don't feel any need to hang out in my basement when I have southern exposure and great mountain views from the entire open concept above ground living spaces.

 

[Music Lover]

Pressure treated wood for anything in contact with the concrete slab of course.

They make a foam gasket to separate wood from concrete.

 

[NgineER]

They make a foam gasket to separate wood from concrete.

View attachment 37269

Yes - If you use a foam gasket like you do for foundation to wall transitions then you are in good shape, but if the wood is in contact with the concrete slab you need to use pressure treated wood.

 

[NgineER]

I agree with this..
I live in NH and have a typical New England poured concrete basement with 8 ft ceilings. It is not a walk out and so I have never finished it and don't plan to. We built 22 years ago and my basement is bone dry from following the proper procedures. I only suggested Drylok earlier because the OP was considering not furring out the concrete wall. I would even consider it just to brighten up the grey concrete in my basement. If I were going to paint the concrete why not use a drylok type product as opposed to any old regular paint. If you have water issues already in your concrete walls they need to be addressed with proper grading and use of appropriate perimeter drains and exterior concrete water proofing.
If I had a walkout basement such as in my previous house then I would definitely consider finishing it off. With only 2 of us in just under 2000 sq ft. I don't feel any need to hang out in my basement when I have southern exposure and great mountain views from the entire open concept above ground living spaces.

If your basement is dry, then adding drylock doesn't harm you, but relying on it as a primary defense against water intrusion is deestined to fail regardless of what the advertisements might say.

I'd encourage OP, like others have done, to fur out at a minimum, but maybe rather build a full stud wall with insulation. Leaving the exposed cold concrete in any place will lead to condensation which will result in mold and issues with your flooring. It is not worth spending the money and then have to redo it later.

 

[Music Lover]

Yes - If you use a foam gasket like you do for foundation to wall transitions then you are in good shape, but if the wood is in contact with the concrete slab you need to use pressure treated wood.

A foundation to wall transition is the same as a wall to concrete slab transition. In both cases the foam gasket provides separation.

 

[NgineER]

A foundation to wall transition is the same as a wall to concrete slab transition. In both cases the foam gasket provides separation.

I think we are saying the same thing, if foam plastic is used you can use regular stud material. If the wood is in direct contact with concrete, you need to use pressure treated wood.

 

[capjak]

We have a drywall ceiling in our basement, but I think if doing it over I would leave it unfinished on the ceiling and paint everything up there 1 color as I have seen many do lately. Easy access/higher ceiling if you are ok with an industrial look.

 

[pb4uski]

I would certainly consider that if the finished basement was secondary space.

In our old home we added a office, hobby room, walk-in storage closet to the unfinished half of our basement. While the finished half already had drywall ceilings, we installed drop ceiling in the office and hobby room... but in retrospect I probably should have just spray painted the underneath of the floor above (subfloor and floor joists) white or black and declared victory.... easier and cheaper.

In our current summer home we wanted the whole house to be consistent (new build) so we did put in drywall ceilings.

 

[Boho]

So, if you do everything right and there's drain backup you only have the height of the base molding for protection? I don't have a basement but all this makes me think PVC wainscoting is a good idea, and leave a few feet of space between the floor and the drywall.

 

[Koogie]

So, if you do everything right and there's drain backup ...

The last two cities I have lived in have had backwater valve programs. We had one installed in our last house in the basement floor drain (we're on septic now). It's well worth it for some peace of mind.

 

[GA_Brown]

LVP for the flooring.

If you want electric outlets you will need to frame it out with 2x4s as the electrical boxes (and probably code) are designed for 2x4s.

We zoned out our basement off of our main floor unit. It has been working like a champ as basements tend to not need as much climate control.

We made our mechanical room larger as we use it for storage.

I had all the installed 36” wide.

Dropped ceiling installed.

 

[troutnut1]

While you are making a mess anyway, consider a floor drain, and a quality floor safe. I told my contractors that my holes were for a drain system, but it was really for one of these bad boys:

https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/collections/floor-safes

Don’t be like William Devane on the Gold commercials. He hides all of his behind a painting in his office. Pretty lame to show us all what painting it’s behind...

 

[Montclairbobbyb]

Consider...

Depends on what you want the space to be; extended living space like the rest of the house, workshop, or "uniquely basement" space. What I love about our (unfinished) basement is access to plumbing and wiring. I've previously gone the full finish route (sheetrock, ceiling and w2w carpet), but now I much prefer a slightly finished but bare look, adding lighting, carpet and paint to otherwise unfinished walls and ceilings. I use my basement mostly as a workshop

 

[2lhasas]

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.

We bought our house from a couple that was moving into a condo. Inherited their pool table. We've enjoyed it.

 

[meleana]

Most people in our development have redone their basements with carpet, drywall and drop ceilings. Made several rooms down there. The basement are really big- about 1100 square feet.

We have walk out basements with a couple of big windows. We decided not to put money into it, my husband has his workbench and man stuff down there. He bought freestanding shelves in Walmart. I have my exercise equipment there. We put a few nails in the studs to hang things up.

We have no attic space so we store everything down there. And our one car garage is very small. We downsized a lot so we don’t have that much stuff. The only other thing we did to it was put carpeted stair treads on the bare wood stairs. And window film on the windows for privacy. (but we get light through it- south facing) and blinds on the door window.

I did paint the back door, window sills and the inside facing trim around the door that leads to the basement from upstairs.

When the house was built we had more outlets put in. Hubby uses one or two electric heaters in winter when he’s at his work bench and he dresses for the outdoors! Lol!

I also dress more warmly for when I use the exercise equipment.

Everything else is raw- cement floor and walls, bare wood hand railing. Insulation on the ceiling.

Before you know it the warmer weather is here and we appreciate the coolness. Then we plug in the dehumidifier.

So far so good with the basement being dry.

 

[Clayton1]

Finished Basement

I did a basement home theater a few years ago.

I did rigid foam insulation directly in our concrete walls. Then wood framing with mineral wool (roxul) insulation which is water/bug/mold proof between the studs.

I also used dri-core sub flooring which is an elevated vapor barrier with OSB on top, and carpet. It can be used with any finished flooring. The sub floor keeps the carpet dry and off the slab which makes for a warmer floor with air and moisture circulation underneath in case of any future moisture issues

I also used roxul soundproofing insulation in the ceiling before drywall to keep the theater sound contained.

You should also make sure you have egress whether a specialized window or door.

 

[LastBoomer]

Depends on what you want the space to be; extended living space like the rest of the house, workshop, or "uniquely basement" space. What I love about our (unfinished) basement is access to plumbing and wiring. I've previously gone the full finish route (sheetrock, ceiling and w2w carpet), but now I much prefer a slightly finished but bare look, adding lighting, carpet and paint to otherwise unfinished walls and ceilings. I use my basement mostly as a workshop

I am in this camp. I have spent many hours over the past 20 years in my unfinished basement. It’s where I invented and developed electronic products as a side hustle. Light is everything! The walls were painted bright white drylock when I purchased. Never any moisture issues, my basement is bone dry. I painted the concrete floor battleship grey, added outlets (surface mounted connected via metal conduit on the cinder block wallls, and other outlets in the ceiling joists), some bright lighting, including track lighting, area rugs, and an electric fireplace for ambience in one corner (my den area “Conch Republic” room). Hanging framed pictures on the walls makes a tremendous difference! I love the basement, industrial look, and when people come over they are always very surprised at how bright and comfortable it seems. Light is everything! Paint is cheap! Having access to all the electrical and wiring in the ceiling makes it very easy to do repairs/upgrades to the upstairs space.
Most people I know who have done a full finish job end up not spending much time in their basements after all is said and done. My recommendation is spend < $1,000 painting and brightening your basement before considering a more expensive full remodel. Then, find out if you actually spend time down there. If you don’t you will have gained a nice, bright storage and mechanicals space, and saved a lot of money.

 

[street]

I think a basement would be very nice to have and could be a great place for the purpose you desirer.

Growing up the house had a basement but was so small. The furnace was so large it took up 1/3 of the area in the old farm style home.

When I built my home coming on 40 years ago we never did a basement. One level around 2000sf. I have always thought what it might be like having a basement. I do know people that have finished basements and may use them a couple times a year.

 

[RobbieB]

I miss the basement. Both houses I grew up in had them. Extra space for storage and a workshop. And the best part...the furnace was there as well as the water heater.

In the winter, the basement was warm. In the summer it was the coolest room in the house. That would be Detroit. Dunno about other places.

 

[Retired Expat]

Well assuming you are only concerned with water on the floor from a hot water heater leak you could add an inexpensive drain pan below the heater.

 

[Retired Expat]

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.

Many areas will reassess the property taxes after you add conditioned space. My house is over 6,000 square feet it you add in the enclosed porch, basement, garage and full ceiling height attic (which has a full sized stair access). None of those spaces are conditioned so my town doesn’t count them in the square footage for tax assessment . Plan is to convert the attic to a master suite and was told my taxes could increase 50% if add permanent heating and cooling.

 

[Paulz]

Maybe it was mentioned and I missed it. Is there any outside access from the basement?

Where I live, a basement without outside access is VERY undesirable so any improvements you make will likely be for yourself and will not increase home value when selling. I learned that the hard way!