Basement finishing Help

[toopence]

Hi all,

Plan to finish the basement in the new house we just moved into, what is the first step in the journey to finishing a basement? I have a plan by the way

Also suggestion for materials and advice on dos and don'ts.......I do plan to do some of the work myself. The basement has rough- in for toilet and bath/shower, we will do a room downstairs, movie room and storage under the stairs. The floor will be carpet

Thanks

[hondanation09]

1) I used steel instead of wood...love this especially for basement
2) IMHO do not like carpet ever in basement...prefer laminate or nice slate tile with heat
3) do not attempt to tape and mud...unless u know what u r doing...pay a professional
4) drop ceiling for lifetime of access to everything
5) I found furniture I wanted for hOme theatre and framed room to fit recliners instead of other way around
6) if doing a projector and motorized screen do not forget plugs for these
7) have a plug by your favorite seat so you can dim lights, turn off lights and even turn on fireplace for movie time

Have fun I know I did

[goofball]

1. Get an ESA permit.
2. Pay careful attention to placement of outlets and what devices you may be connecting to those outlets. Plan way ahead for this.
3. What type of insulation do you have now? Is it standard builder?
4. Do you have existing framing? If you're intending to use it, have you verified that the studs are straight/square/crown all in the same direction? You wouldn't want a wavy wall and builder-built walls tend to not be built with that in mind.
5. What type of subfloor are you considering? Definitely consider a floor that allows for air movement underneath like dricore or Delta-FL (with plywood on top)
6. Are you considering adding sound insulation to the ceiling?
7. Are there any ducts in the way that you may want to move ahead of time?

[toopence]

Thanks guys......

The basement is bare right now, with builder insulation on the wall. My question again is, what part of the basement finishing process is done first?

What do I start with, apart from a plan that I already have

[goofball]

Thanks guys......

The basement is bare right now, with builder insulation on the wall. My question again is, what part of the basement finishing process is done first?

What do I start with, apart from a plan that I already have

Getting the proper permits is the first part of the process, given that you already have plans.
Are you going to keep the builder insulation there or are you planning on doing something else, such as sprayfoam/rigid foam?

[drybsmt]

I really like the Delta FL product but if you use it, make sure to put it down befor you put your walls up. That way if the basement leaks you will not end up with a mould problem. I have installed it many time since it was first available and I have seen many instances of DIY that had mould because they built the walls first. The problem is that if you get a small leak from a crack it will not be noticable for some and the damage can be severe behind the wallboard. With the Delta FL applied first and the walls built ontop of it, the water should run to a floor drain or sump without causing damage. Just be sure to leave 1" between the foundation and any flooring or framing. That way the water will not be able to bridge the gap and cause damage anyway. Also, you should use something like Tyvek on the back of the framing. Let me know if you have any questions.

Jeff Brown

[BuildingHomes]

How old is this new house?

If it's less than 2 years into the warranty then do not finish the basement. Wait for the warranty to run through just in case there are any problems with the foundation.

[toopence]

How old is this new house?

If it's less than 2 years into the warranty then do not finish the basement. Wait for the warranty to run through just in case there are any problems with the foundation.

The house is 5yrs old. Greg...how are ya? Please pm me if you are able to make it down to Kingston for a day to network the house, or if you know of anyone in the area that can help

I am looking to do CAT 6 to a number of locations in the house, as well as antenna outlets on the same face plate

cheers

[toopence]

1. Get an ESA permit.
2. Pay careful attention to placement of outlets and what devices you may be connecting to those outlets. Plan way ahead for this.
3. What type of insulation do you have now? Is it standard builder?
4. Do you have existing framing? If you're intending to use it, have you verified that the studs are straight/square/crown all in the same direction? You wouldn't want a wavy wall and builder-built walls tend to not be built with that in mind.
5. What type of subfloor are you considering? Definitely consider a floor that allows for air movement underneath like dricore or Delta-FL (with plywood on top)
6. Are you considering adding sound insulation to the ceiling?
7. Are there any ducts in the way that you may want to move ahead of time?

Hi there,

1. Don't have the permit yet
2. good call on the outlet placements
3. It's standard builder insulation on the wall, I am told it's R22
4. no framing in there yet
5. I am guessing either of those 2 subfloors are recommended...which one is better or should I say less expensive?
6. I am planning to do drop ceiling, does that need insulation?
7. no ducts that I can think of

[goofball]

Hi there,

1. Don't have the permit yet
2. good call on the outlet placements
3. It's standard builder insulation on the wall, I am told it's R22
4. no framing in there yet
5. I am guessing either of those 2 subfloors are recommended...which one is better or should I say less expensive?
6. I am planning to do drop ceiling, does that need insulation?
7. no ducts that I can think of

how are they holding the insulation in? It could be with a builder framed wall, or others have had theirs just stapled to the concrete wall with VB poly in front.
Delta is less expensive but for carpet, more work as you will need to put a plywood subfloor on top, which to secure down will require you to drill into the concrete floor and then tapcon.
I can't answer if the ceiling will require sound insulation, that's a preference and not a requirement. A typical drop ceiling will not remove too much of the noise from people upstairs.
Duct that you can think of, or you can see?

[hiyatran]

use safe n sound for the ceiling instalations. this is gr8 when you need a little privacy.

[toopence]

use safe n sound for the ceiling instalations. this is gr8 when you need a little privacy.

Thanks for that

[goofball]

Thanks for that

Note that you may need to change the type of recessed lighting box if you do decide to go with recessed lighting and ceiling insulation. Some are rated IC while some are non-ic.

[redzone]

nothing wrong with wood imo in a basement. just make sure you dont have any signs of water in your basement.

[MacGyver]

You will definitely want to use acoustic insulation to keep the noise inside the movie room. I used this in our former home's rec room, lining the ceiling and walls and wrapping the ductwork. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it. My goal was to ensure noise from the rec room did not reach the kids bedrooms upstairs, even though the ductwork serving both passed through. After construction, I put on a loud radio in the rec room and then went upstairs to the bedrooms and could hear almost nothing through the ducts.

Also make provisions for cold air returns at the floor level, connecting back to the return air ductwork. You can use a stud cavity for this. This made a huge difference in comfort for us.