Any issues with leaving an 8in gap between basement concrete wall and stud frame?
bennh99
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hi
I am looking to frame out some of the unfinished part of my basement and there is a waste pipe running along the ceiling at the top of the concrete basement wall so I can’t tie the stud wall in at the top. I wanted to keep it simple and avoid boxing it out by just bringing the stud wall out 8 iinches from the concrete as the space is not critical. I thought I would leave the 8 inch gap behind the stud at the end open to the rest of the un finished side of the basement since the waste pipe continues beyond where wall would be. Would this cause any problems and would there be any fire risk considerations?
Thanks
Ben
Replies
Your layout's a little unclear, but it would probably be wise to close the gap with a piece of drywall to keep out fire/cats/mice.
Layout
Here is the basic idea. Where the 8 inch gap opens to the unfinished basement I was going to leave open. There is a 4 inch waste pipe that will run the length of that 8 inch gap and beyond into the unfinished area. Blocking off the gap shouldn't be an issue if advised. There is fiberglass insulation in the rafters and I will put same in the stud but was not planning to put anything on that concrete wall. I can block the end of the gap to keep critters out but does this cause a fire issue and any idea how to handle that?
thanks
You have a fire issue mainly if the area above the space is not somehow closed off.
No problem at all. Tie the wall to the basement wall with short pieces of 2 x 4. Or make life real easy, lay a PT bottom plate then use stell studs for the wall. Much easier to do those funky walls with steel.