We recently purchased a 3 yr old home with an unfinished basement and are planning on finishing it off as a spare bedroom, bathroom and play area for the kids. We live in an area where the temp can go from -40 to +35 (Canadian eh) over the course of the year. I have talked with many people and cannot reach any sort of agreement on what is required. The basement walls are currently insulated halfway down with a vapour barrier.
Do I insulate the rest of the walls with a vapour barrier – yes or no?
Do I require a subfloor over the concrete or (as I have been told) is a good underlay and carpet enough? The bathroom will be ceramic tile.
Any help, advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Replies
You've got a lot of questions therre that you could search individually in the archives for other threads but I'l take a brief stab at each...
Vapour bar is not an insulation and most insulation is not a vapour bar.
One way of insulating basement concrete walls is to use appropriate Construction adhesive to install foam panels to the concrete and then shoot or screw furring strips over it to fasten drywall to. The blue or pink Dow Foam can act as a vapour bar.
The concrete should be sealed. It may have been already. Assuming that and that the builder used good drainage, soils and waterproofiong methods, you can instal carpeet directly to the concrete. Locals have told you tho' that you need a sleeper floor so they may be observing signs that lead them to this conclusion. Ceramic tile throughout with throw rugs is another good option.
You framed partition walls should have a pressure treated sole plate.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
Thanks for all your input.
I have searched the net on these topics and have come up with so much conflicting info that my head was beginning to spin. Even different contractors here in town cannot agree with each other.
Wish me luck as I am more accustomed to building cabinets and furniture than renovating.
Cheers
Research this in depth and beyond responses you get. There is plenty of information on the net regarding your exact question, I know, I asked recently. Research items such as drylock, mildew,mold,water proofing a basement,vapor barriers etc....
There are many opinions on this subject but I differed to the experts with a formal education in the field.
Shadow
First of all.....do you have any water issues in your basement ? How long you been living there? You can go to all sorts of excesses if you want just to be safe. Such as painting on a waterproofing to the foundation walls and floors and poly for a vapor barrier. I might suggest using metal studs in a basement. If not then as Piff said, be sure to use ptl for your sole plates or you can use my lil' secret which is a metal plates and wood studs. MAkes the job go a whole lot faster if thats a consideration and the plate wont rot if there IS a water issue.Adding sleepers to the floor and ply over that will most definatly make for a more comfortable room if you have the ceiling height. You can even insulate with foam boards tween the sleepers and as Piff said foam boards on the walls.
HAve fun
NAmaste'
Andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
One other item that's often ovelooked in basement remodels.
Make sure you have code-compliant egress for the basement bedroom.
Have you seen those new garden step egress units?.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
Yup.
I haven't, except the advertising.
Good idea!
Quality?.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are." --Marcus Aurelius
I saw the Monarch vinyl and Al displays in a showroom.
I went to a house that had four of the vinyl ones installed along the back of the house.
Are they a good idea? Hmmmm.....ah..........well.......I suppose so.
Quality? They seemed to be well made. They do displace a fair amount of concrete, though, and the builders of this house didn't brace a couple of the units well enough. There was a slight, but noticeable, displacement in the side jambs of two fo the units. That's more a reflection on the builder than the unit, though. Heck, a 4' square unit is displacing...16 sq ft, times 10", times 150 lbs/ft....about 2000 pounds of concrete.
Do they look nice? From the inside the window itself looks fine. They certainly bring in light, which is nice. They had these ones dolled up with flowers in the well, and it just looked too contrived. Kind of silly. "Oh WOW, I'm not in a basement...I'm in Versailles!"
From the outside of the house I thought they looked horrible. Just horrible. There I was, on the patio, and suddenly there's this series of holes in the ground next to the house. Made me wonder if Loretta Lynn's daddy was hiding down there.
They do serve a purpose. They are functional for egress, they bring in added light, and a window that size kind of takes away from the idea that you're standing in a hole in the ground. They're really not as bad as I say, but I'm biased as I simply find them unattractive and consider them an aesthetic compromise.
C'mon...basements are for...
POWER TOOLS AND MAKING SAWDUST!<g>
Still, if needed, I'd use them.
Piff
Another great idea is.......When I spoke to my mason about putting in access to a finished basement I needed a quote for he suggested that instead of a three foot outside stair well to do a six foot wide stair well and double glass doors. Makes the basement look so lit up and doesnt really cost all that much more.
Be well
Namaste'
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
It sound like you are building funnel so you can use rain to fill your basement swimming pool.
how are you going to deal with heavy rain.
fred
Not sure what you mean but if you mean the six foot wide basement stairwell opening.....One always puts a drywell drain at the bottom of the stairs.
aIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
4 years ago where my bother lives they got hit with 4 inches of rain in 2 hr. and then is slowed down and stopped a day later they got another shot at 5 inches. allot of the people who had real lot of problems were the one that had window wells and the steps going down into basements from the out side. A year latter it happened again.
After that ever time I hear some putting in window wells and steps going to basements I think of funnels and swimming pools in basements.
I don't have any specifics, but the Canadian government has researched and published more info regarding insulation and energy conservation than any other entity know to mankind. I would check with your local utility providers, and probably the library, to see what's available. A good part of the stuff is free for the asking.