For questions generally relating to habitable spaces in a home below ground level, and to foundation types that include a space of this type.
10
votes
4answers
4k views
Safe way to close gaps around copper pipes?
I have baseboard heaters in my main living space. I can't see for sure without taking the covers off (which I haven't done yet) but it appears 2 copper pips come up from the basement (through the ...
27
votes
5answers
19k views
Should I use a subfloor for a finished basement's floor?
We are refinishing our basement and have not yet decided what to do for the floors. Part of the basement will be tile, and we are all set. However, the rec room side is going to be carpet. The ...
4
votes
4answers
376 views
Adding insulation to basement that already has vapor barrier
I have leftover insulation from doing my basement, little bits and pieces.
In between the joists on my basement ceiling it is insulated with vapour barrier already from when the house was built.
...
4
votes
1answer
529 views
How do I install carpet tiles in a below grade room?
A few years ago, I saw an advertisement for carpet tiles that had a jagged edge so there would be less movement in the interlock between tiles, and prevented the need for glue. (would like to find ...
19
votes
9answers
26k views
I have a basement floor with lots of moisture, can I paint or seal it to make it waterproof?
My basement has a slight dampness issue, where if I leave things on the floor they will get wet. There are no leaks and no standing water, the moisture seems to be wicking up through the concrete.
I ...
1
vote
1answer
419 views
Basement shower drain backing up when washing machine runs
When running washing machine, water backs up through a nearby shower drain and makes a gurgling noise. How do I solve this problem?
1
vote
2answers
239 views
Need Quick Fix for Leaky Door
Hurricane Sandy is starting to hit us, and we have come to realize our basement door is leaky, and it's starting to soak our basement. I found where the water is coming in, the bottom corner of the ...
8
votes
4answers
8k views
How do you secure wood framing to a concrete basement floor?
I'm using Pressure treated lumber for the bottom plate in a basement finishing project.
What should I use to seperate the wood from the concrete?
What are ways to secure the bottom plate to the ...
3
votes
1answer
330 views
Worthwhile to insulate basement ceiling while remodeling?
I have an existing finished basement where I'm in the process of replacing an severely damaged plaster ceiling with drywall. I've got the entire thing open, and as it's an old house (1925) there is ...
3
votes
2answers
585 views
Vinyl tile installation over a concrete basement floor with moisture
I would like to put some sort of flooring over part of my basement. Something with the look and simple installation of an interlocking garage tile (example) would fit the bill -- this isn't a living ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
How to find where crickets are entering?
We occasionally find crickets in our mostly unfinished basement. We don't often open the windows down there and we haven't noticed any unusual drafts. We don't have any dryer vents there. There are ...
0
votes
3answers
186 views
How do I insulate exterior basement wall?
Working from scratch with a bare wall. What do I do? 3 hardware stores have told me 3 different things. We have very cold winters here. Looking for cheapest and highest R value. contractor next door ...
5
votes
5answers
861 views
How can I insulate a basement wall that has 1x1 framing installed on it?
It is freezing in my basement so I decided to re-insulate my daughter's bedroom. I removed the old paneling walls to find that it wasn't insulated! There was a water barrier and a heat shield. My ...
4
votes
1answer
326 views
Can I hang a hammock from basement joists?
My basement is what I assume is a typical setup, built in the 1970s. 2x8 joists run from the outer cinderblock wall to the center beam with an approximate 11 foot span. I'm thinking about hanging a ...
2
votes
0answers
349 views
Are there any risks in removing these steel basement window frames?
I am planning to replacement my basement windows (see this related question) and was planning to remove both the glass and frame. A window vendor advised me not do this claiming that the steel frame ...
5
votes
2answers
478 views
What type of subflooring should I use for a basement?
My basement has wall-to-wall carpet in the two bedrooms and living area. The carpet was probably from the 70's when the house was built and we decided to remove it. After removing the carpet from ...
11
votes
3answers
16k views
What humidity should I set my dehumidifier to?
I just bought a 50 pint dehumidifier for my basement. What humidity level should I aim for? This time of year the outside humidity is very high (over 80%) and we do not have central air. Right now ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
What is required to move a washer/dryer from one room to another?
How hard is it to move washer/dryer from an upstairs room to the basement? What hookups would we need, etc?
2
votes
1answer
202 views
What should I do to this basement closet so I can put clothes in it?
We bought a house that had a closet along part of the basement wall. it has the water meter in it and on outside wall also. we carpeted the basement along with the closet. the closet has drywall in ...
19
votes
1answer
683 views
What is this bolt in my basement floor?
In my concrete basement floor, there is a rather large bolt and washer. The washer is about 4 inches in diameter, and the bolt has a 1 inch head. What is it?
All I can think of is that it's some ...
3
votes
3answers
401 views
Can I install sub floor over carpeting?
Part of my basement has carpet laid 25 years ago The area is dry: never a water, mold or odor problem. We tested a small area and it was a nightmare to remove the glue from the concrete. We are ...
3
votes
3answers
499 views
What actions can I take to reduce moisture on basement floor?
In one corner of my basement, after a few heavy rains, I see a darkening of the concrete floor. To touch, the concrete feels damp-ish. I say damp-ish, because when I pull my hand away, I don't see ...
4
votes
1answer
279 views
Best style of window for above grade basement windows?
My basement windows are roughly 2'x3' (h x w) and the exterior sill is 6 inches above grade, and 5 feet above the basement floor. I am not particularly concerned with security beyond frustrating the ...
5
votes
2answers
495 views
How can I move a non load bearing wood frame wall?
I am remodeling my basement and want to move the location of a non-load bearing wall that is diving a section of my basement. Currently the wall is down to the bare wooden studs. The header was nailed ...
11
votes
1answer
230 views
What are our options for carpeting the basement of a split-level house?
The basement level of our house (1/2 below grade) is currently just vinyl tile on concrete slab. It's cold during the winter, so we would like to carpet it. We do not get water penetration through ...
0
votes
1answer
420 views
What should I have my dehumidifier set at to dry out my basement?
I have a 1600 sq ft home. The wellmate sprung a leak last Sat and soaked the basement. Im running fans down there and just got a 40 pint dehumidifier per the service guy. What setting should I set it. ...
2
votes
1answer
216 views
Is this hole at the corner of the foundation major issue?
I am in the process of purchasing a home. I found the perfect home but of course, I found water stains in the basement walls (mostly close to the floor). I also noticed a small hole at the corner of ...
5
votes
2answers
809 views
How to finish dirt floor in a basement?
The floor of the basement of our house is half a flat area with a concrete floor where the washing machine and so on are, and half a semi-flat, slightly sloping dirt area, with the dirt area being ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Renovating interior stone basement walls
We have a 100 year old house, and I would like to finish the basement but leave the stone walls exposed. I believe the stone can look great, but the mortar needs some work, and I am mostly focused on ...
3
votes
1answer
414 views
Should I apply rigid insulation between existing basement framing?
I'm replacing wood paneling in my basement with drywall. There are 1x furring strips attached to the cinder block and covered with tar paper, and the wood paneling was attached to those strips.
...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
What does blocking refer to in relation to floor joists?
This question was triggered by the following line in a home inspection:
Blocking is not installed for I joists above beams in basement.
I have found pictures of blocking at ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
How should I build a raised subfloor for my basement bathroom?
I've ripped out the bathroom in my basement that was finished by the previous homeowner. I'm now rebuilding, and curious to the most correct way to go about this.
The whole basement was finished ...
2
votes
0answers
143 views
How much water is too much water underneith the basement concrete?
We are getting ready to install a new shower in our basement. When we had our house built about 8 yrs ago we asked to have a shower & toilet drains roughed in. I cut off the plastic cover for ...
1
vote
2answers
104 views
Is a combined AC/Dehumidifer unit more efficient than separate units?
I've just moved into a "basement-ish" apartment; the actual ground level is about at my waist. It's a bit mustier than I'd hoped, and not as cool as I'd like during these closing days of Summer. I'm ...
2
votes
1answer
382 views
How can I clean and paint my basement floor?
The basement in my house I just purchased has remnants of paint on one half of the basement that is separated by a wall. The remaining paint is stuck down really well and I would like to paint over ...
1
vote
2answers
3k views
How can I improve air flow in my basement?
I have a pretty odd two floor duplex apartment with one of the rooms practically being a basement. I have previously had problems with mold, and in general the air isn't great in the basement. So I ...
3
votes
2answers
329 views
Is there a way to sound proof my basement while I've got part of the ceiling open?
We had a header beam installed in our basement. The floor joists are exposed for 1ft (~30cm) on both sides for the length of the beam.
The basement is an apartment, so I'd like to add some ...
4
votes
1answer
609 views
Do I need to install dry wall in my basement?
I have a concrete basement with concrete walls. I'm thinking about just painting the basement and not have to put up dry wall because I want to save money. Is that a good idea or should I really ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Was this basement window installed properly?
Here's a few photos of a window that I installed last year. I used the mixed knowledge of a few different online articles and did it to my best ability, but I'm kinda worried that it may have been ...
3
votes
6answers
451 views
What is the cheapest way to brighten a basement workshop?
I have a bare concrete block unfinished basement. I have zero moisture problems (it's a 2007 construction with exterior waterproofing applied to the concrete along with a buried perimeter drain). ...
9
votes
2answers
5k views
How can I level my basement floor, which has a 4-inch dip?
I googled today on how to level a basement floor. Most people recommend using SLC (self leveling concrete)... I don't think I can just use that because of the pitch of my floor (and from what I hear, ...
8
votes
3answers
10k views
What is the proper way to run wires along/across basement ceiling joists?
I want to add an electrical outlet in my unfinished basement. It makes sense to run the wire along the ceiling because that's where all the other wires are. What is the proper way to install NM ...
1
vote
2answers
3k views
How can I install ceramic tile over vinyl tile?
I'm trying to install ceramic tile in a friend's bathroom, appox. 45 sq ft.
The current floor in the bathroom is vinyl squares over the base cement. There is no subfloor or anything like that. The ...
5
votes
1answer
4k views
How can I properly vent a basement toilet & shower using an AAV?
When we bought our house the plumbing drains for a basement bathroom were roughed in but they did not install any vent lines for them.
We have the first floor plumbing draining into the main stack ...
15
votes
2answers
4k views
What is the best way to incrementally finish an unfinished basement?
my wife and I are in the process of buying our first house. The house has a 750 square foot unfinished basement (cinderblock walls and concrete floor), and is brand new (rather, it will be brand new ...
14
votes
4answers
1k views
Does a bedroom have to have a closet?
I'm finishing my basement (actually its the second basement I've finished). And I've built what I think is a bedroom in the basement. I had the ELECTRICAL inspector in here the other day and as he's ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
How to finish room with protruding concrete ledge/foundation?
I am finishing a basement room and have a concrete ledge which is part of the foundation. It protrudes into the room about 2.5 inches and is about 6 inches high. This ledge is the result of a ...
4
votes
1answer
894 views
What is the proper way to insulate box sill joists in the basement?
The floor joists of the first floor are sitting directly in breaks in the concrete/cinderblock walls, and there's large gaps all around the edges. I've done some looking around and it appears that ...
7
votes
3answers
1k views
What should I do about ceiling tiles that potentially contain asbestos?
A family member is considering purchasing a house, built in the Midwestern United States in 1958. In the basement, there are nine inch ceiling tiles on the ceiling. The home inspection mentioned that ...
4
votes
1answer
893 views
Should I add insulation to basement ceiling?
Currently doing a reno on our basement. After roughing everything out, I have insulated the outside walls with R13 (2x4). The house has never had insulation in the basement. Should I insulate the ...
