For questions generally relating to habitable spaces in a home below ground level, and to foundation types that include a space of this type.
4
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I correctly measure this basement window for a replacement?
I have three of these metal-framed basement windows which I would like to replace but I am unsure of what dimension I should measure and use for the replacements.
Initially I measured the outside ...
7
votes
2answers
628 views
Should I insulate steam pipes in the basement?
I have a steam-radiator heating system. The furnace is in the (unfinished) basement, and the steam-carrying steel pipes spread out across the basement ceiling before going up into the rest of the ...
3
votes
1answer
236 views
Is this old basement floor concrete, grout, or something else?
What is the likely construction/material of the basement floor shown below?
It's not very flat, and the surface appears sandy. It's almost as if some kind of skim-coat was applied to the dirt floor. ...
2
votes
2answers
287 views
Is occasional puddling of water in an unfinished basement a problem that needs to be addressed?
In a early 20th century New England home of wood frame construction and foundation of fieldstone and brick with some CMU, we get some puddling of water in a few areas of the unfinished basement floor ...
2
votes
1answer
233 views
How can I install an interior cat door to the basement and not have it kill me? (from increased radon)
I recently purchased and moved into a new house with an unfinished basement under part of house and crawl space under the rest. We have 2 indoor cats and I would prefer that their litter box be in ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
How can I tile the raised edges in my basement?
I'm looking to tile a basement floor that was dug out about 6", so there is a roughly 6" tall x 4" wide raised concrete border around the whole room, as they didn't dig out the edges. This border is ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I maintain air quality in a newly finished basement of a 1925 home with no ductwork?
I just bought a house built in 1925 but it has just been professionally renovated, including finishing the basement as living space. The home has a boiler for radiator and baseboard heat. There is no ...
2
votes
1answer
476 views
How to properly close a chimney hole in the basement
I recently removed the old unused wood stove in my basement. I now want to properly condemn the chimney.
I found this question which answers what to do with the chimney outside, but I am still unsure ...
10
votes
4answers
5k 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
20k 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
390 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
563 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
30k 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
433 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
263 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
9k 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
361 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
677 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
198 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
918 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
350 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
392 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
533 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
23k 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
219 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
696 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
413 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
649 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
283 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
554 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
253 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
482 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
221 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
934 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
2k 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
429 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 ...
3
votes
0answers
155 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
409 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
337 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
635 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
459 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
11k 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 ...
