Questions tagged [basement]
For questions generally relating to habitable spaces in a home below ground level, and to foundation types that include a space of this type.
1,581
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How can I hide or modifiy concrete column bases in my finished basement? [closed]
In my basement are what look like the bases of two support columns poking out at the base of my walls. These walls run in the middle of the basement. The bases are concrete and trapezoidal in shape, ...
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Insulation in basement ceiling with no heat? [closed]
I have fiberglass insulation in my basement. It's been there since we bought the house, but our basement is not heated. I've heard this is possibly a bad idea.
I also think there may have been mice ...
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I'm pretty sure this is mold, how much is this going to hurt? [closed]
I recently bought a house and it has been a fixer upper! There have been ups and downs but so far everything has been pretty much on track with no nasty surprises. I'm having a bad feeling that this ...
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Sikaflex self leveling sealant keeps draining
I’m trying to fill a gap between my driveway and foundation wall to stop basement water leak. Per inspector’s recommendation I applied some Sikaflex self leveling sealant on top of backer rod.
It’s ...
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Can I frame basement walls over slab cracks?
I recently bought a home with an unfinished basement and would like to start finishing it to add onto the livable space our of house.
Do I need to repair cracks in my slab before I start framing walls?...
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Backup sump pump AND primary pump backup battery?
I recently bought a house where the previous owners had the whole basement flood because the power went out and they had no backup sump pump.
Prior to selling, they tore up all the floors and put in a ...
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Help! Is our contractor skimping on us on our basement foundation repair?
Our contractors just finished a job to completely redo one of our basement foundation wall, but we have some questions about the quality of the work.
They assured us it was fine, but is it normal to:
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What could be seeping from my basement wall?
Someone put joint compound over the poured concrete basement wall and then painted over it. This seepage isn't water--it's a little sticky where it hasn't dried, and it appears in a few other spots ...
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Removal of old basement windows embedded in concrete [duplicate]
I have a bunch of old basement windows that has the frame embedded in the concrete that I need to replace. They look different than most people's posts about monarch windows that have a wide frame ...
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How to replace section of basement insulation
I had a leaky basement window and need to replace some of the insulation. The basement is insulated with rock wool in a bag attached to the top half of the foundation. No insulation until about 3-4 ...
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Cinderblock cmu masonry question
I'm replacing a 7ft. Basement Wall with 10" block. We tried to demo carefully as to save some interlocking blocks in the corners. A few broke resulting in a few cuts having to be made.
My ...
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In What Direction Should This Basement Fan Blow?
Shown is a basement of about 5,000 square feet with concrete floor and walls in a building originally built in 1935, acquired a year ago but with a 22" basement fan that's always been dead. ...
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Sump Pump Venting After Sealing for Radon
Apologies if this has been asked here before, my first time on the site coming from Reddit.
I just built a new house and know that the radon levels are high due to neighbors doing testing / the area ...
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Fine dirt accumulation along where basement floor meets wall. All concrete
Just recently, there has been a slow accumulation of fine dirt at the base of my sub-basement. It has been cleaned away, then a week later it returns. It runs about eight feet along the base. ...
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Refinishing old cement basement floor: Is cement skim coat an option?
our basement floor is very old and in poor condition. What are good options to refinish the floor? Is it possible to skim coat with cement and then paint or is the condition of the current floor not ...
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what gauge wire do i need to run for a sub panel that's like 4' away
I am installing a 100 amp sub panel for my basement. I am just trying to get the correct wire so I pass the inspection for the basement. I am trying to do all the work myself and i don' know what ...
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Can i ran romex on top/side of top plate in finished basement?
My basement is finished and wonder if i can run romex on top or side of the top plate framing instead of through studs? Does it has to be protected?
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Live in MN and my 1900 home has basement walls that are crumbling and falling off, how do I correct this?
Basement wall had been slowly crumbling and falling since I moved in. It is an older 1900 basement, not sure what was used to cover. I had a lot of issues with water coming in when I first moved in ...
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Is this mold in my basement? What should I do?
I moved into my house about five years ago and was told that it had a waterproofed basement. The inspection didn’t note any issues with the basement, including the waterproofing system.
After moving ...
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Basement slab water permeance and vapor barrier, and mold precautions?
. Hi, all!
I ran a moisture test in my basement where you put some Calcium Chloride under a plastic dome for a few days, and then measure weight before and after. I came up with general permeance in ...
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What type of prep do my basement floors need before carpet reinstall
I just ripped up my 30 year old basement carpet. There was significant efflorescence on the floor along along an exterior wall, where carpet padding wasn't used. The carpet in general felt "...
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Is a platform over a sump pump hole a solution to accessing electrical service?
I'm working in a 250-year-old house and the basement has a sump pump that is located right below the electrical service panel.
To install the sump pump, they just cut a hole in the concrete slab and ...
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Does anyone have a guide to clearing out an untouched basement? [closed]
I'm helping get a home situation resorted and calling a plumber to help look at someone's basement. But it's filthy down there. Not the worst I've ever seen by a long shot but clearly no ventilation, ...
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Can I run electrical wires along this metal support beam?
I have a metal I-beam in my basement that supports my floor joists.
I am running new electric, and I want to use it as a sort of running board - I know I can't string certain gauges perpendicular to ...
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What are my options to reframe the bottom of this basement wall?
I just had interior draintile installed. The bottom of this ledge-wall (not sure what it's called) was framed with a floor plate and intermittent studs. They got removed during the concrete work.
I ...
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Installing Dehumidifier Drain into House Drain
I am looking to reduce the amount of times I need to dump the dehumidifier bucket. The unit has an integrated pump so I was looking to install it permanently into the house in some manner.
The house ...
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Basement Flooding / Sump Pump
Basement flooded over the weekend. The same type of flooding has occurred 3 times in the last 6 years. The sump pump was replaced during the first occurrence. However the problem continues to occur. I ...
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Trying to identify basement rough-ins to use for water drain
I have an RO system that I need to drain wastewater from - so this will only be water, not gray/blackwater. The closest place to drain it into is an unidentified rough-in pipe that I'm trying to ...
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Insulating basement foundation walls with dryer vent?
I have a basement wall that was framed but never finished by the previous owner. I would like to complete it but want to be sure I’m doing things correctly.
From what I can piece together I should be ...
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How to add flood guard to 3.5” sink drain?
I have a laundry sink that backs up with storm sewer water occasionally. Looking for a simple way to add a flood guard to the sink.
The floor drains have 3” float flood guards that work well but I ...
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Basement Apartment Tile Flooring Question
I am just starting construction on an 800 sq ft basement apartment. Over the years I have had a number of basement water issues in various properties, and I'd like to avoid this if at all possible. I'...
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Questions on structural eng drawing for egress window
I am installing an egress window in my basement to make it a legal bedroom. I am going to be doing most of the work myself (outside of cutting the concrete) but doing it by the book (permits, ...
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Prep ceiling for drywall when electrical wiring is under floor joists
I'm planning a refresh on a ~400sqft space in my split level home. Its a walkout basement that currently has shiplap walls and a dated drop ceiling. Ideally I'd like to drywall both the wall and the ...
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Question about adding HVAC registers to basement
I recently finished my basement and I have about 1000-1100 ft2 that I would like add HVAC to. My question is:
Would I run into any major issues with adding two registers (and an equal sized return) ...
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Water droplets through LVP in basement
About two years ago I placed LifeProof LVP in the basement on the concrete floor. Today, after about two days of rain, I noticed some droplets between some of the seems in the room with the LVP. Not ...
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Basement door gap - how to improve and avoid water entering basement
Suffered a flood this weekend while we were out of town and water came in from the door (see photos). Trying to find solutions to improve the seal but am not knowledgeable in this area. Getting a new ...
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How to replace a few Barricade subfloor panels
I have about 400 sq ft of 2'x2'x7/8" Barricade Subfloor Air Plus in my basement. After some recent water damage, I had to tear out approx. 15 panels (60 sq ft). I tried to buy the same product ...
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Does this concrete slab need to replaced or lifted?
House built in late 40s.
Bought 1.5 years ago
Finished basement. Im assuming it was waterproofed?
My backyard has 2 slabs of concrete that are sunk and tilted towards the house by like half an inch. I’...
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Is it ok to put a ceramic lamp holder (for high brightness LED) in between joists in basement?
In my small, unfinished, low basement are currently two fluorescent tubes as main lights. This is how it looks when I take a picture from the floor straight up to the ceiling of the basement:
I would ...
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Finishing above-ground basement - how to frame on ledges at edge of basement?
My home is in Northern Colorado, built in 1997, bi-level with an unfinished "basement" that is entirely above grade, with a rough-in bathroom and a small open space that I want to turn into ...
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Finishing above-ground basement - is there an alternative to moving this toilet drain?
My home is in Northern Colorado, built in 1997, bi-level with an unfinished "basement" that is entirely above grade, with a rough-in bathroom and a small open space that I want to turn into ...
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Thickness of concrete base layer for leveling basement floor
TLDR question: How thinly can I feather regular concrete to roughly level my basement floor as a base for self-leveling compound?
Background:
I am in the process of re-finishing my basement after ...
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Is this water damage?
https://imgur.com/3FO7gpk
I have been living in my house for about 5 years now. This is the baseboard in the basement. This just showed up this year, never had anything like this in the previous years....
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What flooring options are there to make a concrete basement safe(r) for falls while retaining wheelchair accessibility?
I have an above ground, sealed, concrete basement that I want to make safer in the event of someone falling, while keeping it easy for someone in a wheelchair to get around. A hopeful side effect will ...
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Renovating unfinished basement with past water issues
I just purchased a 100 year old home with an unfinished basement that I'd like to clean up and use as a more livable space. The house has a history of water around the foundation and seepage in the ...
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Why will my basement room be one temperature all day but then will be different overnight?
My bedroom is in the basement of the house, as that is where the master is. All day the temperature will be 66-67 degrees. When my husband and I go to bed at night, it will increase to 70-71 ...
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How to go about re-fixing a badly done patch in the basement concrete floor?
Just got this house, and shortly after noticed a room in the basement had damp carpet. Pulled it up, sprinkler system had leaked into the room and the carpet was soaked, carpet had clearly been thrown ...
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Seeking a non-permanent cover for unfinished basement ceiling - no drop ceiling, drywall, paint, or frame installation
I am looking to build a home gym in my basement and I do plan to drywall it, but I have specific reasons on why I want to wait for a couple of years. Is there a type of fabric I can staple to the wood?...
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Should Basement French Drain Have Water In It?
TL;DR, Went down to the basement to find that our home's French drain is almost full of water. My mother doesn't recall there ever being water in the drain in the 20+ years that my family has owned ...
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Waterproofing between foundation and basement walkout door stairs
We have a below-grade basement with a walkout door. In between the concrete stairs and the foundation floor there is a tiny gap (see 1st picture below). During extended heavy rain, ground water would ...
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