May Day 10 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) Does anyone have any insight on this? I plan on doing it in a year and will hire someone. I generally know what I want, but would need guidance to hash it out into a final floorplan with all the details. Anyone have any good experiences with anyone in the WNY area? I would really like to do it myself.... but with 2 young kids, there is just no time Edited February 17, 2016 by May Day 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpberr Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I am not in WNY so I can't help you with a contractor recommendation. I only offer some advice. If you have a wet basement, don't ignore or cover up the problem. If it's wet, you have to fix that problem first. If you have utilities in your basement, don't box them in a closet around your existing water heater, HVAC, etc. My sister bought a house with a finished basement and they did that - and when you want to put a new HVAC in or need room to remove the existing water heater, there is nowhere to go. You'll probably need a secondary egress out of your basement - that may get pricey if you need to excavate for an egress window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 yup, thanks. Planning on the egress. Also, the HVAC area is a storage area. I already insulated the rim joists there and put in shelving. I plan on having a double-door leading to that area which is in the 'back' of the basement. Its a pretty new house, 12 years old. Basement is fairly dry. Some gaps in the rim joists let moisture in and I have been fixing that. Never any standing water.... but I do plan on getting a lot of dirt and sloping away from the house a bit... also plan on some sort of backup for the sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I could help if you were further north.......... Up here you only need the secondary egress (window) out of the basement if there is a bedroom located down there. I would recommend putting one in either way just because you can get some additional natural light in there by having larger windows, but here its not a requirement Also as said above, if theres any signs of leaks or moisture, FIX IT PROPERLY NOW, it will cost you now but save LOTS of time and money later...... Agree too on not closing in the Furnace and hot water tank together, make sure theres room around them wherever they are so that they can be accessed for maintenance and repairs/replacement. I would recommend putting down something like the DRIcore subfloor (plywood T&G squares w/ plastic spacers underneath) over the concrete before putting your finished floor down. You could also use something similar to a delta membrane that they use on foundation walls and then hardwood over it depending on the hardwood thickness. I would recommend staying away from using carpet if you can and use an engineered wood product thats good for basement or high moisture areas Never put wood directly against concrete, so if your framing in a wall, the bottom plate should be on a gasket or atleast a strip of poly or roll roofing/tar paper. For the exterior walls either space the studs away from the concrete 1/2"-1" and make sure you don't push batt insulation in too far so it touches the concrete unless theres a barrier between the insulation and concrete otherwise the insulation can wick moisture from the wall and become soaked. and don't put plastic between the concrete and wood/insulation. Keep the insulation atleast 6-8" off the bottom plate of the wall too instead of going all the way down with it. The top half of the foundation wall around grade is where the insulation is really needed and most effective, down below 4' from grade studies have shown theres not a huge advantage, although most current codes require it full height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Where, specifically, in WNY? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 Grand Island thanks for the insight, apusz. Was considering a dricore type product. We have the baggie on the top half of the basement walls right now. I guess ideally, you want that down and glue and seal rigid foam to the concrete... but that is a pretty big additional cost and I'm not sure if its all that necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpberr Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I think you'll be a-ok. You're thinking about things most homeowners do not. (They pretend the water will stop. They forget that water heaters eventually die.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I think you'll be a-ok. You're thinking about things most homeowners do not. (They pretend the water will stop. They forget that water heaters eventually die.) Yup, everyone today care just about the finish, not the bones/structure They will pay top dollar for the best stone countertops, cabinets and flooring, yet will have the house built with standard wood studs and regular batt insulation as cheap as possible. When they are planning their project they put all of their budget into the end stuff and not making sure the stuff behind it issound. Its easier to replace a finish then it is to replace structure later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 If I did... I wouldn't go wood framing... I would use steel. I know steel can rust in a flood, but galvanized framing helps with that and better in a possible wet location. http://www.familyhandyman.com/carpentry/using-steel-studs/view-all "You'll like steel framing. Steel studs are perfectly straight, don't shrink or split. They're light, easy to store, resist fire, insects and rot. Steel studs are cheaper than wood." FWIW...IMO yup, thanks. Planning on the egress. Also, the HVAC area is a storage area. I already insulated the rim joists there and put in shelving. I plan on having a double-door leading to that area which is in the 'back' of the basement. Its a pretty new house, 12 years old. Basement is fairly dry. Some gaps in the rim joists let moisture in and I have been fixing that. Never any standing water.... but I do plan on getting a lot of dirt and sloping away from the house a bit... also plan on some sort of backup for the sump. Why are those gaps exposed? Siding or brick... Put crushed stone around the foundation of your house? Is there insulation or vapor barrier between concrete and framing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 On the rim joist thing... It was a nice day out today, 60 degrees... I looked @ the foundation and sill plates around my castle... The foundation is a good 6 inches to a foot above grade and the brick face and siding covers the area where the sill plate meets the foundation... Is this is where you are getting leaks? If that is the case, don't add more dirt, dig it away and slope it away... Putting crushed stone around the foundation. You want your foundation and framing to be ABOVE grade. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 The Foundation is above grade and the rim joist is above that. I was finding pill bugs/potato bugs around the basement as well as few dead baby snakes... I called an exterminator and he said that it was a bit moist down there which attracted those things at different times of the year. I got a dehumidifier and that helps, but not all the way. So I started to 'finish' my basement myself starting with insulating the rim joist and eventually gluing rigid to the concrete walls... In the corner I did, the batting insulation they put in was blackened. Pulling it back, there was a concentration of pill bugs and lady bugs on the concrete and I could see daylight and feel airflow from the outside in some gaps. So I caulked/great stuffed it... and then insulated it with rigid and non-backing fiberglass. I did that to all the rim joist in the area there I made this into a storage room that is very well insulated from the outside, no more bugs and stuff like that. It was a lot of work doing that area. Also, there are a lot of 'deeper' boxes that will be tough to do. But in one other corner, there is a higher concentration of the bugs/etc that I am going to have to plug up. Does that make sense now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Cool! Thanks for the awesome pics MayDay... Looks like yoy are doing a gr8 job... Does the siding cover on the outside, if yoy can get under... What about sealing from that side... May stop the bugs better?? Lady bugs aren't bad... Though... They eat their weight in other pesty bugs. I found out that they keep the box elder bugs in check!!! I would rather have a lady bug than a nasty box elder bug! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 thanks. It is siding. It seems like it may just be in the 2 corners that there is a problem. Its as if the builder didnt get everything level and just propped up the 2 corners with shims or something. I dont mind bugs so much (or even the snakes)... but not in the basement... especially if Im going to pour money into making it into a living area and walling the sides off like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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