sashime76

This is going to be a continuous project for the next, say 2-3 years. I want to get started on finishing up our basement, which is quite large, about 1500~1600, long L shape basement. It's plumbed for a full bath with water heater and gas furnace both in the basement.

There are just a few AC outlets available so adding more outlets is a must. I want to add a dedicated sub panel in the basement away from the main panel out in the garage. This, of course will be done by a licenced electrician.

If you have finished a basement yourself, do you first get the sub panel and all electrical outlets done? Or, can I start with wall framing before electrical work? What do you suggest on finishing the ceiling? I'm leaning toward doing a drop ceiling, that way I can have better access if I wan to add more light fixtures or run cables to other locations. Only that there is about 8' of vertical space to work with.

If you can give some pointers I'd really appreciate it.

Powderedmaggot

I have just started my basement. I've done a coule previous to this so I can probably answer some questions.

I'm going to assume your basement is dry and below grade.
You need to frame before you install the electrical outlets/switches. On the concrete side of the framing I put tar paper, some people use tyvek but it is unnecesary. You don't want your studs up against the 'crete hence the paper barier. Once studs are up run your wiring. Then insulate, vapor barier (very important to get a good tight seal because there is not really any where for moisture to gon if it gets in the wall) and drywall. In areas where there is no plumbing I usually drywall the cieling with 5/8 firegaurd drywall.

Th elcrical panel can go in any time you want it to but it is nice to put it inearly so you know where to run your wires to.

I'm doing mine one room at a time as I am living in the house and the basement is full of crap.

Word on flooring, cork is really nice and soft and warm on the tootsies. It is my choice this time around. Engineered snap together laminates and fake wood are ok too as they float on a soft underlay.

I don't know if that was any help but I'll check back to see if youneed more info.

Have fun.

appleseed

Keep in mind that very few basement walls are plumb, so ignore the existing walls when framing in your new walls, there will be gaps!

I shy from drywalling any basement ceiling even in areas with no plumbing, because you just know the cable/phone/ 3-D Stereo Tank guy is going to have to get in there someday...

black94lt1

Agreed on the plumb issue. Do all your framing and then get the electrician in. Framing is your biggest diecision, as that is the basis for everything, so you don't want a subpanel in the wrong location after you change your mind on the wall location.

I am doing my third basement currently (I do all the work myself) and I can tell you that the framing is priority. but dont' strat hanging any drywall until everyhting else is complete and you are certain.

kazoo

I've done many basement finishes. Start with either chalk lines or tape on the floor for your walls to get a feel of how it will look to use the space. When you get to the point of studding, consider steel. It's green, adds no combustible load to the home, and is easy to work with. You'll be obligated since it now a "finished space" to provide receptacles every 6' along the walls, and in addition to HVAC supply ducts, also cut in a proper size return for the space. Lay-in 2x2 or 2x4 ceiling is the way to go for preservation of access to plumbing and electrical. In addition to being stupid, it's a code violation to drywall over junction boxes. Verify before you start that you don't need permits, or shit will hit the fan when it comes time to sell.

__________________
There ain't nothin' more powerful than the odor of mendacity -Big Daddy

tecoyah

Anyone have advice on a Moist to small puddle problem , as far as flooring in a basement....can I just use treated 2x4 and frame a floor?

Waterproofing helped the problem...but didny cure it.

__________________
Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

kazoo

All building codes of which I'm aware call for a treated or steel sill plate for basement partitions. Other members can be SYP, Hem-Fir, or steel.

__________________
There ain't nothin' more powerful than the odor of mendacity -Big Daddy

appleseed

tecoyah, do you know the source of the water? Is it coming through the floor, from the walls, etc?

Charlatan

You really should try to find the source of the leak... Do you have proper drainage and slopes outside?

Make sure that you put a thin layer of foam between the sill and the concrete floor. It will prevent the wood from wicking water out of the concrete. You should also looking to those dimpled plastic subfloors... if you do get a leak it lets a reasonable amount of water flow without damaging what ever you put on top of the subfloor (i.e. carpets, etc)

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

IowaEric

fixing the leak is the only option you should pursue. First step, if you dont have one already, find the lowest point in your basement and install a sump pump. The way you've described it, it just sounds like groundwater leaking in. How old is the foundation, and what type is it (ie: concrete, stone, etc?)?

tecoyah

The house is almost 100 yrs old and the foundation/basement is poured concrete. Indeed we have a groundwater issue, as do most in this area of NY. Waterproofing helped but did not cure the problem. Sump pump is in place but, we get water from the walls regardless of waterproofing as we live very close to Lake Ontario.

Thanx all for the recommendations...will take it all into consideration when work begins after the thaw.

__________________
Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

appleseed

Just as a data point, I have no idea if it applies to you, I had a corner of my basement that would get pretty wet during heavy rains even though I have a great slope away from the foundation. I put a downspout that was 3' longer outside in that corner and have had a completely dry basement since, even during record rains last May..

sashime76

We have a sump pump/pump well in the basement and it hasn't failed us yet. I'm going to add a standby battery backup pump just for emergency. I know my ways around power tools and I can probably find most of the answers from DIYNet. It's always nice to have suggestions from someone who has actually done the work.

I got two 5 gal. buckets of Radon Seal that I'm going to apply onto the floor first. I think I'll go with partial laminate flooring and partial carpet - for the home theater. Any suggestion as to what type of underlayment to install first? Something that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Thanks everyone.

SaltPork

To kind of pull this thread back to center a little.....


sashime76, when I did my basement I did a double base plate for the walls. I used PT 2x4 for the boards that touch the floor, because it is a basement and you can't escape moisture totally and I put the walls on top of that. As far as electric goes, you can frame up the walls before the electric is done, but that's it. Once the new panel is in and the wires and outlets are in you can insulate and sheetrock.

For the ceiling I would definitely go with a drop ceiling. It gives you the flexibility to run wires or fixes pipes (if needed) after the ceiling is in, and it's a lot easier to replace a couple of ceiling tiles if you have a water leak, than it is to fix a drywall ceiling.

For the floor you need to definitely put the sealer down. We just bought industrial grade carpet tiles for our basement. Not real comfortable to lay on or sit on, but that's why I have furniture. Having said that, we went that way because we got the tiles for cheap and any other option that we wanted to consider was too pricey.

One other thing, if you get water in the basement and you only have a sump pump you may want to consider a more advanced drainage system down there. It would be easier to have someone look at it now and install/create new drainage than later after the walls are up.

__________________
It was like that when I got here....I swear.

IowaEric

I'm no expert on the subject, but I have been through it with two of my homes on several occassions. There are a lot of factors that could contribute to the water getting in there .. making sure the grade around the house is correct, ensuring gutters are clean and working and that downspouts are depositing water well past the grade away from the house, sump pits (and making sure they're in the right spot, or also possibly needing to install a second one). The grade around your neighborhood in general can even have something to do with it.

It is my opinion, though, that I would not install flooring until you are sure you've got this licked. Otherwise, you're just wasting money on flooring that will most likely be ruined within the near future. Doubling up the bottom plate on your walls won't hurt anything, but it won't really help anything either.

SaltPork

The only reason I doubled the plates is because of the dampness of the basement. I figured that having wood that resists moisture would be better on the concrete floor than KD. There was really no other reason since I've never had water in my basement. I didn't double plate it to help any moisture problem, I'm sorry you thought that, I was merely explaining what I had done and why. I'm not sure why you chose to criticize that particular thing, but I wasn't suggesting that as a solution to a water problem. Having water in the basement is a bit different than having moisture.

__________________
It was like that when I got here....I swear.

xwesleyx

The only thing I'm going to tackle in this thread is one of my pet peeves regarding basement renovations. It's what we hear all the time and I'll tell you how we deal with it every time.

If you want to have a drywalled ceiling in the basement, do it. Any junction boxes can be accessed through panels that can be painted to match the ceiling color. For those that mention plumbing leaks, DO ANY OF YOU HAVE SECOND FLOORS?! It's very very unlikely that professional work would fail and if it did, you'd still have to replace the tile/s. Drop ceilings have their place, but if you want a seamless transition between the rest of your house and basement, you should really consider the benefits of drywall.

SaltPork

well said, point taken.

__________________
It was like that when I got here....I swear.

IowaEric

I'm sorry you took it as criticizing your method. I just said it wouldn't HURT, but it also wouldn't HELP (because obviously if it's in water a significant amount of time, even pressure-treated lumber will fail). I don't see any problem in doing walls the way you described, I'm just applying it to this guy's situation and saying if he's got water on the floor, all the lumber in the world won't help both the lumber and drywall, etc from rotting.

So carry on, double-bottom-plate-builder-man. Bud Light salutes you!

Craven Morehead

Last Sept. our water heater in our finished basement 'irrigated' three carpeted rooms. Now we have a 'newly' refinished basement. Water damage can come from within. Take some precautionary steps to avoid the same problems that I had. The water heater was 2 feet from the floor drain. The leaked water ran the other way.

:damnit:

IowaEric

whoever poured your basement floor should go back to finishing school

SaltPork

LOL...no worries. I see your point. I just want my own commercial now.

__________________
It was like that when I got here....I swear.