Basement Work *w/Pics

[Sprucemoose]

I bought a house this past year and the basement is partially finished.  By partially finished I mean that the previous owners only finished 3 walls and the ceiling.  I want to be able to use the space as a second living room, gameroom, and bar area.  I have never framed walls or done any dry walling, so this should be interesting.  Thank the good lord for the internet.  Youtube has a plethora of information.  I stared last week.  Anyway here are the pics to date:

[Sprucemoose]

The last pic is where I intend to put my 15" touchscreen monitor for my jukebox project.  Nothing fancy.  I am just going to mount it in the wall around the drywall and then clean up the edges with molding.  More on the that later.  Today I am going to start framing for the stairs.

Lessons learned so far:

-Tapcon screws are a must.
-Tapcons are worthless without a hammer drill.  I thought I could use a normal dril, but did not realize that a hammer drill lets the bit move up and down extremely fast along with the drill bit rotating to allow one to drill concrete.
-Basement wall are not plum

[ChadTower]

-Tapcon screws are a must.

Yep.  Learned this one myself lately.

-Tapcons are worthless without a hammer drill.  I thought I could use a normal dril, but did not realize that a hammer drill lets the bit move up and down extremely fast along with the drill bit rotating to allow one to drill concrete.

Double yep... makes the job so much easier.

-Basement wall are not plum

It's true.  They appear to be white.

[bfauska]

-Basement wall are not plum

It's true.  They appear to be white.

 

Edit: posted with nothing but the quote, I meant to include the laugh... doh.

[Sprucemoose]

-Basement wall are not plum


It's true.  They appear to be white.

 
Cheers

I have also leerned speling is not my ting.

[shardian]

Looking good. When I get around to setting baseplates in the garage, I got one of those single shot Hilti style guns. That should make the work much easier.

[Sprucemoose]

Looking good. When I get around to setting baseplates in the garage, I got one of those single shot Hilti style guns. That should make the work much easier.

I almost bought one of those guns, but I needed a corded drill anyway so I bought this Hitachi hammer drill.  Highly recommended:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=194482-67702-FDV16VB2&lpage=none

I am almost done with framing.  Hopefully I will have time this weekend.  Then comes electric, plumbing for the bar and foam insulation.  The electric should be pretty easy, but I have never done any plumbing   Doesn't look like rocket science, but part of the joy of these type of improvements is to learning.

Also, does anyone know if Lowes or Homedepot will deliver drywall?  If yes, what do they charge?

[ChadTower]

You're putting up foam insulation after framing?

[bfauska]

You're putting up foam insulation after framing?

Where'd you get that?

[ChadTower]

I am almost done with framing.  Hopefully I will have time this weekend.  Then comes electric, plumbing for the bar and foam insulation. 

[bfauska]

I have no idea where my head is at, I thought you asked if he was doing insulation after drywall. 

I guess I'm a bit of a 

[Sprucemoose]

Yes, this was a bit of an oversite.  I was originally going to use fiberglass insulation and then put up a vapor barrier before drywall.  That is what the book I was using told me to do.  After reading many posts on-line I found that this is NOT the way to do basements because of the moisture.     Ideally, I would have put the foam insulation down before framing, but I had already started framing...such is life.  Next time I will buy or read 2 or 3 books first.  The basement has been extremely dry.  I have good grading on the outside of the house, nice drainage so I figure that this will be adequate.


Thank you for tuning into amatuer hour...

[ChadTower]

Where do you live?  Foam insulation isn't a vapor barrier - it's a heat barrier.

[Sprucemoose]

You are right Foam insulation is not a vapor barrier, but it is resistant to moisture.  I suppose it would still be a good idea to put a vapor barrier on before the drywall.  This problem only affects 8ft of my project.  The rest of my walls will not be in contact with the exterior concrete walls.

FYI..I did also learn that Lowes and Home Depot charge $55 for delivery of Drywall.  I don't think that is a bad price to pay for such a service.

[ChadTower]

It's not contact that is the problem - it's moist air and mold.  Contact will make that happen faster, of course, but an air gap will not prevent it.

[shardian]

You are right Foam insulation is not a vapor barrier, but it is resistant to moisture.  I suppose it would still be a good idea to put a vapor barrier on before the drywall.  This problem only affects 8ft of my project.  The rest of my walls will not be in contact with the exterior concrete walls.

FYI..I did also learn that Lowes and Home Depot charge $55 for delivery of Drywall.  I don't think that is a bad price to pay for such a service.

Buy your drywall at HD, then rent their truck for an hour to haul it. I think it is $19.99 per hour.

[myntik1]

If they have to haul it down to your basement I would say the $55 is well worth it

[JackTucky]

FYI..I did also learn that Lowes and Home Depot charge $55 for delivery of Drywall.  I don't think that is a bad price to pay for such a service.

I've never had Lowes or HD offer to move the drywall anywhere but the garage.  Local drywall suppliers are usually cheaper and they bring two guys and a truck full of drywall.  Pay the price, let them move it.   that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- is heavy and it breaks if you don't carry it right.

Of course, if anyone shows up and doesn't want to move it to the basement, say, hey, can I buy you guys lunch?  Here's $20.  they'll probably clean up too.

[D_Zoot]

You are right Foam insulation is not a vapor barrier, but it is resistant to moisture.  I suppose it would still be a good idea to put a vapor barrier on before the drywall.  This problem only affects 8ft of my project.  The rest of my walls will not be in contact with the exterior concrete walls.

That's sweet you have a pretty dry basement.  In my part of the globe damp/wet basements are very common.

I've finished a few basements over the years and learned some tricks:

Avoid putting wood directly against concrete, capilary action will draw moisture out of the concrete right into the wood.  If wood must go against concrete, add a barrier strip of felt or foam (like what is used on wood sills when installing to a concrete foundation).  Treated wood is a plus.

Don't use batt type insulations, they will absorb moisture and ruin the R value of the batt.  The foam types, as you selected, are an excellent choice as R value won't be affected if it gets wet.

And, contrary to popular belief,  do not place a vapor barrier between your framing and drywall !!   It will hold moisture in your framing and walls by sealing the airspace between the barrier and the concrete.   In basement conditions you need to allow the walls to "breathe".   


D

[Sprucemoose]

Haven't been able to work on the basement much this week, but with the 3 day American holiday I should be able to finish the framing, do the electric and plumbing. 

Buy your drywall at HD, then rent their truck for an hour to haul it. I think it is $19.99 per hour.

That would save me money, but I also need to buy a washer and I am pretty sure the delivery will cover both the drywall and washer in 1 load. 

Of course, if anyone shows up and doesn't want to move it to the basement, say, hey, can I buy you guys lunch?  Here's $20.  they'll probably clean up too.

I was thinking the same thing.  Those guys are hourly and I'm sure they could be motivated pretty easy with a some side cash.

It's not contact that is the problem - it's moist air and mold.  Contact will make that happen faster, of course, but an air gap will not prevent it.

I think I am to far into the project to rip everything up and "do it the professional way."  It will not be perfect, but hopefully will withstand the years.

And, contrary to popular belief,  do not place a vapor barrier between your framing and drywall !!   It will hold moisture in your framing and walls by sealing the airspace between the barrier and the concrete.   In basement conditions you need to allow the walls to "breathe".

If this is true then It may not be as bad as I thought.  I will do some research on this and if I can confirm it then I certainly won't use a vapor barrier.

[ChadTower]

That's entirely region specific... and specific to your basement.

[xar256]

If this is true then It may not be as bad as I thought.  I will do some research on this and if I can confirm it then I certainly won't use a vapor barrier.

Check your local building codes.  They'll specify what is required for basements in your area.  Vapor barrier between studs and drywall is required in mine.