Basement Remodel

[illini40]

Hey INGO,

Based on your experiences and expertise, do you have any tips/suggestions/lessons learned/etc on basement remodels that I should consider before starting to plan our basement remodel?

We are starting to think about tearing into our next remodeling project - the basement. Since moving in about 8 months ago, the basement has just been a catch all for storage. We want to turn it into more livable/usable space.


The basement is technically finished today, but boxed off with rooms, old paneling, cold linoleum flooring, wasted space, dirty drop ceiling, and just a half bath.


Goal as we see it today: one bedroom, family room area, closed off laundry/storage room, and turning the half bath into a full bath.

Just curious to get any thoughts before we start putting a plan and budget together....

 

[Suprtek]

I don't claim to be an expert but my first advice would be to make absolutely sure your basement is properly set up to stay dry no matter what. Double and triple check these things before you spend money on remodeling. Then check them again. Even after all that, I'd still consider a back up system of some kind. It would be terrible to have all your hard work and money wasted because a basement did something that all basements are capable of doing...flood. It's not just the space you need to consider either, its all the new stuff you will likely end up putting in there. The other thing I'd mention is to make sure your insurance is properly adjusted when you're done so you'll be properly covered should something happen.

 

[spec4]

Is it code to have a bedroom down there?

 

[Cpl. Klinger]

Is it code to have a bedroom down there?

I know there has to be a window exit for each bedroom ina basement, but IANAL or code expert.

 

[dyerwatcher]

Be sure to properly vent your furnace room unless you have a direct vent. Many people neglect to do this. If you box off your furnace room, it does not draw enough fresh air. CO2 could become an issue. Simply install to rather large vents, say 24" x 16" one one foot from the ceiling and one directly below it one foot from the floor and you will be good to go. You could also use a vented door. Very simple but a very common oversight that could be tragic.

 

[Mackey]

Insulate!! It's often hard to keep the basement warm.
If you have kids that will be teens, really consider sound proofing the ceiling ESPECIALLY if the basement is under your bedroom!! Roll insullation provides some sound dampening for sure, but if I had to do it over, I'd do even more to cut down on sound from the basement (ours is well used by teens!).

 

[illini40]

I know there has to be a window exit for each bedroom ina basement, but IANAL or code expert.

The basement is only partially below ground level - "daylight" or "look out" pour (not sure on technical terms).

It has large Egress windows already installed.

 

[illini40]

Be sure to properly vent your furnace room unless you have a direct vent. Many people neglect to do this. If you box off your furnace room, it does not draw enough fresh air. CO2 could become an issue. Simply install to rather large vents, say 24" x 16" one one foot from the ceiling and one directly below it one foot from the floor and you will be good to go. You could also use a vented door. Very simple but a very common oversight that could be tragic.

Thanks for the heads up - I will check this out before we tear into anything.

The furnace room is currently boxed in, towards the middle of the basement. It is vented and has vented closet doors, but we will need to make sure it is vented enough.

 

[illini40]

Insulate!! It's often hard to keep the basement warm.
If you have kids that will be teens, really consider sound proofing the ceiling ESPECIALLY if the basement is under your bedroom!! Roll insullation provides some sound dampening for sure, but if I had to do it over, I'd do even more to cut down on sound from the basement (ours is well used by teens!).

Any specific suggestions on sound dampening materials / methods?

This is definitely something that is a must on our list. We want to keep noise from the basement in the basement and noise from upstairs upstairs. Also, the furnace area is a little noisy, so hoping to cut that noise down as well.

 

[looney2ns]

Watch Mike Holmes so you learn how NOT to do a basement remodel!

Sump pump and a backup sump pump that runs on battery.
If humidity averages above 50%, solve it or you'll have mold.

You may need to zone the HVAC so you have proper control of heat cool.

For the floor, look at something like this:
DRIcore® Subfloor| Home Owner

 

[looney2ns]

Purchase insulation made for sound damping for the ceiling, not regular insulation.

If you are able to sheet rock the ceiling, use barrier breaker steel strips on the joist's first.

If you can't a good suspended ceiling and proper sound control insulation can help.

 

[dprimm]

If I can get ever get a basement, I will look into the radiant heating for under the floor. Slabs are COLD in the winter. Grew up with a half-under basement ... floor was still cold.

 

[Onrails]

I ended us grinding my floors down and dying the concrete.
This method has worked out great for us and if you ever have a small water issue no carpet to tear up.
I second the sound proofing and used mineral wool from menards. It won't burn under 2k degrees and is made to kill the sound.
I worked with job site supply for all of the concrete and they were more than helpful.

Good luck

 

[88GT]

Is it code to have a bedroom down there?

I know there has to be a window exit for each bedroom ina basement, but IANAL or code expert.

Would apply to new construction only, I imagine. You can't keep people from using their house as they desire. What's the difference between a family room and a bedroom in a basement? But no one ever worries about egress from the family room.

Be sure to properly vent your furnace room unless you have a direct vent. Many people neglect to do this. If you box off your furnace room, it does not draw enough fresh air. CO2 could become an issue. Simply install to rather large vents, say 24" x 16" one one foot from the ceiling and one directly below it one foot from the floor and you will be good to go. You could also use a vented door. Very simple but a very common oversight that could be tragic.

Louvered doors will do the trick, particularly if your furnace room is more than just a box to hold the furnace. There's a minimum size for the vent based on X, Y, and Z, but I've never seen any room require more than the louvered door.

Watch Mike Holmes so you learn how NOT to do a basement remodel!

Sump pump and a backup sump pump that runs on battery.
If humidity averages above 50%, solve it or you'll have mold.

You may need to zone the HVAC so you have proper control of heat cool.

For the floor, look at something like this:
DRIcore® Subfloor| Home Owner

DRIcore rocks. But they make a less expensive version. The plastic underlayment is separate from the plywood and purchased in rolls. You lay those out and then lay your subfloor across them perpendicularly. DRIcore just makes it a faster install and easier to handle since the DRIcore panels are something like 24"x24" instead of 4x8 sheets of plywood. We have used both. We used the rolls (I think it's called Platon) for our partial below-grade (lower level of tri-level) family room since it was one large room and we didn't have to worry about corners, door frames, and the like. The DRIcore is a better option if you are leaving the walls in place and installing the flooring around them. We are just finishing up the finishing of our real basement. We used the DRIcore for it. We have installed carpet and laminate over both. There is no cold floor feeling like you get with the concrete floor (IOW, no need for radiant heat!).

One thing to watch out for when installing the basement flooring system like DRIcore or Platon is low spots in the floor, the location of your floor drain, assuming you have one, and any cleanouts for sewage lines that might be under the basement slab.

The dehumidifier is important. Also, consider how you will repair something when the basement floods. Just assume the basement will flood. Planning around that assumption will save you some time and headache in the future when you're looking at wet this and wet that and asking yourself, "Why didn't I......?"

 

[looney2ns]

If I can get ever get a basement, I will look into the radiant heating for under the floor. Slabs are COLD in the winter. Grew up with a half-under basement ... floor was still cold.

That's why they should be properly insulated when installed, under the slab and at the edges. That way it acts as a heat sink, and helps modify the temps...instead of being cold.

 

[IndyGunworks]

Not sure I entirely understand the drycore. It appears that it will allow a small amount of water to flow to a drain, but how does it help if you get say 3 inch's of water in the basement? I mean if its going to flood, its not going to stop at half an inch

 

[88GT]

Not sure I entirely understand the drycore. It appears that it will allow a small amount of water to flow to a drain, but how does it help if you get say 3 inch's of water in the basement? I mean if its going to flood, its not going to stop at half an inch

It doesn't. But for a basement prone to seepage or perhaps the occasional "wetting" due to singularly heavy rain events (or melt events), it means you don't have to worry about the hundreds of dollars of flooring that you just installed getting ruined from being soaked.

 

[IndyGunworks]

clear... its not the product for me then. I don't anticipate any seepage in the basement I am going to get installed this year, but there is the potential of it flooding but mostly because of a backup through the sump pit, and if that happens its not going to be just some seepage.

 

[88GT]

Yeah, nothing will help a back-up event or a sump failure. And it doesn't matter what you have, it's going to get ruined.

 

[nalees]

I'm in the process of "preparation" for our basement remodel too... I'm a DIYer, but this is the biggest project I've ever tackled.

Anyways, I thought I would point out that Menard's is having a 11% off everything sale, including gift cards. We loaded up a couple of gift cards and will get 11% off... Then you can turn around and buy more stuff at an additional 11% off with those gift cards. Seemed like a good way to save money to me.