Basement Obstacles

Users who are viewing this thread

Bodah

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Ohio
I am about to begin my basement finishing project, but wasn't sure about the best way to go about framing around some of the existing obstacles.

There are 3 that stand out.
1. Horizontal and Vertical drain by window.
2. Beam, Ventilation, Gas and Water.
3. Drain and AC that run length of wall

Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/khvlj


Should I box those in before I build the walls, or after? Any other suggestions would be helpful.
 

Dana

In the trades
Messages
7,889
Reaction score
509
Points
113
Location
01609
Before you close it all in you'll need to air-seal around those band-joist insulation or the air convection will saturate your band joist during the winter, leading to high mold risk come spring/summer.

Is that just foil-faced batts on the wall, or is the shiny stuff an add-on? Since it appears to be open to room air at the bottom and full of air-permeable fluff, that's a similar mold problem.

Below grade you DON'T want to use foil faced batts because it will trap ground moisture in the framing. If there is to be any vapor barrier at all it belongs between the concrete and the rest, and preferably it would be a vapor retardent rigid foam insulation or something, not air-permeable moisture wicking stuff like fiberglass. In a combination studwall + foam you 'd want to go with sufficient R-value in the foam exterior to the batts to limit condensation at the foam/fiber boundary (which would be about R5 to be protective for a 2x4 wall in the colder parts of OH, R2.5 in the warmer parts. An inch of rigid EPS (the stuff of cheap coolers & coffee cups) and unfaced R13s kraft faced in a 2x4 studwall would be OK, and would get you there without creating a mold-farm. Putting an inch of EPS between the studwall bottom plate and the slab as a thermal and capillary break doesn't hurt either.

Got a zip code? (For weather/climate-zone purposes.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks