Basement Refinishing Questions

[larrybud2002]

I've been reading the vault of postings for basement refinishing, and had a couple of questions....

I have joists in the basement, 8' ceilings. So I was going to put 1x3 pressure treated down, shim them up, and cover with OSB for the subfloor (this is on top of concrete, no water problems). Then carpet over that, sound good?

I do have a drain for a toilet, and thought it'd be a good idea to stick one down there while I'm at it. The water softener is right by that drain, so would you recommend framing that into the bathroom to get it out of sight?

The landing for the basement is only open to the left. It's framed in with a door, and it's impossible to move anything larger than 4x4 through that door. Terrible design. I was going to rip that door out and open up the wall a bit going down to move larger objects down there (like a pool table, drywall, etc). Any problem in doing so?

Drop ceiling... While I'd rather have drywall ceilings, drop will make it so much easier for running pipes, wires, etc, in the future. Do you frame around main air duct that splits the room or drop the ceiling another 6" to cover the whole thing?

TIA.

[jaykchan]

Basement tends to have a higher humidity level than the rest of the house because the HVAC system probably will not take care of the basement. Stepping on a carpet that has a slightly higher humidity level may have a kind of sticky feeling.

I like drop ceiling for running wiring. Many time we simply cannot forsee what kind of wiring that we may need to run in the future. A drop-ceiling takes care of this possibility.

I would not want to drop the ceiling by 6". You has 8-ft ceiling that is reasonably good height. But then you need to subtract the floor height and the drop ceiling height. You may end up getting 7-ft left. If you need to drop the ceiling further by 6" for the air duct, you will only have 6.5-ft left. That is a bit too low. And a low ceiling will subtract the "value" of a finished basement (here "value" means the value to you in term of comfort and having a good feeling, and is not in term of dollar value).

Seem like the air duct runs along the center of the room, you can frame around it, and kind of using it as a way to divide the room into two areas to achieve a "rooms within a room" effect -- like one side is a bar another side is an entertainment center. And you can put furniture around it to re-inforce the idea.

Jay Chan

[Duane Bozarth]

Not for a basement...it will absorb moisture and swell far worse than ply even though it is cheaper... .....

[CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert]

Cant comment. I am putting carpet tiles down ontop of the cement.

Or move the softner since its just piping. Framing the bathroom is a good idea.

good idea. Do it now before you have to bring down a hot water heater or new furnace, etc.

my basement is drywalled over the main I-beam where the return ducts are also, and drop ceiling everywhere else.

[larrybud2002]

Thanks.

Ok, let me add this: I've already partitioned the basement with my woodshop in one half with sheetrock and a door (with the utilities), and the part I'm going to finish in the other. Does that count?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Moisture barrier, then indulation between the 1 x 3. I don' tknow how good OSB is for a floor, I'd use plywood.

Probably would look better that way.

Yes, it is a fire hazzard. Check with your building officialn, but AFAIK, a door is requred to a basement with utilities. Wider door or a double door is a good idea though. You can put up a 32" door for normal use, but have a swinging 18" or so side for when you need the extra space.

What looks best to you and is practical to work with.