Basement Remodel Dilemma

[<troubled]

Attached is a photo of my dilemma. I need to frame out the wall and box in the duct work. Problem is , how do I attach a header for the stud wall since I cannot get to the floor studs because of the drain pipe. Also I need the stud wall and the frame for the duct to come together so as to leave a neat corner for the dry wall. I had planned on using 2X2&#39;s and 1/2 inch osb to frame in the ducts. Can anyone advise, I would appreciate it.

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[Jeff]

I just ignored the duct work in my basement. I ran a drop ceiling up to both sides of it. I painted the ductwork a light tan color. Looks a lot better than a low drop ceiling.

[John McGaw]

Floor studs? Perhaps you meant joists? Anyway, why would you want to attach anything up there on the side with the pipe? I&#39;d certainly think that building the soffit (that&#39;s what such a structure is normally called) to surround both the pipe and the ducts would make more sense. The horizontal leg of the "L"-shaped structure would attach to the wall or to the studs which will line the wall if you are indeed turning the corner. The vertical leg of the "L" will attach to the ceiling.

I just got done building a somewhat smaller soffit in my finished family room which I recently had to un-finish for HVAC and insulation upgrades. Built it from 2X2 lumber and used #20 biscuits at each joint. When the glue was dry I added some long deck screws to strategic locations in the framework and then screwed it to the ceiling joists and the wall furring strips. The biscuits were there primarily to provide alignment but the result was amazingly strong even without the added screws.

Oh, and for fire-protection purposes, you probably want to avoid OSB in such a location unless you are going to cover it with drywall. And since drywall will do the job just fine by itself you might as well just use it alone. Oh, and it would be a good idea to properly tape each duct joint with HVAC aluminum foil tape and apply wrap-around insulation to the ducts before you go closing them in.

Just my $0.02 (adjusted for inflation) of course...

[dnoyeB]

i always am bothered by painting things that heat up. Im concerned it may give off fumes. my ductwork was encased in 2x4s then overlayed with thin sheet of plywood and had drywall applied to that.

[Bob (but not THAT Bob)]

Forget the osb and the 2x2s - use metal studs and runners faced with drywall.

Attach a runner to the concrete wall as in this diagram:

For more info, go to:

and search for "soffit".