I am finishing a basement level apartment in a 3-unit building and I need to decide how to finish the ceiling. All of the plumbing, gas lines, etc. for all 3 units are either between the ceiling joists or run across and are attached to the ceiling joists. One option would be to sheetrock the ceiling by adding sister joists to the existing joists and attaching the sheetrock to the sister joists. The other option would be to install a drop ceiling about 4 or 5 inches below the existing ceiling joists.
Although I don't really like the look of a drop ceiling, I am thinking that a drop ceiling may be the best option. One reason is that I think that a drop ceiling may provide a better sound barrier between the basement level apartment and the first floor apartment. If I do a drop ceiling, I think that 2'x2' panels would look best, but I don't know yet if they have any special types or styles that would look better and less institutional.
Any ideas or suggestions regarding the drop ceiling idea would be appreciated.
I am thinking of adding some type of insulation on top of the drop ceiling panels as an additional sound barrier if that would help. Would the insulation help with the sound and, if so, is there any type of insulation that would be best for doing this and for sound reduction? Since the bathroom would have high moisture and humidity, I assume that it would be better to not use a drop ceiling there and to sheetrock that ceiling instead.