Typically one must set back an outside wall about a half inch, then insulate between the studs, right? But in my house, there is a lot of plumbing that runs along the outside walls. Is it OK to frame a wall much further, like about 6" to clear the pipes? How about even more, like 2', so that the plumbing can be reached if there is leakage? My basement is huge, so I'm not concerned about losing floor space. What is the insulation recommendation then? Thanks.
Finishing off a basement - framing walls question
Apr 04, 2006
3 Replies
Some here will tell you to leave a couple inches.
The book I read said to get the studs as close to the block/concrete as you can but still have them plumb and straight. Then insulate with R13 non-faced batts and staple a continuous vapor barrier on the room side of wall.
If you have plumbing along the wall, I'd guess the choice on an additional few inches of clearance or building soffits is entirely yours.
The 2' access space seems handy but sure is a high price to pay to avoid having to re-do some drywall in 20 years, no matter how big the basement is.
-rev
What kind of plumbing is running along the outside walls? Is it 4" ABS running along the ceiling? You can just build a bulkhead around it rather than extend the entire wall out.
On Tue, 04 Apr 2006 13:01:56 -0400, Patrick Coghlan wrotF:
Yeah is 4". I could box it in but it would be a PITA. Would prefer the simpler way of just moving the stick walls inward. But if there would be a moisture problem in the future then I guess I'll have to do it.
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