insulated basements

Well I have a basement that is about 1200 sq ft. It is block and not insulated. I am planning on painting it and insulating it over the summer. My house is a ranch style.

Any one have any advice? I have been looking at many ideas and I am unsure as to what is the most effective and least expensive. Any ideas you could offer for me to look at is appreciated. Pictures and statistics are appreciated even more!!

I am just getting into my third ton this season. I hope to keep moding my setup and using just 2 ton next year!

I'd consider building a 2 by 4 wall & using 3 1/2" of fiberglass covered with sheetrock. You want to insulate it, but still allow some loss. If it has zero loss the ground would freeze around it and start pushing the blocks in.

arcticcatmatt wrote:Well I have a basement that is about 1200 sq ft. It is block and not insulated. I am planning on painting it and insulating it over the summer. My house is a ranch style.

Any one have any advice? I have been looking at many ideas and I am unsure as to what is the most effective and least expensive. Any ideas you could offer for me to look at is appreciated. Pictures and statistics are appreciated even more!!

I am just getting into my third ton this season. I hope to keep moding my setup and using just 2 ton next year!

I built my basement walls out of 2x4 framing. I first sealed the blocks with that thick sandy block-sealing paint, then covered it with a sheat of poly vapor barrier. Then built the wood wall 1 inch away from block wall. Insulated with non-papered fiberglass, then finished off with tongue & groove pine. Just remember, Any wood touching cememnt or block must be pressure treated.

Oh yeah, we have a 100% dry basement. No weeping during heavy rains.
Chris F.

My basement is block. It's not tall enough for a finished basement. I'm considering using that poured in insulation, I believe it's called perlite. There used to be another product called vermiculite. I think it was made out of asbestos and no longer available. Not sure how much additional insulation you get just by filling the block. I need to read more about it before I spend the money on it.

Matt, pretty much what the others have said ( although I used 1-1/2 thk Blue Styrofoam instead).

You'll need to build a subfloor as well for finishing that part of the project. These came out a few years ago and can be bought at Home Depot/Lowes http://www.househacker.com/permanent/DR ... ile-System. That said....I wish to hell they had these 20 yrs ago, I built mine by securing 1x2's to the floor in a grid pattern with a Hilty-gun then 3/8 plywood followed by the flooring of your choice. Back in the day it was all carpet but 6 years ago I tore it up and put down Laminate in the Media/Play areas and hallway.

I installed sectional Carpet (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... idid299284) in the master bedroom.
This is a simple DYI carpet system that I highly recommend, easy install and if you get a stain......pull the section out and slap in a new one..wa la.

All this ensures that your basement dwelling will toasty warm all winter long, we spend 40% of our time in ours.

If you have any moisture at all there needs to be a way to vent it out. Otherwise there will be a colony of mycophobes livng behind that new wall waiting to make everyone ill, or worse-allergic reactions.

Even a simple stud wall and some panels (gypsum, wood, whatever) is better than nothing and is easier to vent if needed.

Closed cell foam, foil faced, glued to the walls.
Only if the walls do not weep.
The foil covers fire code in MA I believe.
You can stud the walls out later if you need to finish it off.

A few of the new homes we did the owners opted to use spray on foam insulation. 2 to 3 inches thick, kind of an uneven finish but really stuck on the wall good and made the basement warmer.









RY

Very informative read that addresses moisture issues/mold that may occur if you insulate basement walls incorrectly. Also shows how to insulate correctly.

http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/bu ... /35017.pdf

Mark

Wow great stuff guys! I appreciate all the replies. I am reading them all and looking at all of the concepts and ideas.

I may consult the guy I had inspect this house also to see what he has experienced.

I am losing alot of BTU's thru my concrete floor and block walls. I do not get water in my basement. It was repointed on one wall before I purchased it. There is a crappy coat of paint on alot of it that flakes right off with a little concrete like substance with it.

I have some research to do. I do NOT want health issues. I just want to keep some BTU's in the house.

I'll be honest......My daughter & son-in-law just installed a coal stove in their unfinished basement (with untouched poured concrete walls & a concrete floor) & they have had no problem heating their entire ranch house with no insulation at all on the walls or floor. (snow around the foundation has not melted either)This may be unusual but I would suggest trying things out first to see if you really need to insulate. A few days of running your coal appliance should be all you need to test it out.

^ I have burned all season.

I have melted snow around the house.

Note that UGL DRY-LOK or similar waterproofing paints are meant to be applied over raw block or concrete. If you use it over a masonry wall that has been previously painted with a non-waterproof paint, you will not get the waterproofing effect. Especially if you say there is paint and crumbling masonry coming off the wall.
I fiberglassed a poolhouse wall for a lawyer a couple years ago, the back wall was block and it was up against a hill about four feet deep. A contractor had previously dug up the whole area behind the poolhouse and put in a deep French drain. A little grading would have made this unnecessary- crazy the things that get sold to people with a lot of money.