Framing A Basement, Can Anyone Do It?

Posted on March 1, 2011 by lirockone


Framing a basement can be very easy and fun if you follow the right steps so nothing gets buried in the process. Anyone can frame a basement if your physically able to pick up a saw and use it, and move small sections of wall around. But don’t worry if you have never run a saw before, I will be teaching a little on that on the before you start page. Lets go through the basic steps to get you going on your project.

1. Clear the area of any items that you have stored. Move everything to the opposite end of where you plan to start, or out to a garage or storage unit would be even better, so the electrician can move without anything being in his or her way. This will make things go faster and smoother. Sweep the floor so the chalk lines will stick to the floor where the walls are going to be.

2. Visually check to make sure that there is no moisture anywhere. Check where floor meets the exterior walls, and any cracks that might be in the walls and floor. Some basements will have blanket insulation up already, if they are fairly new.  If this is the case then your basement should already be sealed good from the outside.
Get some sealer and seal all visible cracks so that moisture does not get in later down the road after you are all done.
Follow the prevent moisture link in the right column, or go to your local lumber yard, Lowes, or Home Depot. Make sure to tell them that you are sealing the inside of the basement and not the out. The outside of the basement is probably already buried.

3. Go to the tools needed page and start gathering the tools that you are going to need. You can borrow, rent, or get your own at a reconditioned tool store at reasonable rates. Most of the tools are fairly reasonable to buy. The skill saw will be cheaper at a reconditioned tools store, but check prices because some are higher then you can get a new one for. Then get a good 40 tooth carbide blade to put in it so that your cuts are easier.

4. Next, go to the before you start page and perform the tasks set there. When framing a basement, or any structure, you need to do certain things like check your level for accuracy. The before you start page will take you through these tasks.

5. Now that you are done with the tools needed and the before you start pages, you are ready to snap some lines and order some lumber.
Snapping lines is a very important step. You can change lines real easy, where changing walls after they are built is not so easy. Go to snap lines page and follow the steps there and snap all the lines on the floor before you do anything more.

6. Now that your done snapping lines, you are ready to order the lumber that you will use to frame a basement. Now go to order lumber page and figure out how much you need to do the framing.

7. Now your ready to go to the layout page and carefully study the measurements for doors, halls, closets and so on. You will find all the dimensions that you will need for your rooms features. The layout page will cover special room sizes like how much room you need for bathrooms, closets, doors, and so on.

8. You are ready to plate the walls and put the layout writing on them. Go to the plate and detail walls page and complete all the detailing before framing any walls. This way you can see all the walls, doors, and so on in place before you frame. Make any changes to door positions or wall placement now. Go to the Framing A Basement wall section of this site to learn how to frame the walls.
Down Load page, and save, or print, and take with you.

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Insulating Basement

Posted on February 27, 2011 by lirockone



Insulating basement is one of the easier projects when building or remodeling a house or basement. You just have to make sure that all the other subcontractors are done with what they have to do. Electrician, plumber, phone, heat, all have to be done before you can insulate. There are a couple of things that will determine the insulating that you will do.
If you already have blanket insulation on the exterior walls, over the concrete, then all you will need to do is the ceiling if you want to cut the noise down. Insulating basement ceiling for sound is very easy also, I will cover both walls, and ceiling for sound.
The insulation these days, is way nicer to work with then it use to be. The old stuff made you break out. But do not worry, the new insulation is no where near as bad, and here are some things you can pick up to prevent any irritation.

1. Paper mask, make sure the mask’s nose band is bent over your nose so that there isn’t any gaps for the insulation to get in.
2. Goggles, the clear goggles that seal to your forehead and cheeks are the best.
3. Painters disposable suit or coveralls. They are really light and won’t get to hot. You want to make sure you stay cool so that your pores do not open up to let any fibers in. That brings up another important point. After you are done for the day, take a cool shower for the first few minutes to keep your pores from opening, then you can switch to hot after you are rinsed off good. These little tricks will make insulating a basement a pleasure instead of making you wish you never tried.
4. I like to use a sharp, long bladed knife to cut the insulation with, so the cut is cleaner, and I can keep my hands out of it, much as possible.
5. Next, you will need a measuring tape so you can be accurate on your cuts.

Insulating walls and ceiling are very easy tasks to do. We will start with figuring how much insulation you are going to need.

Walls

Multiply height x length of each of the exterior walls, add those numbers together and divide by the amount of square ft. of insulation in each bag, this will give you the number of bags you need for the walls.

Ceiling

If you are going to insulate the ceiling for sound proofing then you multiply width x length and divide by square ft. in each bag. If you want to really do a good sound proofing job, then put up what they call hat channel to hold the sheet rock below the floor joist. If you put the hat channel up before the insulation, then it will help hold the insulation in place as you work. You should know if you are going to use hat channel ahead of time so you can tell the electrician, plumber, and heating people to hold there work down 1 and 1/4 inch below the joist. Put the hat channel 16″ on center, then you can use 1/2″ rock for walls and ceiling, much easier to hang if you plan to hang the rock yourself.

If your exterior walls have the blanket insulation on them, then you do not need to do the walls again after framing them. The blanket insulation also has the vapor barrier on it so you do not need to do that as well. I will explain vapor barrier after you learn insulating.

Cutting The Insulation

Insulation comes 1/2 inch wider then the bays that you will have in your framing. If you framed at 16″ centers, then you will need to get 15″ wide insulation, and if you framed 24″ centers, then you need to get 23″ wide insulation.
I like to use unfaced insulation so I can see that I am doing a good job closing all the gaps as I go. Get the rolls of unfaced instead of the precut bats of insulation because basements are usually not a full 8 ft. high and you will have to cut the bats anyway, creating to much waste.

Use a 4 ft. piece of 2×4 to cut on so you do not ruin your knife on the concrete. Measure how tall the bay’s are on the exterior wall and add 1/2 inch. This is the number for your cuts.
Measure out from one of the walls, the number that you have and center your cutting board on that number. Draw a line around the 2×4, in case it moves, you can quickly return it. This way you can make all your cuts for the bays that measure the same, and not have to pull your tape out every time.

Insulation is made to trap air and create a dead air space, this is why you should make sure the insulation is fluffed up instead of jambed into place. This is why I take the extra time to make good cuts and fluff each piece of insulation as I go, making sure there are no gaps by the studs or top and bottom. Make a slice half way through the insulation when you come to wires so the insulation fills the hole completely. When you come to a box, cut a piece a little smaller then the box, halfway through and pull it out so the box has insulation all around and behind it. Taking the time to make these cuts, will eliminate most of the gaps in the insulation. Gaps that can not be avoided, like around a big group of wires, or around pipes, can be filled with Great Stuff spray insulation. Insulating basement in this way will make it even more comfortable then the upstairs in your house and will hold the heat better. Especially if you do the ceiling.

Now that you are all done the with walls you can put vapor barrier on them, unless you have the blanket insulation, then you don’t want any vapor barrier or insulation.
Get a roll or two of vapor barrier or plastic that is 9 ft. by 150 ft. 6 mill. Then you will need a stapler, squeeze handle, or hammer type. Roll the plastic out along your insulated wall and cut it at the end. Pull the plastic to the top of the wall and staple all along the top, pulling snug as you go. Then pull down and staple, starting in the middle and work your way to the ends. No need to cut around window’s unless you really need to see out, they can be done later. Vapor barrier is for exterior walls only, it keeps the moisture from coming through to the sheet rock. I hope that this insulating basement section has been helpful, and has answered some question’s that you may have had.

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Framing Basement Walls, Are They Really That Hard?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by lirockone



Framing basement walls are really quite easy.  All you need is a few instructions on how to do the detailing, door sizes, closet doors sizes, and a few other measurements.  The most important measurements that you need to know is distances for tub, toilet, vanity, and door for a bathroom.  The basics details are on the layout page. There are also minimum distances for certain area’s like hallways.  Minimum for a hallway is 3 ft. finished, so the framing distance inside the hall should be 3 ft. 1 inch.  Little things like these are all you need to do the job yourself and save a lot of money.  Framing basement walls is an important part, because they are the foundation for the rest of the finish.  When you are framing basement walls, you need to remember, don’t make it complicated. You have a top and a bottom plate for your wall, you turn them on there edge and put a stud at each layout or mark.  Make sure that you put the crown up every time, this will make your walls a lot straighter.  Almost every stud has a curve on the edge or crown.  Place the studs on the layout marks and nail or screw them in place.  Two 3″ nails or screws will do for 2×4 walls. Layout and the detailing will be explained on other pages on the site so you can better understand the terms.     There will also be a definitions of terms page to explain the other terms that might lose you.  Lines that you snap on the floor will keep your wall straight on the bottom.  Make sure you pick the straightest plate material for the top plates, this will keep you from having to do a lot of extra work.  Having to straighten a top plate on a wall after it is already nailed and standing is a lot easier if straighter lumber is used.  Framing basement walls is not hard if you have all the right information and tricks to get the job done right the first time.  If you would like to see some of my work, as a reference, you can go to my blog at http://decks4u.blogspot.com
I have more to add to the blog, you can get an idea of some of the work that I have done, and trust that I do know some about it.  You can read more about me on the about page.
There will be a sheet rocking and tape & texture site to follow this site, so you can keep going on your project after the subcontractors are done with there work.  Just so you know, some states will let you do your electrical, and so on if you know how, you just need to get a permit and have an inspection before you can cover it up.  Home depot has books on the basics of electricity and plumbing.  Questions will be answered from the contact page on my email, until I have enough information to do a F.A.Q. page.  There will be an ebook with all this information on it, with pictures and illustrations to help you more.  Good luck and happy saving money.

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