I recently finished my basement but haven't put up the ceiling yet. i have finished walls, carpet etc. I'm gonna put up tile or drop ceiling. Anyway. I have an overhang above the basement from the fire place and the bay window which underneath creates a draft between the boards under there. I put insulation R-11 under the bay window area but I am concerned about under the fire place. There is the gas pipe that leads to the fire place which extends out about 2-3 feet. I just want to put 2 foot section of insulation starting from the bottom of the area up to the floor of the main room between the joist. Long story short, is it safe to put this insulation around the gas pipes. Is there an alternative? Please advice. Thanks Terry

Hello, I plan to install recessed (can) lighting after I finish framing my basement. Later, I expect I'll go with 4'x2' drop ceiling panels. Two questions on the lighting. 1) Is there a rule of thumb on # of light units (or watts) per sq foot of finished area? 2) The can light fixtures have an adjustable rectangular frame that apparently can either be mounted between the joists or simply rested on the ceiling grid (frame)? Is one of these methods of installing recommended over the other? Thanks for your ideas, Eric