I'm preparing to frame a basement wall that's below grade. 1) should I put plastic sheeting across the wall as a moisture barrier? 2) I have a small vertical crack that gets damp when it rains. There's mineral deposits along the crack. How do I patch it? 3) My local code, based on BOCA, requires a firestopper above the header. It shoudl be either 5/8 drywall or 3/4 plywood. But they don't tell me how far, if any, it needs to extend beyond the framing and into the room space. I understand it needs to be flush to the masonry wall. Any experience with firestoppers? Thanks.

I'm new to this forum and I'm looking for some help with a project. We are in the process of finishing our basement and are using 2 1/2 inch steel studs 16 inches on center during framing, placing them 1 inch out from the exterior concrete walls. What type of insulation do we use in our project? The only requirement we have (I believe) is to use a minumum of R11 per the building code. Do we use a vapor barrier or not? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.