Hey Everyone I'm starting to plan out my basement and want to beging finishing it several months from now. I've watched videos and read books regarding basement finishes, so I just wanted to get everyone's advice on here. What is the best way to attach the P/T bottom plate to the concrete floor? I've seen where they use a powder actuated fastener to attach it, then i've seen just using a hammer drill w/ a masonry bit to drill a hole. Basically I just want to know what everyone else has used, what type of fastener, bit, screw, etc. Thanks for all of your help, I've come to realize this discussion board will help me out a lot in the future.

Hi - My basement has a once-a-year water problem, usually around the time when the ground is still frozen, lots of snow on the ground, and we get a torrential rainstorm on top of it (Feb or Mar around here in Boston). The water comes up through cracks in the floor, not through the walls or the joint where the walls meet the floor. Someone in work suggested I dig a trench along the side of the house that has the problem, lay some crushed/pea stone on the bottom, put in perforated pipe on top of that covered by landscape cloth, and back fill the trench. This all makes sense to me, and seems like a good way to carry the water away. I know other people who have done this successfully. However, the trencher I can rent locally will only go down 30 inches. We do have low ceilings in the basement, but all this means is the bottom of the trench would still be a foot above the floor/wall joint. Also, with this machine I will not be digging right along the foundation, but about 16 inches away from it. I have been doing some reading, and when this drainage pipe is included with new construction, it is right at the foundation footing (or at least that's how it is shown in drawings that I've seen). My question is, given the restrictions on how deep the trencher can go, and the distance away from the foundation, will it still be worth my effort to do this? I was planning to dig two trenches - one as close to the house as possible, the other one two feet further out from the first. I have yet to call someone who digs trenches for a living (landscaper or sewer-connection person) to compare prices to the rental. I also have not looked around for a machine that will go deeper and/or closer, if one exists that I can afford. Any advice, comments, suggestions you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dave