I am looking into finishing my basement. I have a ranch with cinderblock walls and a cement floor. The basement is unfinished - except the previouse owner put sheetrock on the ceiling - but didn't tape or spackle.

I am looking to do basic construction - nothing fancy. Sheetrock the walls and ceiling. Recessed lighting. Carpet the floor.

I'm thinking about getting part of the room tiled for easy cleanup of the kids arts and crafts.

I am also looking into adding a 1/2 bath - toilet and sink. My problem here is that the waste pipe is about 3 feet above the floor. I'll need to get an ejector setup of some sort (I will be getting the plumbing done by an outside source.)

What I am asking for is resources for guidelines, ideas, planning. Which books are better than others? Are there any good websites? Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks...
Ed

 

Check out my site.

http://www.basementideas.com

 

You do not mention your location so my ansewer will include the possibility that you have some cold climate weather.

Block walls are particularly tough because they can transfer a greater anmount of water vapor ( not water)
to the interior, it then condensates in bulk insulation and becomes water. Even in a warmer climate this can cause problems. So this automatically rules out f g or foam.

I recommend to my customers the following becuse it costs less, is not affected by moisture, no mold and has a higher non degrading insulation factor and is a superior vapor barrier.

The Walls, Attach 1/2" x 4"x4" plywood plates on a 24" grid pattern. Staple a type 2 radiant barrier (Paper base w/foil both sides) to the plates. This will give you a 1/2" air space. Attach vertically 7/8" (similar) steel furring strips. Install drywall. If you need to install wood studs you can install the radiant barrier to the studs on the surface. Just make sure you cave it in so that you have an air space between the drywall and foil.

If you have fg between the floor joists on rimboard, remove it as it can cause dryrot. Cut radiant barrier panels slightly larger than space and staple in. Leave airspace betweem foil and rimboard.

If you install a carpet on the cement I can almost gaurantee mold and other problems. Install a dimpled polypropelyne vapor barrier ( type used on exterior basement walls . To the bottom of the 3/4" sub flooring attach your radiant barrier material. You may have to use tap-cons to pull the matterials to the floor. Install carpet
Insulated floor, no moisture problems. Make sure the dimples face up.

Thank you for letting me share my perdonal opinions with you.

If you have any further questions about materials or installation let know.

On you search engine enter "radiant barrier insulation" and "reflective insulations" .