Basement renovation / Discussions

...basement and wasn't sure if the tar paper even really did anything or its an old practice the contractor was used to doing? Basements are often moldy, and unfortunately even after basement renovations are completed because people usually rebuild them in the same way, which would meet Einstein’s definition of insanity –...

...Basements Moldy? Preventing moisture when you insulate your basement Building better basements: how to insulate your basement properly  Waterproofing an d heating solutions for basement floors New blowing agents for spray foam insulation don't cause climate change

...basements properly to avoid mold, heat loss and water infiltration, see this page here - Best practices for basement construction - new home or renovations  Thar should provide all the answers you need, and feel free to ask a follow up question once you've read it over. And specifically to your questions - If the basem...

...basement if you do decide to do some more work on it. Why are Basements Moldy? How to Fix & Prevent Mold in Homes Preventing mold when you insulate your basement Marmoleum : A healthy and non-toxic green flooring product The Difference Between an HRV and an ERV    

...basement Building better basements: how to insulate your basement properly   How to Control Radon Gas in Homes  

...Basements Moldy? How to Fix & Prevent Mold in Homes Preventing Mold when you Insulate your Basement Building Better Basements: How to Insulate your Basement Properly  

...basement between the floor and wall. It was a finished basement with carpeting. We don't plan to put carpeting back in but would like something nice looking that would not have to be removed if this ever happened again. It previously was a completly dry basement since 1993. Thanks for any help. There are a few things y...

...basement (walls and floor) surfaces are formed of poured concrete. One side of the basement has full-size regular casement windows, but the bottom of those windows is nearly at-grade. That wall is still full-height poured concrete. The rest of the basement is below-grade.   We aren't going to be drywalling our basement...

...basement has been removed and replaced with spray foam insulation; the foundation around my house on the outside surface has been waterproofed  (4 cracks were found inside the basement walls) and the grading reversed. I’ve had many contractors come to my house and most of their suggestions have been implemented. Unfort...

...basement wall. Moisture issue in spring ( and I suspect fall). We get a lot of people asking about the best way to insulate a cinder block (CMU) foundation wall, I would say the first place to go is this discussion here which I think already answers all your questions -   How to insulate a cinder block foundation wall ...

...basement. Moisture is building up in the insulation because the wall is trying to dry to the inside but it is being prevented from doing so by the poly vapor barrier. This page explains what a mistake a basement vapor barrier is -  Why are Basements Moldy? How to Fix & Prevent Mold in Homes A dehumidifier is a good...

...basements, and for a few more tips you could check out this page -  How to Insulate Basements Properly And to address your question specifically, in a perfect world yes, you would do it all and continuously. If you are simply not going to insulate your laundry room, you are still better to do the rest of it than not at...

I'm trying to insulate Rim joists /cripple walls in basements have read about three methods using EPS & batt with slightly different orders. Plan to insulate concrete walls with 2" of EPS, with 2x4 framing (filled with rockwool batt), and then drywall. Which one of these approaches should I use?  1) Sandwich multip...

...basements.  Basements and basement walls work differently in summer and winter than walls exposed to air .  Basement walls are always cold but touching earth on the other side that could be 99% humid . So the wall needs to dry to the interior right ?  How would smart vapor retarder work in winter   If wall gets wet fro...

...basement, what are the implications of having half of the footprint as a slab, and half basement? Thanks Shaun   That is a common question, and a hot topic that often brings dissagreement, but we like that though!  So much so that we have a page highlighting the pros and cons, check it out -  Slab on Grade or Foundatio...

...basement walls has 2”  of foam on them so any warmer air from finished basement would permiate through mineral wool to the wall but air space would or should allow for dry out no? Thoughts on that specific method?  Any research on it or seen it before fail or do fine? I wouldn't go so far as saying it was a 'terrible' ...

...basement ceiling to inspect wiring etc. My concern is this; the unfinished basement will be cold next winter and that will spread to the rest of the house with the ceiling opened up down there. Should I insulate the basement ceiling? It’s possible that our basement is not suitable for refinishing, so it might always be...

...basement.  We’ve got a minor crack in the grout, and we were advised to fill the block with concrete for strength, in addition to repairing the grout.   Thanks in advance  Hi Nina,  That's a structural question that we would be unable to answer unfortately, since a crack in a block foundation may indicate an issue but ...