ehsnils Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 The time has come for me to insulate my crawl space. I decided to use thermasheath on the blocks before I insulate the subfloor. Does anyone have experience in this field? I'm wondering if gluing would suffice or if I need to use furring strips. Watch out for humidity and condensation causing mold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 I've been keeping an eye on it. Everything looks good right now but that's the main reason I want to start with the foundation as opposed to the joists. Ice cold floors in this weather is killing my electricity bill. Windows aren't helping either but that's a whole other issue I'll deal with next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baconbits Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 I think they mean keep an eye out for humidity problems after insulating. Part of the reason I decided to not finish (frame walls, drywall, etc) my basement is that by insulating it, I'd be creating prime spots for mold to grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdmayne Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 The only good mold is cheese John Hancock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 If you used close cell foam on the walls and the right barrier on the floor won't that solve most mold issues? Maybe will need to install a dehumidifier to pull moisture out occasionally. My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Yep. A proper vapor barrier is the way to go. Maintaining steady humidity levels at about 55% or so will also greatly help fight the damp/moldy conditions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baconbits Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 The process I saw to insulate a basement is to adhere rigid foam to the walls itself - big ##### patterns on the wall using Liquid Nails or something, NOT squiggles or dots or S shapes because those allows air to flow down the wall between the insulation and wall - and then frame your walls out beyond that. Air flowing from the top, which could be cold (uninsulated ends of joists, for instance) flowing down which then meets damp basement air, condensation, etc.... I talked to the mold remediation company I used and the guys all told me that I could do that but they would be back out in 10 years when I had another mold problem - mold actually feeds off most adhesives and will grow on foam insulation. You could put a vapor barrier up like plastic between the stud walls and the basement block wall, but then there's air in there, moisture, and mold will just grow in there instead of on your studs. Without having a basement in Phoenix that's been tarred on the outside and sealed under the floor before it's poured (essentially living in a boat inside an ocean of dirt ), pretty much any basement is too wet to finish and guarantee no mold. Do what you can to keep your basement humidity under 40-45% too, according to a home building buddy of mine. YMMV, every situation is different but I didn't want to chance it. It's just my girlfriend and me in our 1350sqft house so the basement is just heated storage right now... if we had triplets or something, yeah, I'd be more worried about a solution but at that point, we'd be looking for a different house altogether. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted November 22, 2016 Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2016 Without having a basement in Phoenix that's been tarred on the outside and sealed under the floor before it's poured (essentially living in a boat inside an ocean of dirt ), pretty much any basement is too wet to finish and guarantee no mold. This *might* be technically true, but in reality that's BS. Plenty of finished basements out there that never have an issue. Now if you finish it with an existing moisture problem(s), then sure, you're asking for trouble. "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Without having a basement in Phoenix that's been tarred on the outside and sealed under the floor before it's poured (essentially living in a boat inside an ocean of dirt ), pretty much any basement is too wet to finish and guarantee no mold. Do what you can to keep your basement humidity under 40-45% too, according to a home building buddy of mine. My only experience with this is watching Holmes on homes and the exterior tar + interior closed cell spray foam was his solution to moisture issues. With usually some sort of exterior (french) drain to move water away from the wall. My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 40% RH is pretty damn low. as long as you have proper maintained moisture levels, a good vapor block and you're waterproof... you should be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baconbits Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 Waterproof on the outside is key but keeping it from coming up through the floor can be an issue too. BMB, it's a lot easier to do on newer homes, IMO, where they can be tarred on the outside during construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated thefultonhow Posted November 22, 2016 I Donated Share Posted November 22, 2016 I had a slight moisture/mold issue in one corner of my basement when I bought my house. Father-in-law put in some exterior PVC piping to get the water from the downspouts out away from the house, plus sealed a gap between the brick facade and the foundation block wall with cement. Then, I bought a big-ass dehumidifier and plumbed it into my sump pump. Haven't had a problem since, AFAIK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 You have two issues with a basement & water damage. 1) ground water. 2) plumbing/drains. It's tough to protect yourself from everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 I have the 6 mil liner on the ground and a sump pump. I installed some new vents but I've heard mixed reviews on actually having them to begin with. I do not currently have any damp spots on foundation walls but would I benefit from coating the walls prior to putting up the foam boards? I really need to do something to rectify my electric bill and the cold floors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 You can dry loc the walls. There's mixed reviews. You need to put up a vapor barrier. Call your local building dept and check what they recommend. Most guys foam spray or foam board the walls then put plastic over that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 This basically lists the options we are talking about. https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/diy-repair/insulating-crawl-space/ My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08SpecB_DE Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 This basically lists the options we are talking about. https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/diy-repair/insulating-crawl-space/ Thanks for the article! It looks like I have the right idea. Hopefully I get some HD gift cards for Christmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJuan Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Bought a newer home, finished painting and furnishing the inside. Now it's time to work on the most important room of all, the garage.....aka man cave. This garage is in very bad shape, previous owners smoked and drove Harleys. Major oil stains and chipped concrete everywhere. First phase, painted walls and hanging cabinets with shop light. My wife's balls are delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdmayne Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Made some progress on my dad's new flooring. There used to be a pony wall between the dining area / living room. We ripped that out and pushed one wall of the closet in the hallway back 6" to be flush with the other wall. Alos widened the entry in to the kitchen. Wall used to be flush with the edge of the carpet. And I put few hours in to a table project I have going... pics when finished, no spoilers John Hancock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJMC Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) I just bought a bunch of organizing systems for my garage between black Friday and today. There will be some transforming happening before the end of the year. - Hang Overhead shelving - Install 240v outlet for Plug-in charger - Install custom shelving - Hang wall organization tracks I attempted to do the overhead shelving myself, but ran into an issue where the joists didn't line up to the standard overhead mounting system. I'll need to put up some custom mounting making use of some wall cleats. I'm also paying some guy in my neighborhood to install some custom shelving in my garage. I'd do it myself if I had the tools. He quoted me $500 for his labor, and materials. Once I get everything off the floor I plan on epoxying the garage floor. After the floor is done I'll go back over the garage and finish the walls. Finishing the floor and the walls probably won't happen until spring/summer of 2017 Edited December 12, 2016 by PeterJMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 How many sets of wheels do you have? My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Made some progress on my dad's new flooring. There used to be a pony wall between the dining area / living room. We ripped that out and pushed one wall of the closet in the hallway back 6" to be flush with the other wall. Alos widened the entry in to the kitchen. Wall used to be flush with the edge of the carpet. And I put few hours in to a table project I have going... pics when finished, no spoilers I have that exact flush cut/toe kick saw. It's a life saver when doing flooring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 How many sets of wheels do you have? I realize they are overkill and you can build them out of 2X4's.... But these are sweet and they install very easily. They also look nice in a fairly finished garage. HyLoft Model 01012 Tire-Loft Multi Tire Storage System, 48-Inch wide by 36-Inch Deep https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045EQ02O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_X9juybZDEE328 They make ones for like $35 too. But I can vouch for this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmoore5 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) Got a call from a tenant that his ceiling light quit working. Found the problem in the attic, a failed connection. There was a piece of cloth covered romex spliced to the old knob and tube. It just twisted and taped, no solder. I assume the romex was added when the ceiling was lowered in the 50's or 60's. The wire pointing up in the picture is the knob and tube wire that was installed in the original electrification of the house. The white conductor is out of the cloth covered romex. As a bonus the white conductor was connected to the hot line. Of course the connection was intermittent adding to the fun. When the tenant called the glass had blown off 2 of the 3 bulbs in the fixture. Edited December 30, 2016 by rmoore5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Definitely a fire hazard, time to check out that you don't have more of that around the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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