Framing Your Basement Finishing Project

You have finished planning your project, and financing is in place.  You have completed some of the preliminary work, and you are now ready to begin the actual work of framing your new living space.  Regarding your stud walls, I refer you to YouTube, which has many demonstration videos for your review.  There is no need to cover that material in this post.  Instead, I will focus on essential but lesser-discussed issues for your consideration.  Remember to ensure your new walls are plumb, square, and level.

Remember, the walls you are building will be the support system for drywall, maybe shelving systems, televisions, etc.  That means your walls must be solid enough to accommodate the loads they will carry.  To illustrate this point, the closet we built for the bedroom space addresses this issue.  We added horizontal cross members at the appropriate height to ensure the strength and stability of the closet clothes hanger-shelving system.   We did the same for the wall planned to accommodate the big-screen HD Television.

The first significant framing activity we tackled was to lower the ceiling for about 30% of the space.  We lowered the ceiling because the HVAC ducts and major drain lines ran through this area.  To cover these utilities, we dropped the ceiling by 12 inches.  As the overall height from the basement floor to the first-floor joists is over nine feet, dropping the ceiling 12 inches in a small area was not an aesthetic issue.  The area where we lowered the ceiling is at the landing for the stairway, the transition space to the Great room, and the kitchenette.  Even so, we maintained a nine-foot transition height at the very foot of the stairway.  It created an exciting architectural feature.

We installed drywall ceilings throughout the Terrance Level.  To accommodate a drywall ceiling in the space above, we attached 2X4 ladders to the first-floor joists overhead.  This task was time-consuming and physically challenging, but it was worth it.  Before putting up drywall, we photographed all walls and ceiling areas for future reference if issues arise or we want further modifications.  This documentation is a valuable activity.

Framing Considerations

• • Ceilings and soffits,
  • Square, plumb, level
  • Think about hanging the drywall, Shelving, Televisions
  • Take pictures to document hidden utilities for future reference
  • When two doorways enter a room
  • Soundproofing, insulation, etc.
  • Anchoring your walls
  • Is the floor level

Even with a good plan guiding your work, you will encounter problems.  One issue we found was the doorways into the bathroom.  One doorway enters the bathroom from the bedroom, the other from the main living area.  The two doorways are too close.  They are so close that the trim on the bedroom entry had to be modified where the two doorways meet.  It isn’t an awful situation, as most people would not notice the issue.  My Husband believes it is not aesthetically pleasing.  We should have moved the doorway from the main area six Inches to the left.  I expect he will correct the issue by moving that door.  We have ample space to make that correction.

You must ensure that the basement floor is level.  If areas need to be leveled, you must do so when appropriate.  Even if the floor is reasonably level, you should still take floor-to-ceiling measurements to ensure that each wall segment is a snug fit.  Leveling the basement foundation floor will be a significant consideration when installing the finished floor system.

When your stud walls are up, square, plumb, and level, you must anchor them to the basement foundation floor.  My Husband rented a nail gun from Home Depot to complete this task.  This gun uses a .22-caliber blank cartridge to drive a concrete nail through the base of the wall into the concrete floor.  This is an effective way to anchor your walls.  Home Depot sells the nails and cartridges.   YouTube has videos available to help people understand the proper use of nail guns, including safety features.  Remember to use ear protection as the discharge is rather loud.

My final point for your consideration is soundproofing insulation and fire retardant.  Depending on your geographical location, basement insulation may be an essential consideration.  Many recent new builds include insulation and vapor barriers on basement walls.  If your basement walls don’t have insulation or a vapor barrier, you should consider that seriously.  You should consider insulation, fire retardant, and soundproofing for your stud walls.  We packed Rockwool in our stud walls and overhead in the space between the exposed first-floor joists.  Although Rockwool is not the most effective insulation or soundproofing solution, the fire retardant benefit was determinative.

Summary and Conclusion

When you are ready to begin framing your basement’s walls and ceiling, begin by viewing YouTube videos on this subject.  The key is to make your walls square, plumb, and level.  Add strength to areas supporting wall-mounted shelving, televisions, cabinets, etc.  Anchor your stud walls to the basement floor using concrete nails.  If your basement floor needs to be level, correct the problem as appropriate.  Understand that problems will arise.  Anticipate issues to address.  Make a photographic history to document your project.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner – ITB Partners

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

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