Basement Remodeling

Its a good idea to insulate your basement. This will help keep it at a stable temperature and  also help your home be more energy efficient saving you money. There are many different varieties of insulation materials. For example Fiberglass, Cellulose, Foam ,or Radiant Barrier Foil. The most popular for basement remodeling is fiberglass insulation. It’s usually purchased in bat’s or rolls. The Fiberglass bats come in bags that usually have pre cut lengths of about 8 feet. You can also buy it in 30 or 40 foot rolls and cut it yourself which is sometimes cheaper.

For basement remodeling in Ohio we normally use a R-13 insulation with vapor barrier. You can buy it at any or your local home improvement stores. Its also a good idea to check the local building codes before you get started on your basement remodel or purchasing any of the insualtion materials. Codes usually vary from city to city.

**Before installing the insulation you need to make sure you have completed the framing, rough electric & low voltage, rough plumbing, and HVAC work, and fire stopping.

When installing the insulation you will need the following.

• Dust mask  ( You’ll need these for drywall too )
• Razor knife
• Stapler or Smack Stapler
• Tape measure
• Rubber Gloves

We normally wear long pants and long sleeve shirts because it will irritate the skin. If it gets on your skin rinse and soap with cold water. This will help to avoid opening the pores on your skin.

You install the insulation in between all of the joist spaces on the framed walls. Sometimes you need to cut both the length and width to get them to fit. You never want to make the insulation packed into the space or touching the concrete wall. If it’s too tight you will lose the insulation R-value and if it touches the concrete wall it could pick up moisture and create a mold issue.

If you want to install insulation in the ceiling it will help to control noise transfer to the upstairs. This is always a good idea if your installing a home theater or media room. You will need to remove the paper vapor barrier from the insulation or buy it unfaced. That keeps from having any extra combustible materials inside the ceiling cavities.

Normally after we finish the rolled insulation we go back and fill all the corner joints on the wall framing and around windows or doors with spray foam insulation. Just make sure to buy the spray foam for doors and windows. Otherwise it can expand too much and cause you doors or windows to not open or close properly.

Once your insulation is done your ready for drywall.