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Thread: yet another basement reno thread lol

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    Default yet another basement reno thread lol

    Being that I live in a mid-level move-up, I want to finish my basement but to no signficant level where I start reaching diminishing returns.

    I have a good sense of the layout, and I am looking for ways to get both the functionality and durability as this will be kinda my kids playroom

    1. Is a fireplace necessary? I was thinking of getting a 2 way napeoleon... and money wise its obviously not cheap, and because they are wide, the wall that has to accomodate it, is quite thick. I will also lose the functionality on the bedroom wall.

    2. Subfloor and which options? Looking more at it, it seems to be possibly the single most important option; yet I do not believe many people have it.
    Was just in a basement last night playing poker and I'm certain that its just thick underlay under the carpet and it felt just fine.

    3. flooring... What makes the most sense? I want carpet on the stairs as I find anything other is quite dangerous. however once I started looking at different options for the rest... I recognize that a flat surface is the most functional.
    I believe carpet with a underly is going to be more expensive than even a high quality laminate, about the same as hardwood and vinyl.

    Being that Vinyl floors are completely waterproof and sealed... I'm leaning that direciton; also possibly being able to save a TON on labor compared to carpet or tile.

    Other than that... the millwork/finshing is probably the next pain in the ass, but I have some buddies who can do the casing working.

    4. I know its my preference, but is a tub or a shower more desirable? Just wanting to make the right choice.

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    1. Depending how much time you will spend down there I say GET a fireplace. It will be better while you are there.

    2. If you get a subfloor it will be warmer down there so that one is personal preference.

    3. Again, carpet will be the most comfortable / warmest but vinyl will be safest IF anything happens - you literally dry it out for a week and she's golden ( depending what kind you get )

    4. If you have a tub upstairs I say get a standup shower. Easier and takes up less room. Again, personal preference.
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    My thoughts:

    I HAVE a fireplace in my basement. I've lived here 15 years and I've NEVER used it. I use my living room fireplace all the time. And I've used my basement a LOT. Tons of poker parties with upwards of 40 people down there. I've always hated the fact of how much real estate that fireplace takes up.

    Sub-floor. If you're going with laminate or vinyl, MAYBE. But your basement slab is below the frost line. The temp of the ground underneath doesn't change a whole lot between summer and winter. The surface of the finished floor will take on the temperature of the room. A sub-floor gives a little bit of insulation, but is it worth $3-5,000? (example: DriCor panels) If you're putting good carpet and pad down, you wouldn't even know if there was a sub-floor under it or not.

    As far as expense goes, that all depends on your budget.

    Cost wise: laminate/vinyl < carpet & pad < hardwood < tile.
    My basement floor is Slate with in-floor electric heating, which is awesome for parties, but a finished cost of around $20/sq ft before the electric heat.

    For the bathroom, just a nice 3x4 shower is all you'll ever need for guests who might stay down there. Don't do a tub unless you plan to rent out the basement to a family with small kids.
    Last edited by C_Dave45; 03-26-2017 at 10:17 AM.

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    Originally posted by C_Dave45
    My thoughts:

    I HAVE a fireplace in my basement. I've lived here 15 years and I've NEVER used it. I use my living room fireplace all the time. And I've used my basement a LOT. Tons of poker parties with upwards of 40 people down there. I've always hated the fact of how much real estate that fireplace takes up.

    Sub-floor. If you're going with laminate or vinyl, MAYBE. But your basement slab is below the frost line. The temp of the ground underneath doesn't change a whole lot between summer and winter. The surface of the finished floor will take on the temperature of the room. A sub-floor gives a little bit of insulation, but is it worth $3-5,000? (example: DriCor panels) If you're putting good carpet and pad down, you wouldn't even know if there was a sub-floor under it or not.

    As far as expense goes, that all depends on your budget.

    Cost wise: laminate/vinyl &lt; carpet &amp; pad &lt; hardwood &lt; tile.
    My basement floor is Slate with in-floor electric heating, which is awesome for parties, but a finished cost of around $20/sq ft before the electric heat.

    For the bathroom, just a nice 3x4 shower is all you'll ever need for guests who might stay down there. Don't do a tub unless you plan to rent out the basement to a family with small kids.
    this is great!!! thanks for the advice. Subfloor will take up a bit of height and I was looking at the insulated panels which claim a 5.6 c increase in temp

    can you put a thick enough underlay below vinyl? I mean carpet with say an 8mm underlay I think itself has quite an R insulation value, I'm not sure that vinyl would provide the same even with an underlay.

    Also, is laminate acctually an option for the basement? I heard that the moisture in the cement will cause issues.
    Last edited by r3ccOs; 03-26-2017 at 10:45 AM.

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    Originally posted by C_Dave45
    Sub-floor. If you're going with laminate or vinyl, MAYBE. But your basement slab is below the frost line. The temp of the ground underneath doesn't change a whole lot between summer and winter. The surface of the finished floor will take on the temperature of the room. A sub-floor gives a little bit of insulation, but is it worth $3-5,000? (example: DriCor panels) If you're putting good carpet and pad down, you wouldn't even know if there was a sub-floor under it or not.
    I have to disagree with this. We had carpet/underlay in the basement when we moved in, and the floor was freezing all the time. When I demolished the basement, and rebuilt it, I put a subfloor of 2x6's (laid flat), 3/4" plywood, and styrofoam insulation. The difference was VERY noticeable. It literally made the space livable.

    On the point of "is it worth it" and diminish-able returns, I would still say it is worth it, because when a potential buyer walks on it, they can really notice the difference between cement, and proper subflooring.

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    Originally posted by Tik-Tok


    I have to disagree with this. We had carpet/underlay in the basement when we moved in, and the floor was freezing all the time. When I demolished the basement, and rebuilt it, I put a subfloor of 2x6's (laid flat), 3/4&quot; plywood, and styrofoam insulation. The difference was VERY noticeable. It literally made the space livable.

    On the point of &quot;is it worth it&quot; and diminish-able returns, I would still say it is worth it, because when a potential buyer walks on it, they can really notice the difference between cement, and proper subflooring.
    funny you should say this... I think most builder basements are just pads and carpet; called my buddy who just had his house built about a month back with a walkout and he said his finsihed basement is quite cool even with an open staircase going below.

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    Originally posted by Tik-Tok


    I have to disagree with this. We had carpet/underlay in the basement when we moved in, and the floor was freezing all the time. When I demolished the basement, and rebuilt it, I put a subfloor of 2x6's (laid flat), 3/4&quot; plywood, and styrofoam insulation. The difference was VERY noticeable. It literally made the space livable.

    On the point of &quot;is it worth it&quot; and diminish-able returns, I would still say it is worth it, because when a potential buyer walks on it, they can really notice the difference between cement, and proper subflooring.
    An older, poorly insulated house might notice a larger difference between subbed and not. So yes that is a factor to consider. In my sister's Shane Home, they finished the basement with nothing more than a good 10lb pad and carpet...that place is always warm and cozy. We walk around in bare feet, the toddlers are on the floor with their toys all the time, and it is not cold at all. In her case, spending thousands of dollars for a sub-floor would have just taken away from her budget that went elsewhere (Higher quality carpet and bathroom) without any noticeable difference in floor/room temperature. If anything that room is always too warm.

    Originally posted by r3ccOs


    Also, is laminate acctually an option for the basement? I heard that the moisture in the cement will cause issues.
    A "floating" waterproof laminate. Or use a vapour barrier type foam underlay.

    Waterproof laminate flooring is the best option for covering a basement floor. This will not only prevent water from harming the floors, but it will allow for easy cleanup in the event of a leak or spill.
    Last edited by C_Dave45; 03-26-2017 at 11:42 AM.

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    I am in the middle of my basement reno. I am doing carpet in the basement bedrooms and luxury vinyl in the common areas. https://www.divinefloor.com/floors/luxury-vinyl/

    No fireplace, no subfloor. Flooring is going down in the next couple weeks so I cant comment on what the right choice is.
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    62 year old home here, low pile carpet over underlay on concrete in basement - basement is not cold, quite comfortable actually. Not an open concept so that may help with keeping heat downstairs instead of flowing upstairs though open concept stairwell. SIL's place in Tuscany - basement is same flooring, basement cold as hell even in the summer but it has a completely open concept stairwell up to the main and second floors, second floor is always warmer than anything else.
    Will fuck off, again.

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    I heard that subfloors are not prefered by builders because the pour is too fresh, and even with the work to level out the concrete, it will crack and cause issues...

    not sure this to be 100% true.

    anyone know whether the effort to level out a relatively new home alot of effort?

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    The house I'm in now and the house I was in were built at the same time. This house has always had a warm basement floor. The old house's basement floor was freezing.

    When we developed the basement we put in underlay and carpeting and it's been fine. Also a corner fireplace that we always turn on (especially now since the furnace is hardly on). I also put in R-14 into the walls.

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    Default Re: yet another basement reno thread lol

    Originally posted by r3ccOs
    1. Is a fireplace necessary? I was thinking of getting a 2 way napeoleon... and money wise its obviously not cheap, and because they are wide, the wall that has to accomodate it, is quite thick. I will also lose the functionality on the bedroom wall.
    If it's that thick, just put it on the same bedroom wall as a closet.

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    I spent significant dollars putting a fireplace in my basement, and in all honesty, we don't use it that often. However, it looks awesome, and I think it makes the entire room more cohesive. In my case, because my house is long and skinny, I'd have a massive long wall that wouldn't make sense for a TV.

    So, overall, I'm glad I got it. and those few times I use it, it does warm up the basement nicely.
    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    Default Re: Re: yet another basement reno thread lol

    Originally posted by jwslam

    If it's that thick, just put it on the same bedroom wall as a closet.
    its a 2 way separating the bedroom and the living room, so there is no space allocated there for a closet.

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    Default Re: Re: yet another basement reno thread lol

    Originally posted by jwslam

    If it's that thick, just put it on the same bedroom wall as a closet.
    A TWO way fireplace in the closet?!



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    Last edited by C_Dave45; 03-27-2017 at 03:14 PM.

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    Default Re: Re: Re: yet another basement reno thread lol

    Originally posted by C_Dave45

    A TWO way fireplace in the closet?!

    I meant like this, because the fireplace is "so thick"
    Last edited by jwslam; 03-27-2017 at 03:23 PM.

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    Ahhhh....lol. I thought you'd open up your closet to get some ambiance!

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    Two way fireplace into the bedroom means the people watching TV in the main area can see the naked people fucking in the bebedroom. What is this, some kind of orgy house? If so,
    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    Originally posted by ExtraSlow
    Two way fireplace into the bedroom means the people watching TV in the main area can see the naked people fucking in the bebedroom. What is this, some kind of orgy house? If so,
    velour robes, rugs and curtains!

    I'm kinda on the fence now abou the fireplace... so far quotes for install have tallied almost 9k which is IMO quite high considering my neighbor had a cash job done at less than 3

    I've been told that there is some way to use a themostat diverter to zone specifcally the basement and blocks the flute into the main floors (overrideen of course by the main thermostat) any idea how much and who can do this kind of HVAC work?

    I've decided save the cash on the install of tiles and carpet (outside of the stairs) and allocate it towards vinyl tiles for everything and subfloor. I know there is a huge range in quality, but this being that this is basically for a kids area, I'm not thinking of buying fancy stuff when eventually it'll be ripped out

    looking at something like this... (no underlay but should be fine?)
    https://www.renodepot.com/en/vinyl-p...-grey-84665644

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    Not useful.

    Some of us have far larger bananas than others.

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