Q: We are finishing off part of the basement into a utility room. The washer, dryer, and laundry tub are already there, with the plumbing anchored to the cement walls. We have framed in the walls with ...

Q. We have plans to finish our basement and have a few questions on the best way to proceed. The basement walls are poured concrete with a concrete floor. Should I insulate the walls? Can the walls be ...

I'm finishing my basement into a dedicated home theater and I have two questions: 1) Can I attach drywall directly to cinder-block or concrete? In my stairwell leading into the basement I don't want ...

I'd like to panel a small room in my basement. Three of the walls are exterior concrete while the fourth is regular 2x4's. Can I glue furring strips to the concrete and nail the panels to those? I'd ...

Extending the thermal envelope. Decorating aside, the final hurdle is to wrap the basement floors, walls and ceiling to make a thermal envelope — a boundary of insulation (plus a vapor barrier on ...

The first step of most basement makeovers is to decide how the space will be used, whether as a family room, a man cave, an office, a guest room, or a combination of uses. Then, you must set a budget ...

Q My basement has concrete-block walls and gets very cold in winter. I want to insulate the walls to make it more comfortable. What are my options? A A lot depends on how much money you are willing to ...

Extending the thermal envelope. Decorating aside, the final hurdle is to wrap the basement floors, walls and ceiling to make a thermal envelope—a boundary of insulation (plus a vapor barrier on walls) ...