INSPECT, MAINTAIN OR INSTALL A BACKFLOW VALVE UNDER THE BASEMENT FLOOR BEFORE DOING ANY RENOVATION WORK IN A BASEMENT. It is always easier to install while the floor is bare than after the finished floor is destroyed by a flood.
Sewage back-up through the floor drain is prevented by a thing...
For extensive videos on working with steel studs, follow this link to the Learning Curve.
John from Barry, Ontario was asking about using steel studs for a basement renovation. As you might expect, there are pros and cons for any building material.
Steel studs are often less expensive than wood...
Iron ochre is a rust coloured sludge that accumulates and clogges perimiter drains in certain soils. It is often found the Eastern Townships of Quebec. It is a very complex problem which can be controlled but not solved. In fact the real solution in regions known to have iron ochre is to not b...
This article is about stopping water outside the house, then if necessary, controlling the situation as your basement floods. For some very interesting water alarms, covering both plumbing and overland water,see Stopping Plumbing Floods.
SANDBAGGING
The first line of defense is sandbaggin...
When we are working with wood studs we generally build the wall on the floor and then lean it up to the wall. But in the basement we have all kinds of overhead obstructions, so if you just tip it up, you will probably find yourself blocked by pipes or ducts.
The secret is like in the photo, to b...
I'm asked a lot about covering a floor in a basement. There are several considerations we need to deal with: the hard and cold concrete and maybe with levelling the floor. Of course we need to pay attention to water, either coming from outside the house or from plumbing spills inside the house si...
For years we have talked about protecting the sill plate of basement walls from moisture rising up from the concrete. This could be water in the concrete from plumbing spills, or even from under the slab from a high-water table. The old standard ways to protect that bottom piece of wood on t...
Underground tanks are banned
Many years ago we buried oil tanks in the ground. Think a minute about how bad an idea that was. When a very old tank developed a leak, we never knew about it and it just leaked oil into the ground for years, creating quite an environmental problem. That is why it is...
Do I need to place a vapour barrier against the brick wall, then insulation and then another vapour barrier over that? The wall does not leak and is fully underground. Barbara
THE VAPOUR BARRIER
The vapour barrier is more properly called a vapour retarder. It is designed to stop moisture in t...
Can I cut in a door where the basement window is presently?
Ed and Shirley from Dundas, Ontario want to put a door into the basement right where there is presently a window. Can they do it?
If the door is the same width as the window, there will be no structural problems above. If you make the ...
