Articles - featureARTICLE
Building a
Beautiful Basement
- By Diane Tierney
Your basement is a goldmine of extra living space. Basement renovations can also be a great way to increase energy efficiency in your home and if you act soon enough, you can also apply for available grant money for your projects.
Once you decide on how to use the space, put your plan to paper and research how to keep it warm and dry. George Muller, general manager of Watson Building Supplies in Vaughan, Ont., has these suggestions:
Framing the Space
"More people are using steel studs these days because steel is a lighter product than wood and much easier to work with," says Muller.
"Steel is not as messy as wood either. With steel you can put the track along the top and bottom and just snap your studs in place since they are precut. Steel is also competitive in price since lumber prices fluctuate."
Insulation
For the outside walls of the basement, use thermal insulation and, for interior walls, use sound-controlling insulation to diminish noise. "Using spray foam insulation is popular for outside walls because you can get R5 insulation per inch of foam. Foam uses less space than fibreglass and it can be easily covered with drywall," says Muller.
Some types of spray foam are also excellent for stopping moisture coming through walls and thus avoiding mould issues. Spray foam is, however, usually more expensive than fibreglass and not always an easy do-it-yourself project.
"You must use a vapour barrier on walls as well. The new building codes are changing in January 2012 and basement insulation is being increased to R20 from the current R12 rating," says Muller.
Walls, Ceiling and Floors
For interior walls and ceilings, Muller suggests RC-1 Channel and sound insulation batts to substantially reduce noise. Ceilings can be drywall or a drop T-bar suspended ceiling. "If you think you'll be putting in lighting and cables consider the T-bar for easy access to run wires and make changes. Ceiling tiles range from 75 cents to $5 per square foot for a high-end tile that also does a good job of preventing noise from upstairs," says Muller.
Choose drywall that's mould resistant to avoid deterioration, possible health problems and improve air quality.
An acoustic drywall is an option if you're building a home theatre or want a quiet bedroom. "There's specially engineered core drywall board that offers much better sound control between rooms. Combined with thermal insulation you'll get really good sound privacy," says Muller.
Bathrooms require cement board drywall that's mould resistant rather than regular drywall due to the water and moisture created. Add soundproofing insulation around the washroom area to minimize the noise of water running.
Heating
Chris Orton of Lennox Industries recommends that, if your renovation includes replacing your furnace, do that first. "Venting regulations have changed in recent years and you'll want to have any duct work done before you start framing or finishing walls," says Orton. He also suggests installing both your heating and cooling system at the same time since it's the most cost-effective way to go.
Brian Schofield of Carrier Canada in Kitchener, Ont., says, "Basements are cooler than the rest of your home so having continuous fan operation on your furnace will circulate the air and take the cool air from the basement and mix it with warm air upstairs."
He recommends a natural gas furnace. "The operating cost for a natural gas furnace is substantially less," says Schofield. Visit uniongas.com/residential to check out the cost advantages of using a gas furnace compared to oil, propane and electric baseboard heating.
"Tell the dealer all the work you're planning because it will influence the size of furnace you need and be sure your technician has experience installing high-efficiency gas furnaces because the installation is more precise than with the old mid-size furnaces," says York's Rick Little. He stresses, "Make sure the installer is well trained on high-efficiency furnaces."
Zone Heating
The most popular choice for zone heating is with a fireplace. Natural gas fireplaces are the first choice amongst most homeowners since gas offers low operating costs, comforting warmth, no maintenance and pleasing aesthetics.
Greg Thomas, director of sales for Wolf Steel/Napoleon Fireplaces in Barrie, Ont., says "A natural gas fireplace makes a big difference to a basement. It dries out a damp and musty atmosphere. Even the pilot light of a fireplace will help keep the area dry."
"Regency Fireplaces offers some add-on accessories to expand your options for zone heating," says Regency eastern director David Riley. "The fireplace itself will heat smaller spaces with convection or radiant heat. You can also add an internal blower or fan that'll circulate the heat over a larger area and a third option is our Heat Wave™ duct system that's perfect if you have a series of rooms in a basement that you'd like to heat with your fireplace," says Riley.
"Most manufacturers have owner's manuals online to help homeowners determine what's right for their home," says Steve Haagmans of Valor Fireplaces. He adds, "Your choices for where you can locate your fireplace will be based in part on venting options and codes concerning where the vents exit the home so ideally have the space inspected before installation to know what your options are."
Determining the appropriate fireplace size is a key to your comfort. A rough estimate is having 1,000 BTUs for every 50 cubic feet. So a 12-by-24-foot room with an eight-foot ceiling would need a 46,000 BTU fireplace.
A certified Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) professional can help you determine the size of unit.
To increase the fireplace's efficiency, use your furnace blower fan to help distribute the heat to other areas of your home. "By doing this, the natural gas fireplace could save you even more money by heating the whole house until the really cold months," says Thomas.
Gas fireplaces range from $1,400 to $10,000 but the average cost is $4,000 to $5,000. "A typical 35,000 BTU unit costs about $3,000," says Thomas.
Quality natural gas fireplaces have EnerGuide EnerChoice ratings. Look on the EnerGuide label for its Fireplace Efficiency (FE) Rating. Efficiency is shown as a percentage because it is the comparison of the input value of the gas versus the usable heat output to the home.
For example, a gas input of 30,000 BTUs and a heat output of 20,000 BTUs means it is 66.6 per cent efficient. Another fireplace could have a gas input of 40,000 BTUs and also have a heat output of 20,000 BTUs, which would mean it is 50 per cent efficient.
"Fireplaces can be designed with thicker steel and ceramic instead of tempered glass to make a difference. Ceramic glass radiates heat to the room, whereas tempered glass is more decorative," says Thomas.
Natural gas fireplaces are not only a cleaner choice, but can also increase the value of your home. While one gas fireplace in an upstairs living room can add six to 12 per cent value to your home according to national real estate appraisers, a second fireplace in the basement can increase the value by about 14 per cent.
Go to uniongas.com/fireplace for an excellent summary of the benefits, energy-efficiency features and cost savings of using a natural gas fireplace compared to a wood-burning one.
A finished basement will greatly enhance your life at home and, with
the right planning, you'll have a cozy retreat.
