I bought my house 5 years ago with a bare concrete slab, walkout baseent. I am a novice carpenter at best. Like anything else, after a good deal of reading (including many threads on this site), much trial and error and persistence, my skills improved.
I started by having a professionally installed waterproofing system: including a sump pump; a french drain running the entire permitter of the outside foundation walls; and a commercial dehumidifier running directly to the pump.
I myself installed what i would probably say amounts to at the very least, double layered 6 poly plastic covering exterior walls - ends running down into french drain - and floor.
The floor consists of pressure treated 2x4 sleepers pneumatically nailed to concrete slab 16 oc; double layered (and more) poly plastic underneath sleepers; rigid foam insulation in between sleepers; and 3/4 OSB trufloor screwed on top of that.
Take a look (tell me what you think):
So I look forward to any comments, critiques, advice, or whatever else comes to the minds of the readers of my post who care to write about what they're thinking.
BUT and a big BUT - - this is why I am writing. And could really use the advice of those who know better than me or who know 'different' than me. In the process of framing the basement, I had to build approximately 45 inch 'knee' walls to house the electrical and 'hide' the concrete foundation. There is an approximately 4 inch ledge on the concrete foundation, and then 2x6 framing on top of that.
The design requires a shelf or ledge around the room... sitting on top of the knee wall and ideally level with the 4 inch concrete ledge.
Unfortunately, I have found things the hard way, find myself in a present predicament, but have to believe there is a feasible way out. I wish I had secured a 2x10 on top of the ledge and built my knee walls to that height. Hindsight is 20/20. Remember, I could not plumb the knee walls directly on to the foundation because of the french drain.
I realized as a result of some dips and drops in the floor, and foundation ledge itself, my knee wall which is studded to the exact same height all the way around, is not level to the height of the concrete foundation ledge.
This is making it extremely difficult for me to level the shelf that i want to act as a shelf between the bottom drywall and top drywall. What I have learned is that in the portions of the room where the knee wall dips slightly below foundation, not a problem; I can nail the 2x10 into foundation and plumb and shim knee wall up to that....
But what do I do in the spots where the knee wall sits higher than the foundation? What can I use to build up the foundation to level the separating shelf?
Here are some photos... I WELCOME any suggestions, thoughts, comments, replies, etc., and thank you for taking the time to read my post.
Thank you.
I started by having a professionally installed waterproofing system: including a sump pump; a french drain running the entire permitter of the outside foundation walls; and a commercial dehumidifier running directly to the pump.
I myself installed what i would probably say amounts to at the very least, double layered 6 poly plastic covering exterior walls - ends running down into french drain - and floor.
The floor consists of pressure treated 2x4 sleepers pneumatically nailed to concrete slab 16 oc; double layered (and more) poly plastic underneath sleepers; rigid foam insulation in between sleepers; and 3/4 OSB trufloor screwed on top of that.
Take a look (tell me what you think):
So I look forward to any comments, critiques, advice, or whatever else comes to the minds of the readers of my post who care to write about what they're thinking.
BUT and a big BUT - - this is why I am writing. And could really use the advice of those who know better than me or who know 'different' than me. In the process of framing the basement, I had to build approximately 45 inch 'knee' walls to house the electrical and 'hide' the concrete foundation. There is an approximately 4 inch ledge on the concrete foundation, and then 2x6 framing on top of that.
The design requires a shelf or ledge around the room... sitting on top of the knee wall and ideally level with the 4 inch concrete ledge.
Unfortunately, I have found things the hard way, find myself in a present predicament, but have to believe there is a feasible way out. I wish I had secured a 2x10 on top of the ledge and built my knee walls to that height. Hindsight is 20/20. Remember, I could not plumb the knee walls directly on to the foundation because of the french drain.
I realized as a result of some dips and drops in the floor, and foundation ledge itself, my knee wall which is studded to the exact same height all the way around, is not level to the height of the concrete foundation ledge.
This is making it extremely difficult for me to level the shelf that i want to act as a shelf between the bottom drywall and top drywall. What I have learned is that in the portions of the room where the knee wall dips slightly below foundation, not a problem; I can nail the 2x10 into foundation and plumb and shim knee wall up to that....
But what do I do in the spots where the knee wall sits higher than the foundation? What can I use to build up the foundation to level the separating shelf?
Here are some photos... I WELCOME any suggestions, thoughts, comments, replies, etc., and thank you for taking the time to read my post.
Thank you.