Subfloor - DIY Chatroom

BlueBSH · 10-29-2009, 04:57 PM

Hello!

Been reading here for a little, first time posting!

I have a house which was never completed... it has two unfinished rooms they basically "walled off" by putting a closet infront of them (no idea why) the houe was built in 1996 so it made no sense... but anyways... I wanted to finish these rooms at least get a floor in them right now they have just a few pieces of OSB and plywood laying on the joists in the one room.. i wanted to at least have it subfloored so we can at least safely store stuff in it without having to fall throug the cieling... the room isnt small either... its 20x18 ft..

my question is.. so in pennsylvania do you need a building permit to lay subfloor? if so what exactly do I tell them I am doing and do they have to inspect subfloor? I mean it seems simple enough to do... I've done some construction work but never on this level (simple stuff.. molding...doors etc)..

the joists are 2x10's and are 16 inches on center so its a pretty standard install... there is blown insulation right now on the floor since its unfinished to insulate it...

what would you guys suggest to do for the sub floor? does the insulation need removed? the cieling isnt insulated at this point and we just want some storage space.. also what is better for subfloor? our whole house was built with OSB from the looks of it as the flooring... would you go toung and groove OSB or plywood? thanks!

Daniel Holzman · 10-29-2009, 06:28 PM

1. You need a permit if the local code enforcement official says you need a permit. Ask them.

2. I am not clear from your post what is holding up the insulation. You said there are a few pieces of OSB on the floor, from that I assumed most of the floor was open joists, so I don't get it, what is keeping the insulation from falling through the joists into the basement?

3. OSB is fine for subfloor, personally I prefer plywood, but the industry assures us that OSB is just as good. If you think you might tile the floor eventually, you should plan on two layers of subfloor, but you could always add a second layer later.

oh'mike · 10-29-2009, 06:44 PM

Just a suggestion--If you are planing to turn the room into living space in the future--

SCREW the sub floor down-when the room is being remodeled the flooring will have to be removed to

install heat ducts,electrical and all the rest.

I am with HOLZMAN,Plywood makes a better sub floor than OSB.--MIKE-

BlueBSH · 10-29-2009, 07:49 PM

whoops, sorry I should of said this was a second floor room. that completly slipped my mind. the room below is completely finished so right now the drywall is what is holding the blow in fill up there. out of the 4 rooms on the second floor only 2 of them where finished, the other two are just joists and 2x4 walls no drywall, and nothing is finished except they have electrical going into them and a single light on a switch, besides that its basically left for us to finish

thanks for the advice so far!

GBR in WA · 10-29-2009, 07:49 PM

I third for the plywood. Interesting read on wall OSB: http://www.rci-online.org/interface/...ton-murphy.pdf
Be safe, Gary

rselectric1 · 10-29-2009, 08:28 PM

As Mike stated above, make sure you have the appropriate HVAC as well as electrical in place. If it is going to be a living space, then there are lots of rules that apply.
Do you have pictures?

PS-YES plywood-preferably tongue and groove!

BlueBSH · 10-30-2009, 03:07 PM

yeah plywood sounds best, might cost a tiny bit more but seems the best choice.. I'd assume the standard is still 3/4" plywood with an adhesive bead running down the joist (if its permanent sub flooring) screw wise what would you recommend? 2 1/2" phillips flat head screws or a T-25 torx head screws? (i'd assume torx screws dont strip as fast as phillips)

Plumbvoltage · 10-30-2009, 10:04 PM

If there is a chance of moisture such as from spills and the like I would suggest looking at a product called Advan Tech. It has a 50 yr warranty.

zpm · 10-31-2009, 08:19 PM

Hidden rooms? That's just weird. Was there any reason given? Is there any indication (nail holes in studs) that the rooms were finished at one time? Did you know about the rooms when you bought the house?

oh'mike · 10-31-2009, 11:50 PM

"Bonus rooms"--They are fairly common,I've finished up a couple of them.
Biggest hassle is the heat/air-The last one I did the furnace was not sized for the extra room.

We got the hvac man to get it to work ,but it was expensive.

BlueBSH · 11-02-2009, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zpm

Hidden rooms? That's just weird. Was there any reason given? Is there any indication (nail holes in studs) that the rooms were finished at one time? Did you know about the rooms when you bought the house?

Oh yeah the real estate person even pointed them out, they are on the house blueprints and everything (we fortinuatly got a copy of them with the house)

no signs they where ever finished, no nail holes or anything, just unfinished construction... this house is wierd to the point we have a staircase that goes up in a L shape but has no railing down the side but at the bottom it has a rail up 3 ft and at the top the hallway has railing on the side but for some reason they never railed up the stairs... so its a 10 ft drop at the top if you trip... (yet another project to do!)

so i think they ran out of money when building the house and took a lot of short cuts to keep stuff from being finished