Hi guys,
I'm on a bunch of forums for my toys (cars and guitars) and understand that you need to search first before posting. I have a specific situation and haven't found an answer.
I bought a 1600sqft colonial in Metro Detroit 2 years ago. I gutted the basement upon buying as it was gross - previous owners had 3 dogs, 3 cats living there. I have also since installed a new water heater, furnace, condensing unit, and 200A electrical panel. I am ready to start finishing.
Our house is very lucky in terms of placement and grading. You can tell from the outside that the grade is favorable. We had a very heavy rain this past summer that caused nearly EVERY house in our neighborhood (well over 100) to gut their basement. The street on garbage night was full of carpet, sheet rock, etc. Our basement was completely dry. No sign of moisture. No odd smells.
That being said, I had planned to use 2" XPS on the poured walls and frame in front. However, I'm starting to wonder if I can get by without any insulation. Our basement is almost entirely underground (don't have exact measurement). I keep all the HVAC registers closed downstairs and the basement is still the warmest part of the house in the winter and the coolest in the summer (expected). My father lives a couple miles away in a new home and only put up a vapor barrier over his framed walls and reports the same results.
What is everyone's opinion? We will probably only stay in the house for another 5 years or so - expecting our first child in a couple months and I don't know if we have enough room for a second!
Nick K.
I'm on a bunch of forums for my toys (cars and guitars) and understand that you need to search first before posting. I have a specific situation and haven't found an answer.
I bought a 1600sqft colonial in Metro Detroit 2 years ago. I gutted the basement upon buying as it was gross - previous owners had 3 dogs, 3 cats living there. I have also since installed a new water heater, furnace, condensing unit, and 200A electrical panel. I am ready to start finishing.
Our house is very lucky in terms of placement and grading. You can tell from the outside that the grade is favorable. We had a very heavy rain this past summer that caused nearly EVERY house in our neighborhood (well over 100) to gut their basement. The street on garbage night was full of carpet, sheet rock, etc. Our basement was completely dry. No sign of moisture. No odd smells.
That being said, I had planned to use 2" XPS on the poured walls and frame in front. However, I'm starting to wonder if I can get by without any insulation. Our basement is almost entirely underground (don't have exact measurement). I keep all the HVAC registers closed downstairs and the basement is still the warmest part of the house in the winter and the coolest in the summer (expected). My father lives a couple miles away in a new home and only put up a vapor barrier over his framed walls and reports the same results.
What is everyone's opinion? We will probably only stay in the house for another 5 years or so - expecting our first child in a couple months and I don't know if we have enough room for a second!
Nick K.
