Hello, our house was built in 1997 in Maine. A previous owner started to finish our walkout basement meaning there are some sheetrocked walls and extensive unclear wiring for a media room I'm guessing. There are essentially 3 rooms which include a room with the oil furnace, hot water heater, etc. A separate room currently is used for storage that we'd like to make an exercise room and a large room. Currently the large room is used for the kids to play and for the adults to exercise.
We'd like to finish the basement but not entirely certain where to start. We've spoken to a few contractors but have had difficulty with follow up. I'd like to do whatever work I can. I don't have much experience but am willing to learn.
The first issue: we initially had a water problem that affected the wall that includes to the walkout door. We fixed the gutters, the deck above the basement and installed a French and so far have not had any problems. Part of the wall and the door are rotten and I have a contractor who is going to replace it/ repair the wall. The previous owner stored a cord of wood next to a sheetrocked wall. I removed the wood and found some black mold and extensive evidence of rodents. The sheetrock is painted. It also sits directly on the cement floor.
My guess is that this needs to be all removed, correct? If I do remove it is there something I can temporarily cover the insulation with so that my kids can continue playing downstairs? Maybe just sheets of plastic? There are some walls that I want to knock down to open the space, for example the previous owner framed a closet under the stairs but it's an odd shape. I also need to figure out the electrical as well as figuring out a way to heat the basement so I wouldn't be wanting to replace the sheetrock immediately, something that I'd hire a contractor for, I hope.
Suggestions on a step wise approach to finishing the basement?
1. need to remove black mold sheetrock
2. need to temporarily cover insulation
3. next to knock down unwanted walls (the contractors have said that they are non-weight bearing)
4. then what? I know I need to figure out heating (some have suggested a pellet stove or a rinnai heater), deal with figuring out the electrical stuff (I've spoken to a couple of electricians who haven't been to excited to dive into what the previous owner did), for the concrete floor I thought I'd etch and stain it for the kids for now, and then figure out the ceiling. All have said I'd be safer with a drop down ceiling although I'd rather sheetrock it. We'd also like to put in a half bath but would need a contractor for that.
Also, thoughts on finding a reliable contractor? We've talked to a phone found through random advertisement and were trying to arrange things with a couple of guys who did work for friends. One guy did great with out deck work, etc., but has been very difficult to get him to commit to other work.
Thanks for your thoughts. I apologize for the long post.
We'd like to finish the basement but not entirely certain where to start. We've spoken to a few contractors but have had difficulty with follow up. I'd like to do whatever work I can. I don't have much experience but am willing to learn.
The first issue: we initially had a water problem that affected the wall that includes to the walkout door. We fixed the gutters, the deck above the basement and installed a French and so far have not had any problems. Part of the wall and the door are rotten and I have a contractor who is going to replace it/ repair the wall. The previous owner stored a cord of wood next to a sheetrocked wall. I removed the wood and found some black mold and extensive evidence of rodents. The sheetrock is painted. It also sits directly on the cement floor.
My guess is that this needs to be all removed, correct? If I do remove it is there something I can temporarily cover the insulation with so that my kids can continue playing downstairs? Maybe just sheets of plastic? There are some walls that I want to knock down to open the space, for example the previous owner framed a closet under the stairs but it's an odd shape. I also need to figure out the electrical as well as figuring out a way to heat the basement so I wouldn't be wanting to replace the sheetrock immediately, something that I'd hire a contractor for, I hope.
Suggestions on a step wise approach to finishing the basement?
1. need to remove black mold sheetrock
2. need to temporarily cover insulation
3. next to knock down unwanted walls (the contractors have said that they are non-weight bearing)
4. then what? I know I need to figure out heating (some have suggested a pellet stove or a rinnai heater), deal with figuring out the electrical stuff (I've spoken to a couple of electricians who haven't been to excited to dive into what the previous owner did), for the concrete floor I thought I'd etch and stain it for the kids for now, and then figure out the ceiling. All have said I'd be safer with a drop down ceiling although I'd rather sheetrock it. We'd also like to put in a half bath but would need a contractor for that.
Also, thoughts on finding a reliable contractor? We've talked to a phone found through random advertisement and were trying to arrange things with a couple of guys who did work for friends. One guy did great with out deck work, etc., but has been very difficult to get him to commit to other work.
Thanks for your thoughts. I apologize for the long post.
