NO!!!!

Bet you thank god your in that basement when that tornado goes over top

so where do i go to get certified to certify these homes if its being requested by builders

If you hadn’t said “aboot” in the first three seconds my Midwest ass was fixing to pounce. I’ve had basements my whole life so the drawbacks are routine - however - I wouldn’t want the hassle or cost if it weren’t for severe weather.

I have a 69yo house, basement is finished, it's fine.

Dehumidifier, decent circulation of air, check outside for poor drainage areas .. done.

2:40 A vapour barrier below grade prevents the formation of ice crystals in the insulation, it’s that simple. Ice crystals in the insulation make it useless.

✅ BIG TIP… Building science of the whole drain and dry basement issue is quite interesting and seriously important. To help learn more, ASIRI Design has a highly detailed and illustrated KZbin channel and they are specialist architects in moisture control. They are out east, I think like Connecticut, but they address varying standards for different zones. They also have guide books in pdf you can download for a small cost, but the KZbin videos are actually quite rich. There is a big difference in how you deal with existing homes and ASIRI cover these issues as well.

❗️Dehumidifiers are excellent IF you can find one that lasts over 1 or 2 years. Also, how to buy avoiding a fake! My research found one company in China had about 80% world wide market share. They just slap a different sticker names and it’s the same junk. I even got a class action check in the mail these were so bad. ❗️Beware, professional HVAC grade knock offs exist❗️I watched a video on KZbin where the knock off brand caught fire in a crawl space and set the house on fire! Seriously, you need to guarantee the source and origin of the unit you are receiving. There are supply warehouses that are legit and they find the product a bit cheaper from a ‘unknown source’ and buy it thinking it’s THE actual name brand and sell it on to the HVAC contractor who is also none the wiser. I will explain how to spot a fake… I went to buy a Wera German torque wrench set for very low settings and bought it on Amazon. I tested it and it sheared the test bolt right off at the head. I looked at the calibration certificate inside and it had the wrong brand name, the serial number was completely different. It was BOGUS. The supplier was in the midwest. Long story short, Amazon dropped the supplier and I obtained the Real Wera from another Amazon supplier at a slightly higher price. Make note the bargain price will be under the price others, but the legit price similar or higher. There is a documentary on KZbin under cover in China for knock offs battery’s that’s an eye opening watch. What these ‘pretend’ manufacturers do is make the product and has any label you want including Motorola, etc. The first best way to help spot a fake is the price. The fakes are priced at a ‘bit of a lower price’ no one else seems to match. There are how to spot a fake consumer guides. Try and find the exact product. The third is where you buy from. eBay and facebook marketplace are all potential dumping grounds for fakes. Depending on what I am buying, I may go to the manufacturer’s web site and look for articles on counterfeits how to spot. Also, who are the primary distributors. Obviously some products will be sold by dealers who buy from suppliers. This is all a bit difficult but I am not going to buy a knock off on something important as fire safety or asset preservation. When in doubt, PAY MORE from the distributor or if they won’t sell direct, find out precisely who that distributor does a lot of business with for that product you can buy from.

I would never build a house without a basement.

How did you install it ? Can send a video or a link where can I see the installation process

Hello, and thanks for the informative video. I am interested in installing an HRV or ERV (state of ND). I had a company come out and give me a quote. They wanted just over $7,000 for the job which I thought was extremely high. The home is 3,600 sq. ft. The company also wanted to tie it into my existing HVAC unit and said I would need to run the fan on the HVAC unit 24/7 or at least every time I wanted to run the HRV / ERV. I would appreciate any thoughts or opinions you have on this. Thanks again.

IMO, Before a basement is drawn up on the plans or a site is selected, I feel in the same manner a septic is permitted, the same should go for a basement. Soil percolation tests should be done before issuing a permit. If it doesn't fall under a specific level, a permit to allow a basement should not be issued. There are so many issues in the building and use of a basement. The worse quality I've seen was in the construction of basements. Poor waterproofing, drain layout, etc. You're trying to keep a varying amount of moisture out although most basements have sump for a pump, a instant access. Add the items in a basement that require condensation drains and there's more moisture to deal with. On top of that, the sump is a easy entrance for Radon if it's in your area.

bullshit.

Soooooooo, the answer is to build a basement correctly from the start, and not to forgo them? 🫤

Thanks for this video. The manual for our ERV doesn't really indicate how much it should be run and Carrier customer support didn't know either. Maybe I'm dense, but I was unsure reading articles I found whether "continuous" meant the system is never to be turned off (except for repairs/maintenance) or just describes a particular mode while it's turned on.

Radiant in floor heat is by far the best heat source, cooling is now a separate system.

Basements are great if done right, most are needed for frost.

Americans homes are pathetic

Basement are great, don't listen to this guy!

I have an old 2 wire HRV in southern Ontario. It's old and I cant find the 3 wall plates for the individual rooms as well as the main controller. What would you recommend? Reinstall a new HRV and rerun with 3 wire cable? Or rerun 3 wire cable to the individual wall plates and install a ERV?

You don't have a basement how can you have a sub sub sub basement for your eyes wide shut parties?

Love the topic, dislike the title. Basements are not good or bad, but are managed differently. I like in the beginning you briefly managed that they have their own climate zone. PS. Please consider using YT for posting your podcasts as well.

At the 7:10 mark when he says "bring the temp of the walls up" .... what he means is "insulate the wall from the exterior so that the wall never gets cold enough to condense the humidity in the home". The most critical component of the house to do this is the "rim joist" as it is made of wood and is almost impossible to seal properly from interior moisture.

I have to have a basement to get away from my wife. I have a workshop where I can make a mess and make noise. She has her kitchen and living room. I can store my tools and mechanical supplies without complaint. She will not even walk down there. Laundry facilities are in the basement and if anything goes wrong, the water drains. We have a rec room to get rid of the grandkids to and I don’t care what they do there legally and being safe. All power tools are locked up. A walk out is better and good drainage is a must. All sewer and tile drainage should be gravity going downhill no sub pump needed. My ceilings are 9 feet tall and the basement is only 6 feet in the ground. Insulated the basement wall, with foam board R 20. Then I use 2 inch metal studs where I attached 5/8 drywall with an 3/4 clearance of the floor. The basement floor is insulated underneath and heating coils are installed in the cement slab. I still need to run a high capacity dehumidifier since I live east of the Great Lakes. My basement was existing so all I’m missing the heating coils in the uninsulated floors. Any suggestions? It’s Dry and I have a poly carpet on the floor. Also safe from tornadoes however I tend to want to see them driving the wife nuts while she hides in the basement. Thanks for the information.

Basements are a great idea in the middle of the U.S. where there are tornados!!!!

Go puy

This is something that it feels like a forever problem that nobody has the right solution for it , in 30 years in construction almost every house with a basement always a problem ...😮😮

I've always been a believer in basements. Crawl spaces are trouble, and slab-on-grade construction is even worse. So what you really mean is finishing a basement is a bad idea. 20 years ago I would've argued vehemently with you. But having done repairs and remodeling on houses from 10 to 110 years old, my preferences have changed. I think of basements as "2nd Class" space, or practical/utility space. I think the basement needs to be insulated well and kept dry. In Michigan the state Energy Code now requires R13 to 15 insulation in basements OR crawl spaces. My preferred approach is to install 2 inch thick polyisocyanurate rigid foam insulation against the concrete walls, and securing the foam with vertical 1x4's every 16 inches, using Tapcon screws to fasten the boards to the concrete. I discourage homeowners from additional finishing, but if they insist, I recommend some type of decorative plywood (like T1-11 rough-sawn plywood with grooves) and fastening the plywood with deck screws. This way, all of the coverings are removable which is really convenient when there's a leak in the cement block wall, or some other problem. Also, I keep all of these materials at least 3/4 inch above the floor, because getting a shallow puddle in a basement is pretty common. One more tip: In the summer months I run a small fan in my own basement to keep the air stirred up and reduce the chance of condensation forming.

If you have the topo to get a on grade walkout with gravity foundation drains it will be fine.

i thought you are.... never mind

In the USA we put the vapor barrier on the OUTSIDE of the basement. Then there is no water to drain. I've lived in my house for 25 years and it was built in 1969 and the basement is bone dry with no smells EVER. My HVAC heats and cools the basement the same as the upstairs, all of the air is mixed together. Art from Ohio

Nearly every house I've ever lived in since my birth in the early 1950's HAS A BASEMENT. Never had any issues with them. BUT, beginning in the late 1970's, contractors began trying to talk the home owners out of having a basement! WHY ????? Time and money issues. If they can charge you THE SAME PRICE, and not build the basement? WHY NOT !!!! It's called screwing the customers.

I'm going with a pier foundation for my off-grid house. What I've concluded is that under your floor is a natural place to build a double walled structure with a lot of volume for insulation. In my case, the natural thickness is as much 16 inches, with 9 inches of that 96% continuous. That space is free, since who is going to live under an open crawl space? The thickness of the insulation and the natural dryness out weigh the earth sheltering benefit. The heat loss downward is equivalent to my 4 panel patio door in the living room! I'm on a highly sloped lot, and I'm going to use part of the space under the house to store water, which really benefits from the earth sheltering effect, because I just need to maintain the water above freezing.

Where do people get this idea that basements are inexpensive square footage? It’s way cheaper to build a second floor that it is to pour a basement.

I generally agree, but it can be a tough sell as here in the northeast homeowners/homebuyers are generally revolted at the thought of eliminating a basement. I generally like doing split levels (I love FPSF, and they’re totally viable with our code, but homebuyers are quite rigid on their desire for true frost walls) or walkout basements as a compromise, and still saves a lot of concrete costs compared to conventional 8’ basement.

I live in a 125 year old house with a laid up stone basement. The house sits up on a slight rise so drainage and moisture seem ok. The floor is a self installed/DIY ceramic tile and wall treatments are exterior vinyl siding, also, DIY. I recently put a bathroom down there. Cool in the summer and not freezing in the winter. I really like the repair and re-modeling aspects of a basement. I've seen plumbing repairs with slab houses-scary/costly. Crawl space, slab, or basement, they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

I enjoy my basement very much.

I have a walkout basement in my ICF house and it is dry as a bone, granted I did a peel and stick membrane over a primer and dimple membrane over that with full perimeter drains inside and out. I have absolutely no issues with my basement.

Strong as osb against studs? I worry about that.

For existing homes, a painted basement concrete or cmu wall doesn’t look that bad. Leaving the wall exposed will eliminate a lot of the risks. Also making adequate air exchanges really helps eliminate the musty smell issues people complain about.

Where will serial killers keep their captives without a damp, dank basement?

I used 38 sheets of Zip board during an exterior renovation of my 24'x30' 70 year old cape cod in 2020-2021. We had to fidget with the nail gun and adjust the air pressurre to avoid overdriven naills. We covered some with small squares of tape. We always carefully rolled out the tape. Underdriven nails were hammered flush. It was a very satisfaction installation and it effectively exclùdes insects and drafts. LP Smart siding was used. But the priice of Zipboard today has at least doubled since then!

What about building on concrete piers?

How much of a bigger slab can you build with the same concrete you'd make a basement out of? Like if you were going to make a 20' x 40' basement 8' tall, how big a slab could that make? I know slabs are not just flat, they have deep sections for structural support, etc.

Bad advise. You pull a permit it you are a homeowner occupied and you can get the advice and people to help if you do not pay them. There are a lot of people that know how t I wire a house following the workmanship like practice guided by codes.

What matters is cutting every other bar in the mesh. Cutting concrete by itself is very hit and miss. Surely a professional will address this????

So it's not that basements are a "bad idea", it's that there are a lot of bad ideas about how to finish, seal and insulate basements. That's not surprising, but basements are hardly unique in that respect. Two other things many homeowners are going to need if they want to enjoy their basements are sump pumps and gutters. I know enough people who have found out the hard way that just because a house was built without gutters, you can't assume it doesn't need them, and whether it has a basement, slab or crawlspace under it, rainwater falling directly from the roof is likely to make it soggy down there.

Set the pressure on your compressor correctly and use a flush nailer bushing on the end of your gun and you will never have a problem with nails penetrating the surface of the plywood. In places like Denver, it’s actually against building code to have any notable number of nail heads, penetrating the surface

Are you saying a solar system of main power source will not run a concrete in floor heat with a propane boiler? Is this a bad way to go?