Thinking About Finishing Your Basement? Watch This First!

Today we're discussing one of the biggest subjects out there: BASEMENTS! If you've started a basement renovation, or are thinking about starting one, watch this first before you go any further!
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Videos produced by Home Renovision are provided for informational purposes only. All material provided within this website is for informational, educational, & entertainment purposes only. Some of these projects, materials, and techniques may not be appropriate for all ages or skill levels. The DIY instructions used here are used to simply breakdown projects to their simplest steps. Please use a clear mind and use all safety precautions while following the tutorials provided by this site. Home Renovision does not make any claims of the safety of the projects, techniques, or resources listed on this site and will not take responsibility of what you do with the information provided by this site. Viewers must be aware by doing projects on their homes they are doing it at their own risk and Home Renovision cannot be held liable if they cause any damage to their homes. With different codes around the world and constantly changing standards, regulations and rules, it is the sole responsibility of the viewer to educate themselves on their local requirements before undertaking any sort of project. That being said Home Renovision cannot claim liability with all applicable laws, rules, codes and regulations for a project. Be safe, have fun renovating and ALWAYS stay informed with your local building code.

[@barbarautecht7376]

I feel like my dad just lectured me and I still have no idea what I did wrong

[@thetourminator]

LOL !

[@dominicherrera4610]

LolHahahahahaha

[@joedavis1427]

Lol

[@frankboehm591]

Same

[@yvonjasser]

I don’t want my basement anymore

[@jessicaf8307]

Single female homeowner with a fixer-upper and I just wanted to say thank you so much for your videos. You come up again and again for my projects. How to pick a good interior paint, deck staining, installing a new toilet, and more. I trust your advice above others. I think of you like my friendly Canadian uncle. :) Best.

[@brianbanks3044]

i have a1987 home...i put just carpet down with padding and had 2 water events...both were sump pump failures...when I finished the walls with sheetrock a few yrs later, I had them install the boards 2 inches off the floor for such water events in future...so far so good...but a few keys to my reno, have a dehumidifier in basement, paint walls or put up barrier before sheetrocking, make sure weep holes are clear so water in wall/cinder blocks goes to drain tiles and not through the walls...make more weep holes if necessary because its hard to do once everything is done .....and finally, upgrade your homeowners insurance to cover flood damage caused by sump pump failure...i found it was well worth the extra money....thanks for the great videos

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Don't forget 3 strikes and your out. Cheers!

[@brianbanks3044]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY yeah, i got a back up for the pump, a new check valve and hopefully i only need the 2 strikes now....thanks

[@PNW_Sportbike_Life]

Our house was built in 1925 and had a basement retrofitted in around 1960. It’s been finished since 1980 (maybe) and we just pulled up the carpet and pad, painted, replaced the MDF baseboards and put in some aqua seal laminate flooring. Thankfully, we didn’t notice any water damage, moisture issues/mold. Not likely it was ever really meant to be finished, but it was, and we took it to the next level. Now it’s the ultimate living room!

[@ShawnBo]

I scavenged for a comment like this- we want to build our 1938 out! I just figured no drywall, open space, laundry was already down there and we paint kilz everywhere 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@rjwohlman]

Holy s*** I am in the middle of finishing my basement and had a huge rainstorm that brought water in. This is super helpful thank you so much.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Glad I could help!

[@moisesshooter9]

@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Maybe go into the process of how you would finish a basement of your own? possibly part of your Farmhouse renovation!

[@SINSTER7THREE]

Check your down spouts

[@ThatTechJunkie]

@@SINSTER7THREE Thats the issue im having, Both spots that water is coming in, Is were the gutter is dumping...

[@Delekham]

@@moisesshooter9 HE can't! His basement is "Unfinished"! Geez, I wonder where all that moisture is going....He is starting to talk like a Politician! Edit: He did do it for a Deck! For his Farmstead...NOPE!! Flip and Sell is what he is looking at.

[@medor6635]

Me.. almost crying 😭 watching your video! Last month my little girl was playing in a little plastic pool in my front yard, it broke from the middle with all that water rushing towards my late 80’s finished basement thinking nothing happening there..wrong!! Got flooded and damaged a lot of my music equipment. This video make so much sense on how things were built back in the time! Jeff, you’re truly the best. I’ve learned so much from your videos. 🙏

[@jule1121]

If water is rushing towards your house your yeard is graded in the wrong direction (it should be angled away from the house). Fixing that will go a long way :)

[@brobins2207]

Jeff mentioned relative humidity, but did not dive into it....i have finished 3, 1970s basements, oldest about 20 years ago. Used foundation wrap on subfloor back then too. BUT, i also removed the humidifier from the furnace, and added cold air returns at the floor level in the basement. This ensured that the relative humidity remained more stable throughout the house, as the furnace and AC drew air from all levels of the house, ensuring better circulation. Better circulation gives better control over relative humidity. This made the basement space very liveable. I would suggest this to anyone finishing a basement. That first one i did 20 years ago, is now my cozy at home office for last 11 months, since there is four of us in school/working from home...do not regret any of the work I did.

[@jh-nb]

This info is gold. We have a walkout basement built in 91. Our ejector pump went out and we had a sewage backup. After tearing up carpet we went to install lvp. In the middle of installing lvp a compression fitting failed and we had another flood in the same area. Pulled up lvp to make sure it dried well then put back down. I never had a basement growing up in the south. They have been nothing but water issues.

[@boozelord]

I've finished two basements using your dimple and 5/8 plywood subfloor. Works fantastic, and actually keeps the flooring relatively warm in the winter. Concrete basements are already wavy and not flat, Adding the sub floor system smoothes it out a little more. I've used vinyl planks on the sub floor with great results. Definitely recommend.

[@falsealarmno]

Hey. Did you build your stud walls 1st or did put your underlayment down and it stopped at the wall?

[@boozelord]

@@falsealarmno I built walls first. However if I would do it over again, built the sub floor first, build walls on top. Save you on pressure treated wood, less cuts for flooring. Just make sure your concrete anchors are long enough to go through bottom plate and through sub floor into concrete.

[@kristinastarchom.8696]

what if there is already tiles on the floor is that okay ?

[@darrinfyfe7728]

My house was built in 2011 but I went for the dimple anyway. Our previous house had a few water incidents so it was just being super cautious. Also we got the tar coating and the dimpled membrane around the foundation. And we got the entire basement closed cell spray foamed (purple stuff) floor to joist including the overhang. Not worried about water that much anymore. Overkill? Sure, but peace of mind is priceless.

[@brolsonmusic]

My house was built in the 50s. It's got a fully finished basement with full bath and laundry, bedroom and family room. we don't have a sump pump in the basement, but we do have a backflow device installed in drain. It's dry down there and I keep my recording studio and guitars down there with humidity at a perfect 48 to mid 50s. (great for guitars) no mold, no leaks. Been there almost 5 years with no problems.

[@TRiggetyRex]

Im trying to build a place to store my guitars too. BR Olson do you run a humidifier a lot? I live in the NE USA

[@brolsonmusic]

@@TRiggetyRex I run a dehumidifier in the summer months that drains to my furnace room drain. I also use a whole house humidifier in the winter, but it's barely on. My basement stays right around 40-45% all year.

[@shannongreenwald4334]

Hear me out- 100 year old house, concrete and brick walls; Gorilla braces for the 1 bowing wall Sump pump installed Sodium silicate penetrating concrete repair on walls and floor Epoxy sealer on walls Dimpled sub floor Dehumidifiers Safe for storage? 😶 Also- very well spoken & informative, I did learn a lot and you were very genuine in your delivery! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@joelongtin7532]

We're fortunate in Minnesota. Our 1972 house's basement was built with rough in plumbing for a toilet; drain tile; water barrier; sump pump. But we did experience a blocked sewer line off the laundry, which led to a small flood in that room... We're going to install a heating element throughout with an inexpensive vinyl floating floor above it. Thanks for showing these layered subfloors. Really good advice!

[@Bree0074]

Same issue.... please let me how it goes ... gotta figure something out for mine as well. Thanks

[@gregsteller8074]

Did the heating element in the floor help dry the water events that happened?

[@PhunkyChikin]

Great vid! Before finishing your basement, consider these points: -Watch Jeff’s video. -tape 1 ft. square plastic sheet on your concrete and see if any moisture collects under it after a week or so. If not dry, there could be issues. -Make sure soil grade is sloped away from house all around, and drains in window wells are not clogged. -Install backup sump system, water powered or battery powered. -Instead of carpet or flooring, how about just painting the concrete?

[@nerdsunscripted624]

What about vinyl or similar flooring to get past the feeling of the cold concrete on your feet, if you want to make the space actually livable and not just “technically finished”?

[@scor440]

Could be issues….no there are issues get it right!

[@uvhciM]

@@nerdsunscripted624 - That's exactly what I did four years ago when I purchased a 1942 house. After doing the taping down the clear plastic trick mentioned above (zero moisture in two weeks of testing in multiple spots) I cleaned the cement floor as much as possible then applied several coats of sealer to the concrete, added an additional cheap plastic moisture/vapor barrier and added snap-together luxury vinyl planks (entirely vinyl, with no organic materials). So far, so good - it looks great, and while still a little cold, it's much nicer than the cement.

[@bigben1194]

@@uvhciM I'm purchasing a 1940 house soon, and it has a full basement. Did you get the walls waterproofed before you did the finishing? I'm watching this video to decide if I want to finish it or not lol

[@indoorsolutions7154]

@@bigben1194 well, it’s been a year…….sure hope u didn’t finish that old basement……you simply CAN NOT EVER!

[@viking6535]

If you don't have a vapor barrier under your slab, you can coat the floor with the waterproofing that's used for tile in shower surrounds. It's usually red or pink, it rolls on like paint. After it dries it's lke a rubber membrane. You can then put down flooring

[@Pressingontoperfection]

Is it called redguard

[@TheGoddessonfire]

Yes Red guard or Red seal membrane which everyone told us wasn’t necessary but we did it anyway.

[@keithboyd1157]

No, you can't.

[@BenGartner7]

@@keithboyd1157 curious, why not? Considering this for an area of the basement over which I plan to install rubber gym flooring

[@keithboyd1157]

@@BenGartner7 Depending on the age of your home, all houses need to breath, and most houses were built without paying attention to the ground water table beneath. if you cover your basement floor with a rubber sealant, you're basically forcing moisture to find a different spot in which to rise. That means it will make it's way up your walls due to hydrostatic pressure and you'll then have problems with mold growth on your basement walls, especially if they've been covered over too. Unless your house was specifically built with a waterproofing membrane prior to the concrete floor slab being laid, then you need two things for your basement, a dehumidifier and open space. Water pressure from beneath can crack your basement floor if you coat it with a rubberized solution, and that causes even more problems. By All means use a small area for a gym etc, but make sure the sub floor allows moisture to evaporate from beneath. Every now and then change position of the mats you use for the same reason.

[@sanuvirsan6681]

I didn't even start yet, I am already having an Idea where I was going to F up the job. Thanks a million Jeff, cheers

[@Belboz99]

The house I grew up in was built during the early '60s. We used the basement as a living space, basically an extra family room on half (laundry and mechanicals on the other). The way it was setup though, not by us but either built that way or by previous residents (we moved in in 1978) was that the walls had wood panel on studs, studs were anchored to foundation IIRC, no insulation. The main issue with water is that if you have water it's gotta be allowed to dry. Both of these products do that as you mention, but so does a bare concrete floor. So what we had were shag carpets thrown directly on the concrete. It was an annual ritual, sometimes 3-5x a year, to drag out all the shag carpet and shopvac the floor... up until we regraded the yard, putting in a retainment wall around the one side of the house, and some french drains that actually hooked up the neighbors gutters to run across our property, as well as our own... and we had the city fix a mulberry tree that was growing out of the sewer up the hill from us. But anyway... long story short... despite over 50 floods in that basement, neither the wood panels nor the studs ever rotted, because they were allowed to dry. That's the crux of the issue.. It doesn't matter so much if it can get wet, it matters if it can get dry.

[@tessapatsey1294]

U wouldn't by chance have lived in Michigan would ya lol I swear I read your comment and I kid u not exactly to the letter sounds like what we bought with the connecting neighbor drain system to the wood paneling on half the basement and laundry on other lol. Nice to see we weren't alone in feeling it worked for the time until it didn't which is where I'm now at.

[@mcg1119]

But what about mold? Carpet is a mold magnet. So are other materials (wood can grow mushrooms if there's panels or wood flooring,). This is the most sensible basement video. The water thing is important for the foundation, HVAC, etc.

[@kris580]

As someone who wanted to finish a basement of 1933 house... thank you for this reality check. It’s not what I wanted to hear, but needed to hear. Now looking into building out instead of down. We will keep our unfinished basement for storage only!

[@Hello-zf5lq]

Not even storage - mold spores will settle on yourself things and spread through the house and you will get exposed to more mold than you regularly do

[@kris580]

@@Hello-zf5lq Thanks for the heads up. We keep all our storage in plastic bins (no cardboard) and it's all raised up off the ground. Thankfully there is no mold (that we know of). We've been in the house for two months now and seems that (a little) water comes in along one wall when we get super heavy rain. Cleaned out the gutters and plan to regrade the soil along that 4' stretch of wall. Hoping the basement will stay dry after that! We continuously run a dehumidifier as well. No mold, knock on wood!

[@mommychrissy]

Same 🤦🏿‍♀️ guess will get a shed house back

[@ShawnBo]

Our house is 1938 but I don’t see any evidence of water.. I didn’t want to go to crazy, just paint kilz everywhere in white and throw a couple of shelves down there. It was also plumbed for a shower down there- so I’m quite confused tbh

[@AdamEarl2]

To test if you have a vapour barrier, lay down a 6ftx6ft sheet of plastic on the bare concrete. Leave it for a few days. If moisture builds up under the sheet, you don’t have a vapour barrier

[@Real.Estate.Report]

Good advice Adam thanks for sharing

[@davec.3198]

Yes and no. Do this during the 'wet' season and you have some real data. If you do this on the driest week of the year in July/August, you have a bad sample.

[@brobins2207]

..and it is best to tape the plastic to the floor (creating a tight seal)

[@davidkirkham6497]

At what time of the year would this test be done?

[@natalieallard5120]

What If my concrete is painted. Will this stil work or will the paint itself work as a vapour barrier?

[@tobysarsi6864]

Thank you for this video. My parents house was built in 1972 and was unfinished. Then they hired a contractor to make it finished and over the years we had basement flooding events due to ground water rising above the single sump pump pit and we had a huge, long basement. So we had hired a waterproofing company and they put in 2 additional sump pits and pumps and connected them all with black tubing and jackhammered the concrete to connect all the pits with the tubing that was laid in gravel. The waterproofing worked, thank goodness. And we run a dehumidifier and that works wonders to remove the moisture and prevent mold from forming on everything. So you speak the absolute truth Jeff!

[@dantemustdieee]

Jeff, you rule. I'm in the middle of refinishing my basement after a flood a couple of months back. In addition to the tips here, your other videos helped me convince my wife its okay to take on myself as long as she could wait a few months. I'm feeling like a pro because of you and saving thousands. Thank you.

[@ihasmax]

This hits home. Our last ~1970's home had a finished basement put in about 5-10 years before we bought it (so ~2005/10). Then we had a big rain and the whole carpet soaked and some of the drywall needed to be replaced. They did not put any subflooring down, the carpet and pad were attached directly to the concrete. Unsure exactly what the fault was but after a new sump pump backup and new drain tile put in that was an expensive reminder of what can go wrong, but at the same time it felt worth it for how awesome having a finished basement was. With our new house we are being much more diligent about water remediation in the basement if we decide to finish more of it out (it had roughed in plumbing and a cheaply finished smaller portion which makes me optimistic it can be done).

[@louiemoscatel585]

I live in the basement and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with me. I sleep in a giant ziplock bag. I have a central vac hose tuck taped inside the bag that ends upstairs. Saved a ton on renovating.

[@designlife4living547]

Haha

[@quirt70]

Perfect timing for me to see this video. We just purchased a house and I noticed a bit of mold in one the basement walls, turns out the previous owner put down an underlay and then really cheap laminate, it absorbed moisture of course. Underneath the underlay it was all mold, the entire floor. Scrubbed it all with bleach and now running with a blank slate except the walls are all built. Thx Jeff

[@kaelshade4275]

I honestly appreciate your advice on this matter. I wanted to finish my basement. With your advice and my current knowledge of the house, I now know that it isn't meant to be finished. You have saved me work and money.

[@daniellefunderburg9277]

Me too.

[@Phantomworks666]

My house was built in the 60s, I might put some carpet tile down there and paint the cinder block… but that’s it. It isn’t built to be finished.

[@89dutchboy]

This video saved my bacon. Brand new house, builder did not install a vapor barrier under the concrete but did install rough in plumbing. At least I know what to do now.

[@Din3sama]

My house was built in 1950 and when I bought the house the basement was half finished. Probably in 1970 like you said with wood paneling and a drop ceiling. I am wanting to refinish the finished side and your videos are so helpful!

[@ashleymarie1512]

We bought our home that has a sub pump and is half finished. We are making water corrections outside and inside the home to push water away. The home was built in 1950. We also use dehumidifiers. Thanks for the sub floor help because we want to use tile

[@tiffanymackey2382]

We recently bought a 1958 house and have considered finishing the basement down the line, so this was very helpful! Thank you!

[@MarkFrankos]

Super thorough. I’m almost done refinishing a partially below grade basement that was finished in the 1960’s and redone in the 1980’s with most of the mistakes made that are mentioned in this video. Spent the past two years slowly studying the space, addressing the water issues and learning the best materials and procedures and he has checked every box to address in this video. I do enjoy the goofy humor mixed in with the comprehensive tips. One of my favorite construction/renovation channels...

[@gregdubya1993]

I did the same thing. I decided I was going to finish the basement. So I fixed gutters, did grading, checked moisture and humidity levels constantly through all seasons, did interior waterproofing and after almost 3 years I finally pulled the trigger and finished the basement.

[@kurtisnimmert7555]

I currently live in a basement apartment that was a new renno and this just blew my mind. It explained so much of the problem I am experiencing

[@Hello-zf5lq]

You are breathing in mold and maybe radon, so you may get fatigue mental problems breathing issues and skin issues

[@GNWJNO]

I was looking to renovate my basement to accommodate my elderly mom but thanks to this video I know that my house is too old and not meant for renovation.

[@jender7]

Spot on! Bought a house 3 years ago in Naperville IL. The house was built in the 50’s. The owner had finished the basement and upon inspection , and luckily before purchasing the home, we found considerable mold/water damage throughout, behind the walls, under the sub floor, etc. We had the owners pay to gut the basement and rehab/ remediate before we purchased. Honestly, I don’t think I’d fully finish a basement period, regardless of year built. Anyways, just my experience and as always, great video.

[@viperman300]

Nicely done! Facts first, even for some that don’t want to hear them! So many repeat the mistakes that we’ve learned years ago and replaced all sorts of finished basement materials more than once.

[@miketalley505]

Also was raised in a house that was built in the 1930’s, just carpet on cement floor, wood on walls, a bar made out of wood, was perfect for 40 years, then the basement flooded. But it worked for us for 40 years.

[@dougtaylor2803]

Me too. When my parents bought the house it was divided in to 3 apartments, with the owner occupying the basement and the house was built circa 1932. My parents rented the second floor apartment and we occupied the ground floor and our bedrooms and a 3 piece bath were in the basement. They had a guy put down a sub-floor that held up for many years and we lived there very comfortably; in fact, the basement was nice and cool on hit summer nights.

[@timothyzandi75]

I would just like to say thank you for making honest, No B.S., and educational videos. I’ve recently bought a house that was built in 1941, gutted to the stud and a full renovation in the last 5 years. Your drywall videos alone, have been extremely helpful and your other videos (painting, trim, etc.) have helped me see/correct issues in my home and they’ve also assisted me in my craft as a stationary engineer. If you ever comes across renovating a garage for a comfortable workspace...I would love to see it (currently renovating my garage starting by taking it down to the studs, pulling the 14g wire and running 12-2 Romex, insulating with faced mineral wool, and installing/finishing drywall for the first time). If you have any tips or issues I look out for-I would be grateful for anything and everything. Thank you again for all the information, and step-by-step tutorials that save us all; time, frustration, arguments with significant others, and money!

[@pamelamolina5623]

Timothy Zandi we insulated the attic of our garage and accidentally turned it into a squirrel condo. The electronic rodent repellents worked

[@austinhubatch6070]

House was built is 96 so I'm moving forward with my winter project. Lmaoo. Helpful video. Thank you for being a real one.

[@KC-jq9kw]

I owned a home built in 1965, and that basement was as dry as a bone. Always. It was finished in wood paneling, had a full bathroom, laundry room, living room, and bedroom in the basement. It was built by Minonite people I was told by some elderly people who were there when the homes were built. I updated and improved everything. I redid the electric and plumbing from when it came into the home and through the home. New panel and everything. It was a very well built home.

[@MTU5oh]

1985 house, 8” concrete walls with water proofing on the outside. Probably no vapor barrier underneath the concrete floor itself. I just put down DMX 1 step with LVP flooring. Also helps to run a dehumidifier in the summer months to keep it comfortable down there.

[@SC-vg7tq]

Hi there, we are about to install DMX 1 step in our basement. I was originally thinking of putting laminate planks on it simply because laminate is thick in comparison to the vinyl planks. How is your floor now that you are done? With the DMX floating, and your vinyl planks floating, how does your floor feel underfoot? Is it firm, or springy? Is it cold? Do you have any regrets? I'm on the fence now wondering if I should put plywood over the DMX with tapcon screws into the concrete or if that is overkill. To float or to fasten... I don't want to spend extra $ if the DMX 1 step and flooring alone are comfortable enough.

[@tbarbuto2345]

@@SC-vg7tq The problem with laminate is susceptibility to warping if and when a water event occurs.

[@KingArtexerxes]

My house built in mid 1950’s. A tri-level with a smaller basement. I’ve had various water issues over the years. It’s where my furnace, water heater, and washer/dryer is. I’ve had a deadman installed outside with rods holding a wall in place so it doesn’t collapse on me, about 14 years ago. There is one floor drain. Ceiling and walls are all exposed without coverings. After replacing washer and dryer, I’m slowly adding square vinyl tiles to where they are and slowly expanding out from there. I plan to add shelves and use it for a pantry storage.

[@Jadesky22]

i live in a house built in at least the 1950s maybe earlier.. my grandma had a fully finished basment added in the early 2000's - have to gut all the walls due to water management issues now - gotta get the foundation sealed up and see if anythings salvageable

[@davec.3198]

There is no such thing as a 'sealed' foundation. There are only foundations that seep some moisture and some that seep tons of moisture.

[@M1978-p8j]

Absolutely no guarantees. There are a lot of shit for brains contractors out there

[@apscoradiales]

@@davec.3198 If you waterproof the whole basement like in a tub, it won't leak. But, that will cost you more than the whole upstairs part of the house. We, as architects, "tub" entire large building like that, and they do not leak.

[@mhaas88]

I really appreciate your videos. We just bought a house and while we haven't done much in the way of renovation we definitely are more informed about what "traps" to look out for and generally feel we can have more informed conversations for the projects that we contract in. Thanks so much for all of your content!

[@junkman7426]

I agree with him on "Not finishing a basement in an old house." I live in Detroit and have a 1921 tudor revival. It's 3500sqft with a 1300sqft basement. Walls are brick. There is a toilet room in the basement that is original. You can tell because the bead board walls match the rest, paint is leaded, and the the toilet tank was mounted to the wall! There are a few load bearing brick walls near the center and a few bead board partition walls. I hate storage, and tend to get rid of things I don't use, so my basement has a lot of open space. The boiler room is massive, and I have built a work bench and cabinets. It's essentially a workshop for maintaining and repairing the house and building furniture and stuff. One of the other rooms I turned into a speakeasy style bar. I ran wiring for a fridge and some lights. Everything through the ceiling/floor joists. I have a weight bench in another space and another room is a wine cellar for the bar. There is a large gas boiler that burns up all the humidity in the basement in the winter. In the summer I have a dehumidifier that runs almost all the time and keeps the humidity between about 40-50%. In spring, if we have had a lot of snow fall, the water table rises and sometimes I will get 1-2 inches of ground water in the sump areas of the floor. It does not get all the way up to the walls or boiler thank goodness. I will be digging and installing a sump pump to run in the spring to keep the water table down around my foundation. Another thing, when I first moved in someone had put down a big roll of that cheap vinyl flooring. I pulled it up and the bottom was covered in mold. Obviously I threw it away. I would not try and seal the floors or walls from the inside. The moister HAS to escape the masonry somehow. If you paint or epoxy your brick walls, the bricks will start spalling. For the floor I may put down some shellac to make it easier to sweep and clean as it does allow moister to pass throw it. I like the red brick in my basement, they a decorative and add to the "secret speakeasy" feel to the bar. If you have a home built in 30s to 80s, you might have cinder block. One think I might look into if you don't like the block, an option might be to to use lime plaster right over the cinder block. If there is heavy water intrusion it will fail, BUT if its just light moister from soil, the plaster might allow it to breath enough. Historically, plaster was applied directly to rough masonry and this COULD be a solution for a breathable "finished" look for your walls. I've seen plaster directly over old stone basement walls. You can add pigment to the plaster if you would like to give it a color. I would advise to NOT paint it as this again may lock in moister and cause damage. Just my experience with old basements.

[@erichsh58]

Have you ever used a product called DryLock? A contractor applied it to the cinderblock walls in the unfinished part of my basement but he didn't bother to reach behind the hot water heater to finish the job - as I discovered a few months ago after a very heavy rain.

[@Hello-zf5lq]

@@erichsh58 my basement had a white paint on the walls, I assume it was Drylock paint. That basement eventually got mold due to plumbing leaks, but the walls would seep effervescence anyway despite the what I assume was Drylock. My advise is to let a pre 1980s basement alone - don’t paint or seal the walls, floor, or store things. Leave it for the plumbing pipes and the after heater and furnace.

[@OptimusPater87]

The first 2-3 minutes of this video is the best summarization I've seen in a while.... and is the reason my wife and I are subscribed now. Thank you! We'll be watching a ton of your vids as we work through our own basement finish.

[@ChadEnglishPhD]

Good advice, but I'd also like add a middle option. I have a 120 year old house with a dirt basement and mix of wall materials. I'm not looking to turn it into contemporary style living space, but rather keep it's function as is but give it tidy aesthetics. It has beat up walkways on the floor, storage shelves, a tool bench and shelves, and a small home gym with steel weight bench and weights. Everything that has settled will settle. We know it's mostly bone dry and at worst a little soft wet dirt in one corner, even in the worst Ottawa flooding. (Yes, we're in the area down the Valley a bit, and at the top of a hlll. It even had timber joists which have a beautiful aesthetic. I plan to turn it into a functional, clean, rustic looking basement. I'll need something on the dirt; maybe patio stores or put in a cement floor, paint the cinder blocks, maybe a wall or two to separate the utilities from worship. Clean up the ducts and wires. I would call this more of going from a rats nest basement to a semi-finiahed, aesthetic and functional basement, but not a living space. Nothing that can't get wet will be near the floor, even though it doesn't enough water to do any damage. That's a DIY reno I don't much of. I think it's the best we can do with this old basement.

[@lynnees9828]

I agree 100%. I live in an 1868 farmhouse with a dirt floor cellar and the best I can hope for is less water and not waterproof. I'd like to install a better sump pump and drainage around the cellar. And possibly trench a better footing piece for the metal beams attempting to halt the middle settling. The problem is it would always dry out during certain times but with this weather the last years we get too much rain now. Plus we now have to remove a tree that is too close as the root system has entrenched under it. It has a stone foundation which weeps but that is normal and for the most part was built well.

[@OptimusSatanas]

Just commenting for the algorithm, jeff! Keep it up, brother. You have so many people who dont bother to comment but who benefit from your videos immensely. Remember that!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I appreciate that!

[@learningasigo1269]

So true! I am busy reading all the comments. I learn a lot from the comments also.

[@OptimusSatanas]

@@learningasigo1269 Would you say you are learning as you go? lol

[@learningasigo1269]

@@OptimusSatanas yes🤣

[@robcarlmark1949]

I have to say you have the BEST videos. I live in California and have no basement and never will yet you are SO good at what you do I end up watching your videos. Top notch nice guy with EXCELLENT information. My handyman skills are a little more than basic but you give me lots of motivation to try more things. Keep it up!

[@tedkrapf1302]

Hey Jeff, I used your DMX+OSB method in our basement finishing, and it came out awesome. I also took your advice and got a Bosch SDS machine (I opted to buy instead of rent), and what an AWESOME tool that is. In fact, most of our basement finishing project has been based on your videos and channel -- everything from mudding to properly cutting in when painting. Keep up the awesome work! We can't thank you and your team enough for sharing your knowledge and wit!

[@pattyg4899]

I also use DMX to finish my basement. All 5 albums!

[@tone1585]

@@pattyg4899good dad joke

[@AKADriver]

My house is in the too old category... too late, the previous owner did it already! I needed to see this, though. I've improved the water management over what the previous owner did, installing a big cast iron zoeller sump pump, but this has just reinforced my resolve to move my 'covid office' upstairs rather than attempting to fix the finishing mistakes they made.

[@ToanDuy]

I just want to add that I think your videos are extremely helpful, especially for the "should I do this or not?" phase of renovation. Much appreciated.

[@mattnaclerio5878]

Nice job. I would like to add a few comments based on experience. The first thing I would do is a radon test. Radon is a heavy gas that accumulates in the basement first. Next, there are products to seal the concrete walls, floors and cracks to help create a moisture barrier. Finally, if there is significant risk of water flooding , I would just put down laminate flooring. Even a leaking hot water heater can cause a lot of damage.

[@SharpStudios0]

wow this make so much sense and is so informational. I lived in a house built in the 50s for over 20 years. I lived in the downstairs which was technically a basement because the windows were half below the ground level. Every Spring when there was heavy rain the crawl space would always flood. We tried everything over the years, re cementing the crawlspace, filled the gaps around the house, tried sandbags along the back walls. One Summer we tore up the old tile that was down there and underneath was a bunch of water and black mold( smelt terrible) makes so much sense why my feet were always cold down there. Never even thought about all the stuff you point out but ill for sure never live in a house that old ever again.

[@guineapig55555]

how is your breathing these days

[@metalmarty3948]

I moved into my house in 1998 and it was built in 1977 with roughed in plumbing in the basement and have had a finished basement for years. Never had any water issues. it's time to upgrade the basement which is why I checked out this vid. Guess it depends where you live. I live in Winnipeg Manitoba. In the area I live, most of the houses were built around the same time and all have finished basements. I used sub floor in my daughter's bedroom which was also built in the basement and it turned out great.

[@grabasandwich]

Two minutes and fifty seconds in, and I'm already wanting to sell my house that we've lived in for 13 years. You described it perfectly. 1979, styrofoam/drywall halfway down (frost line?) that the last owner left in place when he finished the basement in the late 90s 🙄 The studs are only 2x2s... I could go on and on, but there's no point. Great video though!

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

Same here ! I took down the paneling years ago of one “finished” room thinking I would put up sheet rock....hahahaha well one thing leads to another....the white 1”foam came out, the framing was 4’ apart so needed more added but it was an odd size so nothing matched, out it came, the plastic vapor barrier had sand behind it so of course out it came.......I just wanted to put up sheet rock and now I have a totally gutted room 🙄 Luckily it’s so sandy here I don’t have water leaks but it’s musty and damp in summer, I’ve painted with dry lock and there it sits ! I think I better become a member so I can get help from him 🤔

[@zipkeen8339]

I used pressure treated bottom plate, chunks of electrical wires 3.5 inches long under said plates to act as spacers Same idea as running my subfloor under the plates. Also I dug up the outside of the foundation waterproof membrane pressure treated plywood and styrofoam drain tile etc. This is after a lot of head scratching wondering if I was crazy to put this much effort, listening to all the sidewalk supervisors ,neighbours ,mail people all wondering why i was not done yet, building materials increasing in cost by the day on and on. I really feel you should be involved in writing a Canadian Building code. I am so thankful to have bumped into this video somewhat after the fact but at least I know I am not nuts or at least if I am I am not alone.

[@immeasurablymore]

Great, my house was built in 1919....so imma pretend that I didn't just watch this.... :p

[@Chris-wv8vx]

Mine was made in 1925 😭I’m going to do the same, never saw this 😂

[@vanderumd11]

@@Chris-wv8vx I hate when I deal with clients whose children or whoever lived in the basement come back years later with breathing problems. I've had to gut so many basements in the last two years

[@UnNamedPotato]

Half of mine was in 1890, zero water issue whatsoever. The other half was built sometime between now and then and currently has a moisture problem.

[@jackiichavez2468]

mine was build in 1879 sooooooooo...

[@jackiichavez2468]

@@UnNamedPotato my contractor said we can finish our basment and its a 1870 home. i'm starting to question if i should just leave it.

[@granteditslifeoutdoors.9194]

Thanks for the video. Here’s what I did. 1930’s basement. Hand dug perimeter to footing (😩), blue skin down wall and over footing and new weeping tile installed. Hired a backhoe to trench downhill from house to exit weeper into a French drain as no sump pit in the basement. Styrofoam running a few feet below grade to limit frost. Dricore subfloor, studs off exterior wall by 1”. Regular batt insulation and 6mil poly. Building paper against concrete to keep the frost off the interior wall construction. It’s warm and dry. I run a wood stove in the basement in winter. If you have the right soils, grade and you manage water, you can make it work. Radon gas can be a bigger reason to not use a basement. That’s another story.

[@rkenley84]

Great video Jeff! People really need to understand the water migration effects of a basement. I installed the DMX/subfloor combo in my basement even after I added new internal drain tile and sump pump. 1970ish home with evidence of water infiltration already. I have no worries that my basement components will remain dry even if water does find its way up through the floor or foundation walls.

[@sfcmmacro]

We are renovating a 1980’s modular home and YOU SPEAK THE GOSPEL… I am doing the walk-out basement rip-out myself and am stunned at what I’m finding. Thank goodness I was smart enough to buy a quality respirator prior to starting the work. Even with it being a walk-out there are serious moisture issues that we will need to deal with. As I’m learning, and as you said, it’s about having a mitigation plan - not a solution. In our case it’s the specialty flooring and walls, combined with a high-volume dehumidifier and air circulation (removing the door at the top of the stairs, a HVAC that is suited to move air effectively and economically, and replacing the exterior walk-out door with a sliding door).

[@deerogatory]

We are shopping for homes in a white hot market right now. This video told me I need to ask questions about that fancy basement in that old home that's been remodeled. Thank you!

[@Real.Estate.Report]

He is always so helpful!

[@cathyseeley91]

I think you are so good at explaining what needs to be done! No “Dad” vibes, just years of experience

[@tay13666]

This is why I won't finish my basement. Everyone always ask if I am going to, since I have 9' clearance in most areas (except under beams which is just under 8' head room) My house was built in 1890. There is no waterproofing. There is no vapor barrier. Up until I added a few registers to the duct work, there was no heat down there either. Basement is used as a workshop / storage area. And with common sense building should have no issues. Anything that touches the floor or walls is treated lumber. Almost everything on the floor is elevated a couple inches. Either with treated lumber, or in the case of table/benches/etc is on 3' casters. Keeps it up higher, and allows me to rearrange easily. The floor has a huge 12 x 12 floor drain, and there is also a sump pump. So major water events shouldn't be an issue. But condensation and moisture vapor will always be a concern.

[@jmacindc]

I have a townhome built in 1972 with a finished room......which is where i discovered my water intrusion. This is going to be exciting.

[@3587karl]

Wow, the first half of your video revealed to me the best cost effective solution for my basement - a dehumidifier. My house I purchased last year is a 1924 bungalow. Last month I finally started to investigate minor moisture issues in the partially finished portion of the basement. I took down a painted layer of paneling, another older layer of paneling, and finally an ancient layer of drywall (all installed by previous owners). I also discarded the termite and moisture damaged portions of the wall studs. I was wondering what I can use to re-seal the cement block walls. I realize now without a moisture barrier on the outside, resealing the concrete would not last, the moisture will eventually force it way through the pores of the cement. A dehumidifier seems to be the lowest cost method to deal with the moisture without breaking the bank. I have no intention on finishing the basement. Currently, there's only a laundry area, my diy workshop area, and a storage area (where the layers of paneling and ancient drywall is).

[@deannawilson3131]

Dehumidifiers and fans will help a lot! We had some flooding issues before we installed a waterproofing system and surprisingly when we tore out drywall it wasn't super moldy like I had expected it to be because we always ran our Dehumidifier and fans to keep things dry/moisture free. Even now we will still keep our Dehumidifier as a 2nd layer of precaution

[@dushk0]

Most cost effective is spend all on the main floor and leave the basement alone.

[@3587karl]

@@deannawilson3131 Thanks for the info. I figured I should get a dehumidifier for the basement, especially one with a drain line to run to the sink. Do you recommend any particular brand/model?

[@deannawilson3131]

@@3587karl Don't really have any specific recommendations. I'm sure you don't need to spend an arm and a leg on one and maybe see what size works best for the amount of space/square footage in our basement. The one that we have the previous owners left us. They had put all the money into making the upstairs night and now we are doing the same for the basement since our upstairs is only 980 sq ft

[@susangrande8142]

Dear Jeff, thank you so much for this !!! I have an almost 100 year-old house, and I just want to install a wool washing setup in my basement (kind of like a kitchen: a sink, counter, and a hot plate), in the “room” with the big floor drain in it. The floor is very wavy, old concrete. I doubt the house has ever had a serious water issue, but it certainly has no water vapor proofing, nor vapor barriers. (We run a dehumidifier continually in the summer.) I’m now considering a water-friendly leveling system of some sort, to preserve the floor’s sloping toward the drain, and still having level floor that I can stand on, like a subfloor on waterproof, thin joists that can hold up a level floor. Surely such a thing already exists; I’m certainly not the first person to want to do this...

[@txshah78]

Jeff really knows what he is talking about. He is knowledgeable builder.

[@theoldbear4213]

My mother recently bought 1950s house in central CT. I moved in with her due to health issues with her and my stepfather, and as those will likely only get worse, I don't think I'll be leaving for a long, long time. Naturally, as an adult, I'd like my own space, so I'm paying and doing the work to renovate the basement. The basement already has a sump pump, and appears to have had things done to allow finishing the basement. Part of it was previously made a living room(without walls separating it from the rest of the basement) - wall mounted TV, couches, etc. There's no actual hookups for plumping, but it's set up in such a way that there's very easy access to add them - when things were upgraded in the past, it looks like they intended to leave space to put a bathroom down there, but never did.. There's no floor on top of the concrete anywhere. There is drywall on the walls, but it doesn't go all the way down to the concrete floor - this may be because it predates the installation of the sump pump, but I'm not sure. My plan isn't actually to finish the whole thing, but only to add two finished rooms- a large bedroom-office-craftroom combination(about 480 square feet, give or take), and a bathroom(50-70ish square feet) with only a toilet, and sink, no shower, though I will leave space for one to be added(I can pay for the other work, but I'm not shelling out the 10 grand just for a pump I'm told is required to make a shower work in the basement). The entire basement is maybe 1500 square feet tops. The rooms will not be directly at the bottom of either the indoor stairs, or the storm hatch stairs. Is it feasible to only put down these sub-floor systems where these rooms will be going? I certainly don't intend to spend the money on hardwood. My uncle is a contractor and has been helping renovate the rest of the house - he hasn't raised any concerns with my plans, and even seemed enthused by the project when he realized that the spot he had to put a support underneath the shower upstairs lined up exactly with where the shorter section of the basement bedroom's wall would go. It was kinda like, "oh, now this is like fate, now we gotta do it" moment for both of us. But this video has me concerned now... We already intended to use mold resistant drywall on all the new walls, but the message of "don't do this in an old house" is worrisome. Another idea we had was to remove the storm door/hatch, and use the concrete currently surrounding it to frame out a proper exterior door, with just like a box extending to the side of the house(with proper siding and whatnot) over that set of stairs, in order to make an actual water seal - right now it's just a wide metal hatch, some crummy short stairs, and a plywood door at the bottom. Not very water tight lol... Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated,,,

[@joethom5205]

Stop the fear mongering. My home was built in the 60's and the basement is clean dry and pristine because I did the work. 20 years now and NO issues

[@certifiedgenius9001]

Thats what I'm thinking. Same here: we had standing water in the basement because of a clogged j-trap that hadn't been cleaned in 20+ years (when you are supposed to clean them every 4). Thats been the only instance of water in the basement.

[@jordanoconnor6792]

This video isn't fear mongering. At least in my opinion. A lot of homeowners are in this exact situation. This video is educational for the homeowners that need to deal with this. Like it was mentioned in the video, not every basement is the same. Some people are lucky. My house was built in the 1800s and i fortunately don't have any moisture because i'm on a hill in a nice small town. This video helped me identify possible issues and now i have a better idea what to look out for.

[@dcary2772]

Yes, because presenting facts is fear mongering. Come off it mate.

[@marsbarzart]

How’s the basement

[@joseluisruiz3789]

I rent the house I live in and my landlords gave me the Green light to use the basement after 9 years of renting the house, I decided to turn this 1920 house basement into a DIY Wood working Hobby Shop for my self, it will keep me busy when I'm bored plus my landlords LOVE the free labor work and repairs I do to keep my rent down lol! However after getting rid of all their old junk I found several random spots of Efflorescence on the cement walls. So I've been watching videos to figure out the safest way to remove it and just clean up the walls. Someone told me to paint the walls but to be honest I don't think it's a good idea to paint the walls because I know for a fact that it's going to bubble up and get ruined from the air vents that are open around the walls where water can leak in from. Then have to scrape all of it off. It's crazy man. I Always appreciate your videos.

[@scottbitz5222]

Very interesting and good info to know. Thanks! My wife and I own a home with a cinderblock basement that was built in 1960 a mile from Lake Michigan (the water table is extremely low as there is a quarry basically just across the street) in the US and it was completely finished when we bought it. Considering we have a 3/4 bath down there and a large sump pump, your video informs me that the basement was (probably) actually prepared to be at least partially finished. As well, thankfully, except with heavier rains (or snowmelt) the humidity before I got a small dehumidifier (undersized, but what we could afford at the time, but rarely goes above 50% most of the time) when the humidity spike up to 70% sat around 48-55% and didn't smell like a damp basement at all. Of course, that all changed last year in August when we did get a bit of water in there because the east wall has shifted inwards about 1 in at the sill level and only figured this out because of the Derecho we had come through that dumped tons of water on us and exposed this issue that the previous owner likely didn't know about because his father passed and his mother had dementia. This means I've gotta decide what we're going to do after that wall is braced, fully waterproofed, and drain tile updated in that area will guarantee that wall will not be an issue. Of course, because of the amount of water (only enough to make the carpet damp) and no water since the, so only the 1 wall had to be completely demoed and the rest have been left, however, I know it was framed terribly and has ugly wood paneling, but I don't want to spend the time and money to demo and reframe it if it's not going to be worth it, which quite likely might not be the case based on what you're telling me here... Might just be better to talk to our realtor before we do more than fix it...

[@gr8vocl]

Well, my house was built THIS YEAR and has a basement .... it's frames, drywall in the ceiling and plumbing for bathroom, kitchen and washer & dryer - and a dehumidifier ..... Excited to finish it

[@erwinmccallum8689]

What about partial finishing (and walls) in an older house? I have a hobby room in my basement. I don't need carpeting or flooring in there. (Nor do I want it, for "being sloppy with paint and other messy hobby materials" reasons.) But I would like to insulate the exterior foundation to maybe make it a bit warmer in the winter, and perhaps put up some walls as well. Not necessarily drywall, but something sturdy enough I can hang shelving on, and make the room feel less like a dungeon, I do spend a lot of time in there on weekends. But it's very difficult to find info on such a thing, as almost all information on doing any work in basements is related to fully finishing them into living spaces, which is not my intent.

[@73Tracker73]

Have you considered adding on a room, instead? Or building a heated shed for your hobby area?

[@corinnemuir1542]

Oh god thank you. You saved me from a mistake. Now that you mention it my basement is not meant to the lived in. I would love to see your personal favorite thing to do around home. Your so happy doing your job. I wonder how happy you could get doing a task you enjoy. ✊

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I love painting. so peaceful and tranquil. Now that the kids have moved out anyway. Cheers!

[@McbrydeWithaY]

This man straight up attacking every house in Utah lol

[@colettedyewilliams2169]

Old house built before 1970😢

[@AlexB-op7kb]

Ha so many short basements

[@TedDaddin]

I have a house that was built in 1915. We just had the worst rain in years (possibly ever) in the area, I had minor seepage in one area around the foundation. I think a lot had to do with the grading of my patio on that side of the house and a drain that was backed up when the intensity increased. There was a huge pool of water on the patio right up against the house. Overall, there was barely any water in the basement, it was just a little wet on the ground where the floor meets the wall. Considering this was some of the worst rain/flash flooding we've had in an already wet summer, this is a decent sign that the basement won't flood. Our plan was to one day finish the basement. We've scaled that thought back after this video (thank you!) and we're considering painting the exposed ceiling black, walls white, floors epoxy and thats it. Then we'd like to have a home gym area, laundry, storage, and lounge space for the kids. If it floods one day, I can swallow it, we aren't going to put expensive equipment/furniture etc down there. My main concern is mold. The basement doesn't smell, but I don't want my wife and I working out down there if there is a mold problem let alone the fact we'd make a place for our kids to hang out. Can someone point me in the direction of how to find out if I have a mold problem? I bought a testing kit once for my garage but it didn't give much context. Afterwards, we had a mold guy come inspect the garage and said he doesn't think there is a problem. My goal is to have someone come and be able to tell me it is safe or you need to to do x,y,z to make it a safe environment.

[@janetharnwell7221]

That’s me Jeff, in Australia we don’t have basements but I always enjoy your videos.

[@Real.Estate.Report]

Same here Janet!

[@matthewlewis5631]

I wish we had basements. Crawl spaces are such wasted spaces - just escalate down and make it into a proper basement!

[@ronaldjohnston7989]

WOW...what an eye-opening video. My home is a center-hall colonial built in 1971. Now I see why my local contractor is hesitant to "finish" my basement (he lives 2 houses away, same builder and house). Soooo, I just want to have the walls and floor painted and overhead lights installed so I can use the space for some dry (airquotes) storage and with enough lighting to make it easy to get around. Do you have a video that describes that? Thank you for a very well done and very informative video.

[@skyline5354]

I know you’ve done other videos about basements but I like how you did this one where you break it down in segments. Maybe another video you can do it about framing/drywall/insulation - vapor barrier or no vapor barrier etc

[@ecospider5]

A vapor barrier is for dealing with water vapor. If there is any chance of actual water getting into a place like a wall you want no vapor barrier because that will just slow the drying.

[@schaefferwoodland1111]

I like this guy, he knows how to explain stuff really well.

[@uceid]

The best systems for old homes is neither of these products, it is what he was referring at the end. The solution is to use dimpled membrane (for foundation) such as Delta by Dorken. Delta membrane on the floor, act as a vapor barrier. On top of the Delta membrane, you lay down foam boards then you lay down floor OSB. So Concrete -> Delta Membrane -> foam boards -> OSB plywoods -> flooring. Tapes and glues should be use for membrane, boards and plywood. With this system, you get : - A true vapor barrier - A place where water can go (drains hopefully) - R5 to R20 insulation depending on the ceiling height you have. - Usually cheaper than these pre-made boards If your concrete is not to level and need adjustment, like mine was, you follow the same process but you "shim" the plywood, not the concrete.

[@moisesshooter9]

I was just about to comment asking questions that you answered before i even had the chance. Thank you very much!

[@moisesshooter9]

what would you do with the drain that is in the basement slab, where all the potential water would go into???

[@uceid]

@@moisesshooter9 Personally I had two drain to deal with. I thought long and hard about it. My outside drains were redone before the basement and I had a Resisto membrane installed (like polyurethane, comes in rolls of all size) the chance that I had water from the outside was limited, but still possible. My concerns were trapping the old drain under my floor, old drains had no "water air lock" so any gas, bugs, or even water could get in. I wanted water entering the basement to find the drain, the problem is with the delta membrane, let say a bathtub would overflow, the water would not easily find the drain hidden under this sandwiched floor. I decided to keep the drain under the floor, I installed a new drain sleeve called SureSeal so I didn't have to break all the concrete to make a water lock, this SureSeal sleeve are clever one way valve. I am sure there is many like these now, at the time they were quite new and I had to order online. I wouldn't be surprise if you could find them locally now. On top of the drain, I drilled a ~3.5 inch hole, inserted a ABS sleeve with notches at the bottom, inserted another SureSeal valve sleeve then placed a cap flush with the flooring. So i had a SureSeal sleeve in the original drain, then another one in a fake drain right above it. A bit overkill, even my dad was almost laughing at me but this is how OCD I become when doing this. So if water ever got under my floor, it would find the drain. If large amount of water was to be spilled on the floor, it would find the drain as well and everything was somewhat air tight. Most people think I should've just let the drain under the membrane and forget about it, this is also an option.

[@paperwait9611]

this is a good presentation that explains well the sources of water and humidity in basements. a fourth source of humidity in basements (possibly more significant than humidity infiltration through concrete basement walls) is air infiltration, which brings with it the humidity in the outside air. basements were, to an extent, designed to be leaky because the old 80 afue gas furnaces relied on basement air for combustion.

[@ryanhoaglin9907]

Wow. Thanks so much for laying this out for folks. I've owned a house built in 1925 for 11+ years and it had a finished basement when we bought it. Whoever finished that basement had no business doing that and I appreciate you talking about the reasons why. I recently found out my wife has a lung disease that is caused by long term exposure to mold. Guess what, I ripped out all the walls in the basement and found mold everywhere. Our house permanently destroyed my wife's lungs. Listen to Jeff folks!! It's not worth you or your loved one's health to finish a basement in an old house. I will be leaving mine unfinished until we move out.

[@stroys7061]

My house was built in 1972. I have two sump pumps. I have endured significant water in the basement three times. Everything in my basement sits on a platform at least 3 1/2 inches above the floor. I have a backup generator that starts automatically. This video confirmed what I already knew - do not finish the basement. I have a workout area, man-cave, and storage, I’ll quite while I’m ahead.

[@justindekock7211]

Me: living in the basement of my house that was built in 1955

[@foamer5490]

Yeah I think a lot of these issues have to be pretty situational. My parents house was built around that same time and their basement was finished sometime in the 70's and it is in perfect shape. In Michigan no less. No mildew, no "basement smell", no weeping issues, etc.

[@doloreszamora5126]

C K. Nick c NC n ccm. "Cc. C

[@JC-dz6qo]

To add to this, most houses are only built with damp proofing which is that black tar type stuff we all see above grade. It’s not water proofing and far from it. Jeff is right in that we need to deal with future issues in the products we use bc they ARE going to happen

[@PugAshen]

Couldn't sleep (3 AM here..). So just in time, Jeff. Giving me something to watch to get me relaxed :-)

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Good night

[@thereefaholic]

I had two homes built in the 50's and the key is a 24/7 dehumidifier pumped outside the home, good exterior water diversion. If you have active water entering your home that must be addressed first. Brush on vapor barrier like dry lock help if there is no active water issue.

[@atroche1978]

I simply wanted some tips on painting the basement walls and floor just to brighten it up. 😂 But all this stuff is good to know. Tbh, I thought this video was going to be about radon.

[@akop87]

Yeah me too! I wonder what he would do for radon. Is there any videos?

[@worldserpent731]

My half concrete half dirt basement under a house older than the 50s has no problems. It's nice and cool down there in the summer and cools the whole house so much. This guy probably makes his living in scaring the crap out of people with mold and mildew $$$

[@holyirishman]

Hey jeff. What type of sub flooring do you recommend in a basement that the concrete is sloped towards a central drain? Is there a way to maintain the slope for drainage and also get the subfloor relatively level to accommodate vinyl?

[@xeonzero1]

This question needs an answer.

[@intolerant_left]

Also, my house was built in 43 and has a drain in the basement.. and the basement was half finished when we bought it

[@Nellopi22]

@HomeRenoVision Diy

[@codydonovan7356]

My moms house was built in 1987 in Maine. It is a ranch style house with a daylight basement. She finished the basement a long time ago and it's still in pretty good shape. We always kept a dehumidifyer down there to help with moisture/humidity. The only water issues we ever had was when our bathroom flooded because the pump broke... It was a mess! It was never built with a bathroom rough in. We had to put the bathroom on a raised platform. The main reason I would never put in a pump in a basement... Luckily my current house was built in 1999 and also has a daylight basement. It has a rough in for a bathroom which is awesome! I can't wait to finish it!!

[@ErikDuda]

nearly done finishing basement thanks to Jeff...then watches this video -_- house was built in 1947. vapor barriers?? ha!

[@jayknudsen149]

I love the attitude of this video it’s like someone has asked you how to build a pipe bomb and you’re telling them how even though you know you probably shouldn’t.

[@josephheidelberg1774]

All I came here was for ideas and I somehow got yelled at by my dad.

[@DyAnnMarie]

Same 😢 And my older brother

[@buckguy7684]

I put carpet in part of my basement without padding. Before I put it in I did the test where you tape a piece of plastic to the floor to see if moisture collected under the plastic and have never had a moisture problem

[@Adam-fo8gr]

Jeff, thanks so much for what you do. You are my go-to for anything DIY! Keep up the great work, you really are making a difference!

[@JSLEnterprises]

Have a house built in 1964, it has an original 5x7 bathroom in the basement. It does not have a vapor barrier, or weeping tile around the outside. The basement was "finished" by a diyer. its been fun finding all the ridiculous things done while ripping it out. Luckily, the house is a raised bungalow, and even the base slab is above the water table. Soil is moist, but the basement is dry, even without any water protection. Wicked moisture of the concrete is also minimal (as well as the relative humidity down there). Also, would never use either of those products, as the water does creep up over top of those products, and does sit in the plastic dimples... the osb then rots and provides fuel for the mold to expand and grow. The foam one is a little less prone to this, but again, it will wick up into the osb over time.

[@OAGCougar21]

It'd like to think that the "discipline of basement building" serves for southern building as long as the methods are applied " at zero level" based on the property. Excluding plumbing because of elevation/ vacuum, but vapor barrier and water proofing disciplines still are relevant.

[@hargreavesryan]

Eff me this makes too much sense. Got a love-hate relationship with videos like this that leave me with more questions than answers. Better than being ignorant to the facts and possibly (probably) having something happen that puts all my renovation efforts and dollars to waste. Thank you for the informative video!