DRIcore 2' x 2' Subfloor Panels

After 13 years in our house, the basement was finally dry—or as close to dry as it was ever going to get. The walls weren’t fancy, but they were clean and white (and did I mention dry?). We weren’t prepared to spend many thousands of dollars on a true finished basement; we just wanted it usable. But to do that we had to tackle the floor.

The concrete floor was not only unsightly, with cracks and discoloration and remnants of a previous owner’s misguided tile job, but it was also a hazard. Knowing the ninja warrior games and gymnastics moves our kids and their friends favor, we knew that concrete wasn’t the best solution.

Since we do still have minor water seepage every so often, we’d have to take that into consideration. I thought about laying a plywood subfloor, with a 1×2 grid raising it enough to keep it from getting wet and also providing a little “give” for when young heads fell on it.

But what material for the grid? Anything I put down would occasionally be sitting in a quarter inch or so of water. I had visions of mold and mildew, rotting wood, even termites (yes, we’ve had those, too).

DRIcore floor panels acclimatizing prior to installation. Photo: Roseann Henry

In search of inspiration, I came upon a Canadian product called DRIcore. It consists of 24×24″ tongue-and-groove panels with a vapor barrier on one side. That side also features little “feet” that raise the panel off the floor and allow air to circulate and any moisture to evaporate (via a quarter-inch gap around the room’s perimeter). I was intrigued.

I read the company’s literature and watched its how-to video. I looked online for consumer complaints or horror stories but didn’t find any. The product has been featured on a Canadian home improvement show, it looked easy to install, and it seemed to be precisely what I’d had in mind when I envisioned that plywood-on-a-grid solution.

Tools required for installation. Photo: Roseann Henry

Still, at almost $6 a panel it’s not exactly a cheap solution, so I decided to test it in the laundry area (just under 150 square feet). I bought 44 panels and a package of matching shims, which the literature said would help even out any irregularities in the surface (and we certainly had some of those). I also bought a couple of tubes of self-leveling cement filler, which could be used with a caulk gun. I’d need this to fill any depression of more than a quarter-inch. And although it’s not an especially cost-effective way to do that, it’s mighty easy.

With the filler curing and the panels acclimatizing, I had 24 hours to figure out my final plan of attack. I watched the how-to video one more time, then created a scale drawing of where the panels would be positioned and where I’d have to make cuts around pipes, posts, and stairs. The next day I went to work.

Floor panels detail. Photo: Roseann Henry

And son of a gun, this job is as easy as promised. Granted, if my basement were as clean and level (and empty) as the one in the video, I probably wouldn’t even be doing this job. But the panels join together pretty easily, and with each panel measuring four square feet, the open areas get covered fast. Cuts are easy to make with a jigsaw (the video shows a circular saw, but I’m more comfortable with a jigsaw, and it works better for those curved cuts around pipe anyway).

The literature says you can install about 100 square feet an hour. I took a little longer than that, but the work still went pretty fast. I did the laundry area in no time at all and headed out again for more panels and shims.

Floor panels installed. Photo: Roseann Henry

Since my basement is pretty open, I needed fewer panels than the company’s online calculator estimated (fewer cuts means less waste). I did need more shims than estimated, since the floor was pretty uneven. But the results are great, and I was finished in two weekends, putting in only a couple of hours each weekend. (I probably spent as much time moving and re-moving all the shelves and bins and boxes as I did laying floor, but there was just nowhere to put all that stuff while I worked.)

Of course, we know the whole basement will always look unfinished and be covered with the dirt drifting down from between the floorboards above. Unless we do something about that ceiling…

For more on basement remodeling, consider:

Eliminating Basement Moisture
Planning Guide: Basement Remodeling
From Wreck Room to Rec Room: Drying Out the Basement

For more from this author, check out “The 12-Year Kitchen.”

From Wreck Room to Rec Room: Laying a Subfloor Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

The basement in its somewhat original condition (after the drywall from the previous owners was removed).

One lesson I learned fast when I bought a house is that a homeowner’s number-one enemy is not the mortgage—it’s the water. That vaguely brown spot on the pantry ceiling? Water leaking in between the two-story side wall and the one-story extension, where 90-year-old tin flashing had completely corroded. The rotted windowsills? Water overflowing the clogged and poorly pitched gutters, then cascading onto the windows below (apparently for decades). And the basement’s musty smell and chalky walls? That was water too. And it was everywhere: seeping in through leaky old windows, dripping down the walls from where the foundation met the sill, and creeping in from below where the foundation walls met the floor.

The original 2x4s and tiles glued directly to the concrete floor also needed to be removed.

We tackled the roof and the windows, which were straightforward (if expensive) solutions. The basement was another story; we tried almost everything but nothing seemed to do the trick. We replaced the old wooden windows with vinyl sliders (and tightly caulked those new ones). We regraded the soil outside to encourage water to run away from the house. We extended the gutter downspouts to get rainwater far away from the foundation. We used special foundation cement patch to fill any visible cracks. We were almost there.

A French drain, we learned from an estimate, would be really expensive, and it wouldn’t actually keep the water out (only drain it away once water got inside). A much less expensive decision actually made the single biggest difference: We bought $5 plastic window well covers. That eliminated most of the remaining problem, all for an investment of $25.

Still, a heavy rain always meant some water on the floor. Not a lot, but enough to give us pause when we were thinking about where to find more space for the kids. (As charming as they are, Lego castles on the coffee table are not what we want in the living room. And video games that once came with only a joystick or remote now require drum sets, microphones, and other accessories that take up floor space.)

We’d winterized the sun porch a few years back, making it a usable year-round play room, but it’s only 200 square feet and had become so cluttered with toys and games that there was almost no space left for the kids. (Besides, I wanted it back as a sun room!) Those extra 800 square feet in the basement were awfully attractive, but not if everything we put down there had to be raised up on stilts.

The best investment we made: $5 plastic window wells.

The water problem seemed isolated to just the front wall, and not even the whole wall, just the half to the east of the front entryway above. No matter what we did, that twelve-by-seven foot portion of the wall would not stop seeping. A formidable crack ran diagonally from the window down nearly to the floor. Once caulking the window and filling the crack failed to solve the problem, we finally accepted that the solution lay outside. We had to protect that exterior and prevent water from penetrating the foundation in that compromised area.

Oh, we knew the answer—dig up the front yard and cover that wall with a watertight membrane. But we didn’t rush into the project. The expense of it, the mess of it, the damage to the garden… not to mention finding a contractor. We avoided it as long as we could. Then last year, as we were remodeling our kitchen and needed a new foundation poured under the extension, the planets aligned. We had the cement guy right there, he had all the equipment he needed, and even the expense suddenly didn’t loom as large. Hey, on a project that size, what’s another $1,000?

For six months we watched and waited, checking after every heavy rain. Could it be true? Yes! We were pretty much dry (although after a torrential downpour there was still very minor seepage along the seam where the walls meet the floor). We called in the painters to scrub off decades’ worth of efflorescence and apply two coats of waterproofing paint, and suddenly found ourselves the proud owners of a clean, (pretty much) dry basement.

Soon, we’ll replace all those plastic window well covers soon. They’ve gotten a little beaten up over the years but are still the best $5 investment we’ve ever made. As insurance goes, they’re well worth the price.

Next: From Wreck Room to Wreck Room— Laying a Subfloor

For more on basement remodeling, consider:

Basement: To Finish or Not?
Know the Rules for Finished Basements
Basement Remodeling Ideas: Overcoming Obstacles

From Wreck Room to Rec Room: Drying Out the Basement Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

From Basement Finishing and Family Space: Keep Water Out of the Basement, Season 17 Episode 11

CM_BVNOTES-1234-7 Basement Waterproofing

Listen to BOB VILA ON BASEMENT WATERPROOFING, or read text below:

“There’s no such thing as a waterproof basement. Special waterproof paint on the walls or coatings on basement floors may keep leaks from showing for now, but if the hydrostatic pressure in the earth around the foundation is great enough, water will find its way in. The key is to minimize the water that gets in and get it back out again before it affects your home.

Often, a basement is wet because it’s the next stop for rainwater after it leaves the roof. If gutters are clogged and overflowing or downspouts dump water too close to the house, and especially if the ground slopes toward the foundation, water is literally funneled into your basement. Gutter maintenance, downspout extensions and re-grading may go a long way toward a drier basement.

Inside the basement, digging a perimeter drain and installing a sump pump is the most common way to remove any water that comes up through the floor or through the walls. Since flooding can happen suddenly and is often accompanied by a power outage, some systems even include a second pump to handle extra volume and a third battery-powered backup pump.

Get more info at BobVila.com… and right here at home with me, Bob Vila!”

Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening to—or reading—Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. 

For more on basements, consider:

Keep Water Out of the Basement (video)
How To: Dry a Wet Basement
Know the Rules for Finished Basements

Bob Vila Radio: Basement Waterproofing Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

Photo: Bob Vila's "Home Again"

CM_BVNOTES-1233-1 The New Basement

Listen to BOB VILA ON FINISHING A BASEMENT, or read text below:

“Finishing your basement is a great way to add space and value to your home. If you have enough ceiling height and you’re willing to take care of moisture problems first, your basement is a good candidate for a build-out.

The thing to know about basements is that they’re just holes in the ground. Whether it’s through the floor, walls or in the air, water will find its way in eventually. With a perimeter drain, however, and vapor barrier on the walls, you can get that moisture out again before it wrecks your stuff.

If you’re finishing your basement, never use materials that will be damaged or grow mold when they get wet. Metal studs, fiberglass-faced drywall, tile, and other non-organic materials are best for basements. Never put wood on a basement floor. Specially engineered raised plastic underlayments will allow you to lay carpet over them while allowing any water on the concrete underneath to escape.

Before you start, run your plans by your local building department; especially if you’re adding a bedroom or a bathroom in your basement, it’s important to know the code.

Get more info at BobVila.com… and right here at home with me, Bob Vila!”

Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening to—or reading—Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. 

For more on finishing a basement, consider:

Basement Remodels Add More Living Space
Basement Finishing System Installation (video)
Recapping the Remodeling and Converting an Unfinished Basement into Living Space (video)

Bob Vila Radio: Finishing a Basement Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

Photo: waterfirerestorationatlanta.com

There are a few rules to keep in mind about sump pumps. The first is that you’ll never have to buy one if you purchase a house that never floods. The second is that, if you do buy a house with a water problem, there may be several ways to correct it before resorting to a sump pump and pit. Third, if you must buy a sump pump, buy a very good one—in fact, it may make sense to buy two or three!

I’m lucky with basements. Having purchased five houses in my life, not one has been wet. Some dampness in summer, yes, but nothing a dehumidifier couldn’t handle. When being shown a house by an agent, try to begin your tour in the basement. If there’s evidence of a significant water problem (such as an active sump pit and pump or high-water marks on the walls), walk away before you fall in love with the kitchen or master suite. A wet basement is going to cause all sorts of problems beyond water—rust, rot, mold, and unhealthy indoor air.

If you simply must buy the house or have already bought it, try to stop water from entering. I’ve known homeowners who put in a sump pump only to abandon its use after installing an outdoor curtain drain that diverts water to a pond.

Installing or repairing gutters so they don’t drain near your foundation can also make a big difference. And if a walkway, patio, or pool deck slopes toward your house instead of away from it, they are contributing hundreds of gallons of water to your problem. There are services that can re-level slabs so they drain away from the house, and many types of patios can be removed and reinstalled with the proper slope without too much expense.

Photo: Umbrella Plumbing

Buying a sump. If your water problem is serious (e.g., a high water table that gets higher when it rains), you will need a sump pump. Here are some quick tips on what kind of pump to buy:

• Choose a submersible pump over a pedestal pump if your sump basin has the space. Submersible pumps allow the sump pit to be covered with a lid, reducing pump noise and stopping debris from falling into the pit. An airtight lid also helps keep moist air from being released into your home.

• Buy a pump with a cast iron core, not one made of plastic. Cast iron helps to dissipate heat to the surrounding water, lengthening the life of the pump.

• To minimize the chance of clogs, the pump should have a no-screen intake design coupled with an impellor that can handle solids up to ½-inch in diameter.

- The switch should be mechanical, not a pressure switch, and the float should be solid so it can’t become waterlogged, fail to switch off, and burn out the pump.

Secondary and back-up pumps. A secondary pump installed right next to the first is a good idea too, especially if your basement has been converted to living space or if you store valuables there. If your primary pump fails or is overwhelmed, the back-up pump automatically takes over. For extra insurance, a battery back-up pump can also be installed. When the power goes out, as it often does in a storm, the battery-powered pump can continue pumping for up to two days, depending upon the demand. Combination packages with two or three pumps are available. A less costly option is to install a water alarm and to keep a spare pump on hand should the primary pump fail.

For more on basement moisture control, consider:

How To: Dry a Wet Basement
Eliminating Basement Moisture (VIDEO)
Keeping Water Out of the Basement (VIDEO)

Some Advice About Sump Pumps Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

Photo: garagedoorwashingtondc.info

LISTEN

Listen to BOB VILA ON GARAGE DOOR OPENERS, or read text below:

Because they’re potentially dangerous, these springs are off-limits to do-it-yourselfers. Your owner’s manual, which you should consult before working on any part of your system, will tell you which parts you can replace and recommend which type of lubricant to spray onto the springs and bearings to help them last longer. Most recommend spray silicone or a light lubricating oil.

New garage door openers offer a lot of great bells and whistles such as automatic or motion sensor lights, remote lockout for security when you’re on vacation or a fingerprint sensor keypad for those who forget combinations. There are even systems that operate with a battery backup during a power outage or open automatically if they sense too much carbon monoxide in the garage.

Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening to—or reading—Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. 

For more on garages, consider:

Quick Tip: Garage Storage Solutions
Creating the Ultimate Garage Workshop
New Insulated Garage Doors (VIDEO)

Bob Vila Radio: Garage Door Openers Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

shelterpop.com

LISTEN

Listen to BOB VILA ON GARAGE STORAGE OPTIONS, or read text below:

Start by grouping the bins and bulky items you need to store by their use, and measuring them so you know how much space you need for each group. Tall cabinets with double doors are great, but be sure they come with enough adjustable shelves to optimize the space inside. Include at least one lockable cabinet for dangerous chemicals.

If you’ve got a lot of ceiling height in your garage, use it. Try an overhead storage rack for seasonal items or a bike lift. For easier cleaning, keep things off the floor: store sports gear and yard tools on heavy-duty, wall-mounted hooks and racks. Look for systems made of metal, plastic or wood specifically treated for garage use. Add some low cabinets on casters with a work surface on top. Put up some pegboard or a vinyl slat wall system for tools, and you’ve got the beginnings of a home workshop.

Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing). You can get your daily dose here, by listening to—or reading—Bob’s 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day.

For more on garage storage options, consider:

Quick Tip: Garage Storage Solutions
Organize Your Home
Storage at a Glance

Bob Vila Radio: Garage Storage Options Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

Standard Garage Door Openers

Craftsman Chain Driven Garage Door Opener

Chain-driven models include a chain—similar to a bicycle chain—that pushes or pulls a trolley (carriage) that connects to a metal bar, called a J-arm, that is affixed to the garage door. If your garage is situated under a bedroom, the noise generated by metal-to-metal contact and vibration may be a nuisance. If the garage is detached, it probably isn’t. Newer chain-driven units with DC motors and soft start-and-stop technology are significantly quieter than older units.

Belt-driven openers are similar in design to chain-driven models, except a reinforced belt is what pushes or pulls the trolley. The belts may be made of fiberglass, polyurethane, or steel-reinforced rubber. Belt-driven openers are just as reliable as chain-driven openers but quieter. The negative for belt-driven openers is that they cost about $30 to $60 more than chain-driven units.

With screw-driven openers, the trolley rides on a threaded-steel rod as a motor rotates the rod. Because this design has fewer moving parts, manufacturers claim that it requires less maintenance than other systems. Screw-driven openers, however, have run into trouble in regions that have large swings in temperature from summer to winter. In addition, they are noisier than belt-driven openers. That said, manufacturers of screw-driven openers have recently made improvements with regard to temperature sensitivity and noise. In addition, screw-driven openers are among speediest these days as well, opening a door at 10- to 12-in. per second compared to the standard 6- to 8-in. per second. (For safety, all garage door openers close doors at a slower 7-in. per second.)

Jackshaft and Direct-Drive Garage Door Openers

Raynor's Prodigy Wall-Mounted Jackshaft Garage Door Opener

Jackshaft openers, unlike the other systems, mount on the wall beside the garage door. A 24-v DC motor drives pulleys and cables that turn the torsion bar and raise the garage door. When the motor is reversed, cable tension is loosened and the door lowers. This system is reliable and quiet. In addition, it keeps the ceiling free for overhead storage and is well-suited to garages with high or low ceilings. Jackshaft openers are more expensive than most other types of openers.

Direct-drive units are claimed to be the quietest of all garage door units, because there is only one moving part—the motor. Developed and manufactured in Germany, the motor (not a trolley) travels along a stationary chain that is embedded in an overhead rail. A J-arm links the moving motor to the door. Direct-drive units cost about the same as belt-driven units and come with lifetime warranties.

DC-Powered Garage Door Openers

Chamberlain DC Garage Door Opener

DC motors are quieter, faster, smaller, lighter, smoother operating, and more efficient than AC motors. Many come with variable speeds, enabling soft-start and soft-stop technology. They can also be equipped with battery backup systems. With newer units, the battery is integrated with the opener motor housing. When the power fails, your garage door openers will continue to function for up to two days, depending upon how often you open and close the door. Battery backup will also ensure the continued operation of other functions, including garage lighting, security, and safety alerts. DC motors with brushes do not have the same life expectancy as AC motors, but brushless DC motors do.

Related:
Picking the Right Garage Door
Quick Tip: Garage Storage Solutions
Video: Dream Garage and Boat Storage

Garage Door Openers 101 Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

The Noonan family's first trip to the basement

Late in 2010, my husband and I, and our two young children (2 and 9 months old), moved from our teensy New York City apartment to Southern Delaware and began the process of building a new house. It was like hitting the square-footage jackpot—we could afford so much more for the same money. We were like kids in a candy store. First on our wish list: a full basement. We fantasized about a home gym, an office, a playroom for the kids, storage for tools, a craft area, media room, kitchenette, and guest room with an extra bath!

Pouring the concrete foundation slab

But wait. It turns out basements aren’t cheap. An unfinished one cost $25K. Finishing the space could cost another $80K. Wow. The budget was tight, so we had to step back and rethink. After mulling it over, we realized the structural portion of the basement was the important part. Since we had enough space on the upper floors for our immediate needs, finishing the basement was not essential. We could wait to do it ourselves—for a lot less than our builder would charge. So, for the time being, we decided to make our unfinished basement a rainy day indoor playground for our kids (now 2 and 4).

With a few trips to Amazon.com and local yard sales, we got the things we needed for a boatload of inside fun. We created a dance floor, complete with disco ball and pin spot. We set up the plastic kid versions of a basketball hoop and mini-slide, a tunnel compound, and an art center. I plan to paint a “race” track on the floor for scooters and trikes. I have great memories of roller skating with friends in my basement as a kid; my daughters will now have the same kind of experience.

The unfinished basement as playroom for the girls and their friends.

So if you’d love to have a finished basement but can’t swing it financially, try using it unfinished for the time being. But think about doing a few things to make the interim more comfortable (and a finishing project in the future easier):

1) Add plumbing stub outs for a bathroom and/or kitchenette or laundry. It’s easier and cheaper before the concrete is poured.

2) Consider putting in an outdoor egress. Double-glass doors in our basement add natural light and make moving big things in and out easy.

3) Get your service hook-ups (sewer, water, furnace, electrical panel, etc.) collected into one area. This ensures the rest of the space is free for future living/entertainment.

4) Ask your builder to add some strategically placed outlets. A little basic electric makes using an unfinished basement space much more convenient.

5) Put one or two heating/cooling vents in the space for comfort. In our case, they cut two vents into the main HVAC trunk (easy and inexpensive while they were doing the finish work).

We’ve only been in our house for three months, but I can already tell we will be living in that unfinished basement this winter—and making lifelong memories.

For more on basements, finished or unfinished, consider the following Bob Vila articles:

Know the Rules for Finished Basements
Build a Basement Bathroom
Basement Storage Ideas
Add an Entrance to Your Basement

Basement: To Finish or Not? Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com

Photo: Flickr

Those of us lucky enough to have a garage space in our home tend to take it for granted. This private and secure parking space can quickly become a ‘catch-all’ for myriad tools, products, and boxes of clothing—anything we just want out of sight. The problem is these items can also disappear from our mental inventory of possessions and, before you know it, become a garage full of stuff that you never use—or worse—forgot you ever had.

One of the problems with all this accumulated clutter is that the legit items that you need in your life, such as your tools or space for long-term storage, tend to get squeezed out or lost amid the mess. Here are some tips to help organize your garage to retain your sanity before you lose all hope.

1. Purge
Before you can even begin to organize the good stuff, you’ve got to remove the superfluous junk that you no longer need. That camping gear that you haven’t touched in 10 years, get rid of it. Those clothes that will never come back in style, donate. Consider having a yard sale to try and squeeze a little cash out of your better discards.

2. Plan
Once you’ve got to the good stuff, you’ll need to set a plan for organizing these items. First consider your layout and what items you’ll need easy access to and what items can go in a more “permanent” storage location. Tools, clothing and household items should probably be front and center so you don’t forget you have these items. Holiday decorations can be positioned further back as long as they are properly labeled and you know where to find them.

3. Organize
When you’ve decided where everything will go, you will need to determine how to physically organize the space. Open shelves are great for storing file boxes and power tools; getting them up off the floor and in an easy-to-reach position. Cabinets and drawers are good places for chemicals and cleaning fluids. Hooks are also great for getting things like bikes, brooms, and sporting equipment out of the way. Getting items off the floor is a huge factor in sorting out your space.

4. Label
As you begin to place your items on shelves or in storage bins, make sure you label them with BIG BOLD WORDS.  Use tape and a Sharpie instead of writing directly on a box so you don’t have to continue to cross out old contents. Be very clear on recording what items are in each box as this will save you time and headache later.

5. Keep it Clean
A clean and organized garage can quickly become messy. To prevent this, make a staging space on top of a box or counter in your garage where you can place items temporarily until they are stored in their proper place.  This will save you from just haphazardly throwing boxes or items on top of boxes and starting the vicious cycle all over again.

Photo: Flickr

For more on storage and organization, consider:

Optimize Your Attic Space
Quick Tip: Garage Storage Solutions 
Basement Storage Ideas

Organize Your Garage to Keep Your Sanity Home Improvement, Home Remodeling & Home Repair - BobVila.com