Stay tuned...

 

that's a lot of lumber !!

 

sounds like fun. we can't even have basements down here, 90% of them would be underwater

 

I just got wood.

 

How are you attaching the bottom plates? If I were you I would rent or find someone that has one of these. Predrilling into concrete is a pain in the ass.

 

Scrib ya noob. You should be stacking those 2x4's properly before they warp. And they will warp. Unless of course you paln on putting them up in the next few days.

Stack em and put weight on either end and in the middle.

 

Hilti guns are the only way to go when dealing w/ concrete

 

Get one. Or even the simple one that you hit with a hammer.

 

Going up this weekend. Shouldn't be an issue.

 

Pre-drilling...

We'll manage.

 

Hope you buy alot of drill bits. Its at least 3 anchors per stud.

 

I think the last time we did a basement drilling the bottom plate we bought a case of bits (24) and we used every damn one of them. Carbide tipped my ass.

 

Exactly. I began drilliing but after going through about 4 bits I gave up and used my father in laws Hilti gun.

Listen to the pro's Scrib.

 

We'll see how it goes.

It wouldn't be much to run up to HomeDepot and rent one.

 

The money you spend will pale in comparison to the amount of time you will save not having to drill holes and hammer in concrete nails. And the wear and tear on your body from constantly bending over to drill holes.

 

Scrib,

Are you required to install fire blocking? I've been reading up on it and it seems the simplest route when using stick construction is to just use a double 2x4 for the top plate.

I'm using metal studs so I have to run drywall from the concrete foundation wall to the front edge of the top cap.

 

Damn, nice wood!

I'll be going to Lowe's to buy some lumber as well.... but not that much. Geez. Have fun this weekend!!

 

Good question. I am not planning on it.

I'm "flying under the radar" on this one, so I'm not up on what exactly the town requires. I don't need them to come in and pin a $30,000 additional assessment on me and slow the project down...

 

My Dad has a hammer drill, so that should make the process go a lot easier...

 

Oh and... What are peoples thoughts on a visqueen vapor barrier and unfaced fiberglass insulation versus no visqueen and faced fiberglass along the concrete foundation walls?



Edit: Just spoke with the guy who bult my deck and he said the vapor barrier isn't necessary. Given the 8" foundation wall, insulation on the outside of the foundation and a pretty much consistent temp below ground, he it's not worth doing. He said he didn't do it in his finished basement. 2x4s with faced fiberglass....

 

You might want to consider it. Not sure what the laws are where you live, but my father-in-law is a lawyer and had a client who was selling their home in NJ. The buyer's realtor found that the basement was finished by the current homeowner and they demanded to see the permit and approvals.

The owner had no recourse. The only option they had was to pay to have someone cut holes in their basement walls and ceiling to verify it was within code.

Just a suggestion. Yeah the assessment part sucks.

 

Is some of that wood PT. Is that for bottom plates? I heard that bottom plates should have a thin cellular foam barrier to prevent wicking from the concrete floor.

 

Yep... Got PTs for the bottom runners.

 

Did you try to do your basement by using metal stud, instead of wood? I heard that they are easy and no mold if you do the basement by yourself?

 

Probably a little too late for that. (see first picture)

 

I thought about going that route, but metal was a bit more (about 30%) and takes somewhat of an art to cut; tin snips, etc. There's nothing like a circular saw ripping through 2x4s.... mmmmmmmmm wood smell.

 

Cutting the metal studs is really easy. A chop saw with a metal blade makes quick work of metal studs.

 

You can get a perfectly adequate Remington model from Home Depot or Lowes for less than $25. We're not talking major bucks here... Besides, how often do you get an opportunity to shoot off .22's in your house??

 

I have a dewalt 18V hammerdrill and going through concrete is not that bad, but you still eat up bits. Get the Hilti Gun, it will be a nice addition to a tool set.

I'd slap some PL400 under the studs also, just because.

 

Things went so-so today. We managed to get the 46' wall all framed. Took a couple of hours.

The wood was all fawked up. And even when we measured, things were still off. It was weird.


The hammer drill worked just fine. It was interesting... The concrete drill bit cut through the wood, like you were going through concrete. But once we hit the concrete, it cut like butter. No issues at all.

We'll see. Things are going to get a lot more tricky, I think. Fortunately, this isn't a race.

 

I would imagine that the bit is more than likely "smooshing" the wood fibers rather than boring through them.

Concrete bit have that spade tip that prevents the wood fibers from easily traveling up the flutes in a traditional wood bit. Concrete turns to dust so it really isn't an issue.

 

Scrib, what bits are you using?

It's strange that the concrete bit would cut through the wood so well. When working with both, I normally keep 2 drills with different bits handy.

 

Standard concrete bits... Nothing special.

 

What do you mean, was it warped?

 

Unfortunately most lumber has not had enough time to cure. You can feel the moisture in it (weight is a big clue) Business is business and the lumber industry has lost the idea of quality control.

Home Depot must buy from the retarded sawmill. I can't tell you how many times I have to pick through piles of lumber to find something that's straight and doesn't look like it got attacked by beavers.

 

At least they keep their lumbar indoors. The building supply closest to home keeps everything outside. Bringing cold lumbar indoors practiocally guarantees warpage unless you put it up right away.

I've had nothing but good experiences with all the wood I've bought from Home Depot.

 

Sweet project. I wish i had taken before and after shots of mine when i started.

Agreed. Around here depot has the best wood. All theirs is indoors and they must get it from a different supplier cause most of its straight and clean

 

This made me laugh because the first few times I did this at work I was thinking the same thing as you. I have to do this to run wire to the outside basement GFCI. Depending on the situation I'll just use our 7/8 wood bit, then drill the concrete through that hole. (with the concrete bit of course)

Hope things go smooth the rest of the way

 

I've almost never been able to find a "perfect" piece of wood while shopping at any local Home Depot. However, when I went through their contractor services and had a truckload of lumber delivered to my door... almost all of it was issue free.

I guess they save the good stuff for the laborers and the walk-in customers get ripped.

 

Yeah, my father builds furniture in his spare time and has given up on Home Depot and Lowe's and no buys his lumber from a local building supply. He said the quality is amazing.