Hello All,

I want to start off by saying that this Forum is incredible and looks to be a great help.
I am a Newbie like you wouldn't believe. I live in Ohio, Streetsboro to be exact. I am looking to finish my basement in my newly constructed home. I am going to do the work myself. I have done framing, drywall and electric before but not knowing exactly what code was. I contacted the City and they said to use the 2006 Ohio Residential building code. here are my questions.
I have learned I must use pressure treated 2X4's for any area that will be touching the cement floors or walls for framing. In regards to the framing of my project am able to nail my vertical studs into the floor joists since it is not a weight baring wall or will I still have to put a 2X4 parallel with the one on the floor and then nail it to the floor joists?
Are 2X3's acceptable for studs? I read other places that they are but I want to verify.
Next my builder installed insulation to the basement walls. It is about 6 inches thick and covered by plastic. Can I use this as my insulation? I would assume I would just put my framing right against it but not pushing against it.
Next I was reading another post and ran across this quote. "Remember whatever your method, that you must fireblock the walls every 10 feet horizontally behind a framed wall that is not in contact with the concrete, and that fireblocking is necessary above the top plate in joist spaces." I am not sure what they are talking about here. This was an Ohio person posting.
Lastly, I plan on drywalling my ceiling. I need to box out some areas(one main heating duct and some plumbing) from the center I beam to the far wall. It is 8 feet from the I beam to the wall. Can I just drop a 2X4 down from the floor joists to below the I beam and then from the framing from the wall over to the board I dropped from the floor joist? or is there a certain way this has to be done.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. I submitted my drawings to the city just a few minutes ago.

Thanks,

Matt

i dont feel like getting into all your questions, but a bit of advice, sheetrock is a bad idea in a basement, go with a drop ceiling, this way you have access to all your mechanicals, and if you need to add or alter anything for the future all you need to do is remove a few tiles rather then cut and patch your sheetrocked ceiling. just my 2 cents

I would really suggest that you stay away from conventional framing and drywall as much as possible. Even if your basement is very dry, Basements sill have very high humidity. Which causes mold, and musty smells. There are a number of new products out there you can use. Like, The Total Basement Solution, Owens Coring, Champion. All these companies have great new products. But if you much use drywall and studs your vapor barrier should go against the wall to protect the studs. This is not necessary to keep the studs dry it is more to keep the walls from wicking humidity into the basement. I also suggest that you get a ventilation system for basements. You can check out our website to see what we use. All though we don’t service your area it will give you an ideal of what you should have. www.thebasementguys.com

I live in Indpls and just helped my neighbor finish his basement (he's a builder).

He used pressure treated plates on the cement floor, traditional stud construction above that. No need for an additional floor plate. Build the entire wall, subbing treated lumber for the bottom plate. Build the entire wall (or sections of it) flat on the floor and then raise it into position. Much easier to do than stick building it vertically in place. use shims between top plate and joists above. This will also let you square and plumb it easier.

Since it is not a weight bearing wall, you might want to consider using studs on 24" centers (I'd stay away from 2x3's) Also, look into "finger jointed" studs. They are far superior to reg studs. Straight as an arrow and strong as an ox.

I'm having a tough time imagining your insulation situation, but as cold as it gets here in the midwest, I'd put up a stud wall, and insulate that as well (no vapor barrier this time, as the vapor barrier is already on the existing insulation)

Fireblocking every 10 feet refers to vertical 10 feet, not horizontal 10 feet. So if your basement ceiling is more than 10' high, you'll need to put cross blocking (fire-blocking) in between the studs at about 5-6' above floor. (don't do it less than 5', as it will interfere with light switches, etc.

The bulk head you need to build around the mechanicals, can be built from 2x4's. Due to your span of 8', I'd suggest framing it 16" oc. rather than 24" centers.

Good luck!

I would suggest

Thank You all for your reply's! It is much appreciated. Here is where I stand on the project. I have completed framing 84 of the total 136 feet of wall(24 OC). all going well so far. I should finish the wall framing in a couple more days work(couple weekends). I will then do the soffits.

I do have one question about drywalling the ceiling. I know it may not be the best practice but if I were to do it. Do I have to frame the ceiling(perpindicular to floor joists) if I have VERY level floor joists or can I just screw the drywall strait into the floor joists? I need to stick with code. Also is there a minumum requirement for thickness on the drywall for ceilings. I was planing on usuing half inch.

One last question. I have to frame an 8 foot by 16 foot soffit. the I beam is 8 feet from the wall and there is a huge Vent I want to cover up in the center. I would imagine I have to use 2X4's for the soffits but my question is can I use 2X3 or 2X2's to stay within code?

Thanks,

Matt

This message has been edited. Last edited by: lg68jcu,

really the best bet if you have questions about code is to call you local building inspector and ask him, he would have a better idea what your codes are then we would.

for your ceiling though, you should be able to run your sheet rock right to the floor joists, however, if your basement is 12'x 20' i would lay the sheet rock so it will be 5 12' peices and fur the ceiling out if necissary. you should be able to get sheetrock in lengths up to 16' long, at least i can here, and the longer they are the less seams you have to tape.