Here in Ontario, residents are in love with their basements. Majority of the houses have basements, though the condition vary from home to home. Home residents often keep appliances such as furnaces, water filtration systems, water heaters, boilers, and water softeners there. Laundry appliances are also kept there. A basement is more often used as a storage space, however, a renovated basement can serve as a fun and relaxing area. You will be amazed to know that we are celebrating 10 years of renovated basements in Ontario.
One of the key advantages of having a renovated basement is additional living space. Here it is important to state that every basement cannot be finished easily as an older house with a low basement is difficult to renovate unless it’s floor level is lowered. If your home has moisture problems, bowing or cracked foundation walls, or a badly damaged concrete slab floor, then these issues need to be solved first before starting renovation work. So, make sure your home does not has major structural issues, otherwise finishing its basement will be quite tough.
Older houses are likely to have low roof with cement, limestone, or cinder block walls, whereas newer houses often have roofing reaching 8 inches and above with ducts, pipes, and other obstacles contained inside the roofing structure. Newer houses usually have poured concrete or cement block foundation walls when they are below the surface and 2×6 wood-framed walls in which a big part of walls is above ground.
Your house probably have some insulation if it was constructed since the 2000s, whereas newer houses often have insulation on the outside part of the foundation. The second one is a better option, but it also means your home has raw concrete walls that need extra framing.
In an ordinary basement where little framing is required, common wood materials known as dimensional lumber is probably an ideal material to use. It is widely available, though lumber from big house improvement stores is usually substandard as compared to materials being obtained from lumber yards. This wood material is considered the most affordable to use.
Other kinds of materials can also be used for wood framing like engineered and finger-jointed materials. The 2x finger-jointed material can be utilized for wall blocking and studs. As these boards are constructed from small pieces of dimensional lumber, they remain straighter as compared to standard lumber, but are prone to twisting and bowing. Composite or engineered materials can be created with thin chips or strands of wood laminated with high pressure and adhesive material. These materials stay stable and straight as compared to standard dimensional lumber. As these materials use wood waste products, hence, are more environment-friendly.
Light steel is another good framing material for basement renovation. Its because light steel is dimensionally stable, completely straight, strong, and not cause mild growth. Moreover, light steel does not bring the threat of fire. No matter which framing material you choose, just make sure to hire a trustworthy Oakwood and Penguin basements renovations companies.
