Another Basement Studio Builder Needs Advice

Hi, This forum is really a terrific resource! Congratulations to all participants on creating and maintaining it. I've recently bought a 1921 bungalow in Hyattsville, MD. I am building a mixing space in one corner of the basement. This corner is 11’ x 11’ and at best, 6’ 4” high. I have Genelec 1031's with a 1092 sub and mostly work at 85dB but need to check for proper 808 rumble every so often. I've got $500 to spend. I am full-time music; I mix for clients in reggae, R&B and rap/hip-hop genres. I am looking to do little modification to the structure; I tend to move every 2 years and could possibly sell the house within 2-5. I was thinking that any structural modification or finishing could be re-sold as a home-theater. My three concerns are: leveling the floor, controlling moisture, and isolation for the dining room above. See photos below. The Floor: The floor is a very rough slab that is graded toward a drain. There is a 2’ wide and 2” high lip that goes around the entire perimeter of the basement and I don’t know what this is, it is some sort of drain that was added? It is needed floor space. Plan A, is quick and dirty but I could be up and running quickly. Lay down a plastic moisture barrier, get 4-5 pallets, level them with shims, cover them with a few sheets of OSB, and put a laminate on top of that. The PROs are that because I don’t know the extent of the water issues, I’d be a few inches off of the floor and it wouldn’t be expensive or permanent. The CONs, I’d lose a few inches of precious headspace and I might create a resonator. Plan B, Level the floor with concrete, lay down a plastic moisture barrier and put down sheets of OSB or a laminate. I’m not sure how to do this or what it would cost. Could self-leveling concrete do the job on a 2”-3” variance or would I need to pour a new slab and use the self-leveling on top of that? How will the new slab act if there are water seepage issues with the original basement floor? Moisture: The previous occupant covered the seeping west wall with plaster, so I have spent the last two weeks chipping it off with a hammer and paint scraper to expose the original block and the efflorescence that is on it. I’ve got some landscaping to do in order to redirect the water that flows from my neighbor’s driveway against the west wall of the house and hopefully ease the problem. Once the walls are clean I plan on coating them with Drylok. Since I’ve only been in the house for a few weeks I don’t know the extent of the water issue. We made it through tropical storm Hannah without any water in the basement but there is a sump pump in the far corner that was pumping ground water every 20 minutes. Isolation: How do I go about decreasing sound in between basement and dining room? My usual work day is noon to 2am. I haven’t yet done a dining room listening test with music blasting down below by I’m sure my wife and 4 month old son would appreciate me doing some treatment. Would filling the space between joists with R-19 and fabric do anything substantial or do I need to do drywall and green glue? With drywall, I’d lose some headspace and I’d need to cut an access panel for the gas shut-off. So, my questions are: 1. Floor leveling: do I go with Plan A – cheap floating floor or Plan B – poured concrete? Is there a better plan that anybody would recommend? 2. Moisture: Is Drylok effective? 3. Is R-19 effective or do I need a rigid barrier? Thanks, Andrew Seidel South wall West wall half-way de-plastered West wall 2 West wall 3

funnyhed 6 ft height is not much to play with! $500 is not going to go very far! Good isolation will cost money. The water is a big issue - I think you need to find the source if possible - for both you and your equipments sake. Generally just painting over the surface will not achieve much - whatever the product! Concrete is better than boards on the floor to avoid a large drum effect. You will need more then just R19 to make a difference. SEE: Da rules (For better help): http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3231 Andy Eade's rotten basement thread of interest to you: http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4782 Try this tool for similar problems (Several basement studio builds with water issues and pumps along with general infos): http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/search.php good luck Marz

I plan on coating them with Drylok. Since I’ve only been in the house for a few weeks I don’t know the extent of the water issue. We made it through tropical storm Hannah without any water in the basement but there is a sump pump in the far corner that was pumping ground water every 20 minutes.

Advice from several homes in my past - Wait through a few seasons before you do something as a flimsy stop gap solution, like drylock. drylock will not stop water from getting into the basement as a perminent solution. 5 years or less from the time you apply drylock, you'll find water in your basement during september or october when a carribean hurricane named gustof, harry, Igatius or whatever comes rolling through. Trust me on this. The edges of that floor near the foundation appear to be footings. This presents a working challenge for a basement parimeter drainage system which is really the only perminent solution for addressing concerns. Otherwise, you're looking at treating it with drainage from the outside and that's only if you have a grade that will allow for runnoff from pipes put slightly lower than your basement floor on the outside of your house in the ground. A sump-pump will not be a compitent solution - it is one hole in an area of the basement. it means that water will come up and through the wall/footing area, and drain across your floor into that hole. Only in light or lower than your floor water table times will you ever have a pump and hole keep up with water flow - there are no pipes that lead into a sump pump (usually) which is the weakness. Hannah was nothing.. This was a particularly light year for rain effect on thte east coast. Folks on the interior of the carribean would have a different tale to tell this year, but the east coast got off with a pass this year for the most part. Find a local basement system company to come out and inspect your home. They usually do this for free as it drums up work for them. .Based upon prices I've seen up here (ours was a tad bit more expensive because the basement was huge) you could expect 1.5=2k to do this; barring any details I don't see in those photos.