Just a quick background. I bought my house less than 3 years ago. Former owners finished the basement with paneling and a drop ceiling. Since then I have removed the ceiling, removed the fluorescent lights and installed 18 recessed lights, 150 amp service, built my bar to 75%, removed the paneling, and thats where im at now.

My drywall guy said he could put the drywall over the paneling, but I wanted to make sure the walls had no cracks, and the rod holes were not leaking. I pulled off the paneling and found mold in some areas. The former owners installed framing, r11 insulation, and then they put a vapor barrier over the insulation. Is that the correct way to do it? See pictures below.

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Im finding mold where some rod holes are, which is making me think some are leaking. One has water stains on the wall, but the others that ive looked at dont. Should I get all the rod holes fixed, or just the ones with water stains? I filled a leaky rod hole last spring with a couple pieces of cork, and filled it with some type of caulk like stuff from Home Depot (dont remember the name). Do you feel the vapor barrier was causing some of the mold issues? Should I just replace the insulation with mold on it? I guess im looking for advice what everyone would do at this point. I want to make sure the basement will stay dry so I dont have to tear into drywall down the road.

Unfortunately for far too long and still to this day, insulation against cement with a vapor barrier meets code. I would rip all that insulation out and either consider getting someone to spray foam the cavities (expensive but peace of mind) or use XPS foam and do it yourself. The only problem is depending on how much room you have between the studs and cement wall, you might still have the wood exposed to the cement if you can't fit the XPS behind the wall. You could always cut it and place between the studs and maybe shoot some spray foam behind each stud (between the back of the stud and the cement).

2 of my neighbors just had their basements finished and the builder in both instances tacked plastic to the cement wall and then built the stud walls against the plastic. I just don't understand why these guys spent 10's of thousands of dollars on their basements and didn't spend a few extra hundred to have at least 1 inch XPS put up against the cement.

Also, depending on where you are located...1 inch XPS might be all the insulation you will need. You could always keep the stuff that isn't molded or damaged and put back in the walls after you XPS. You won't need it at all if you spray foam the cavity.

I have about 1/4" between the walls and studs. Do you just liquid nail it to the cement directly? Is there anything else besides that, or do I just hang the drywwall after the foam is up? Whats wrong with using fiberglass insulation on the walls with or without a vapor barrier? My main concern is keeping the basement mold free, so if one is better than the other with insulation it doesnt matter to me as much. It stays very warm in the winter and cool in the summer with the current setup when the paneling was still up.

Mold is my middle name. Ugly details in my build thread, but suffice it to say I had some of the same issues you have, and then some. And then some more. :cool: You are not going to like what I have to say, but I'm going to tell you anyways: you're lucky.

You read that right - I said you're lucky: lucky that you were smart enough to rip off the paneling before drywalling and discovered the problem before it snowballed and became a much more serious problem, with potential adverse health results. I've learned that there are many people who literally live in houses that hurt their health, without ever realizing it. My house was one of those.

You now know you have a problem. Don't take halfway measures. Figure out exactly what is causing the mold, and fix the source of the problem, and not just the symptoms. Only then worry about rebuilding.

First thing I would do is absolutely pull down every last bit of the existing insulation, making careful note (with photos) of any and all signs of moisture and/or mold. Until you do that you have no idea if you even know the full extent of your problem. At a minimum, dispose of any and all insulation thing that shows ANY sign of mold on it. I'd get rid of all of it just to be safe. Mold is a living organism that can be dormant and begin growing again when conditions are conducive, even months down the road. Just because you don't see it in a particular piece of insulation does not mean it is not there, especially if you know there was mold nearby. For a couple bucks saved by reusing old insulation, why take a chance?

If you cannot determine the exact source of the moisture & mold, call in the experts. I'm not talking about a basement contractor who will talk all day about how to deal with mold. Only a small handful actually have any idea what they are talking about, but they still spew BS. Call in one or more company that specializes in mold remediation. They will be able to tell you what you are really dealing with, and what they can do to fix it. Even if you choose to do some of the remediation yourself, their free estimate & consult will be more than worth it.

In my case we had drainage issues (led to new gutters and landscaping, as well as new windows and drain tile installed) as well as plumbing problems, which led to replacing most of our 60+ year old plumbing. Then we had them remove the mold.

Then - and only then - did I begin the process of rebuilding, starting with the insulation questions you are asking. I'm not saying you will have anywhere near the issues I had, but jumping to the insulation/rebuilding question before you are absolutely certain you have identified and fixed the original cause of the problem will only get you into trouble again down the road. A band aid on a gaping wound only masks the problem for a while.

Once you've fixed the problem, polystyrene board insulation (also variously called XPS or rigid board or board insulation) against the concrete walls is the preferred route, then frame over it, and if you want more R value you can always use UNfaced (you do NOT want two vapor barriers, and the rigid board acts as a vapor bariier already) fiberglass batts between the studs. That's what I've done.

Sorry if this information is a big surprise to you, but better to know it now than to find out later after you've invested more time and money putting frosting on an unbaked cake. For what it's worth, I feel your pain.

Good luck, my friend. This too shall pass.

I have about 1/4" between the walls and studs. Do you just liquid nail it to the cement directly? Is there anything else besides that, or do I just hang the drywwall after the foam is up? Whats wrong with using fiberglass insulation on the walls with or without a vapor barrier? My main concern is keeping the basement mold free, so if one is better than the other with insulation it doesnt matter to me as much. It stays very warm in the winter and cool in the summer with the current setup when the paneling was still up.

You can use liquid nails, just make sure it is for foam board...I used PL300 (I think) it is foam board adhesive and it is easy to find in the box stores. Fiber glass insulation on the walls without a proper vapor barrier between the walls and insulation will allow the insulation to soak up moisture and eventually mold. The same would be true if you sandwiched the insulation between 2 vapor barriers. The XPS is a vapor barrier, but it allows the moisture from the cement walls to evaporate through the barrier at a very slow rate. (google: building science proper insulation) and click on the first link...it will be a PDF and explain all about XPS and vapor barriers, etc.

ReMax,

All great advice that you have received above.

Looking at your photos, a comment:
It appears you actually had TWO vapor barriers that were virtually locking moisture into your insulation >> the kraft faced insulation and then the plastic on top of that.

From the research I did (and there are numerous publications) it is strongly reccomended that you should not even use a vinyl wallpaper over basement drywall, because it will prevent the concrete walls from drying (breathing) to the inside living space.

I will get some mold guys out and see what they say. After that I will dispose of the insulation and put up the foam board. I really dont want to remove the framing and put it back up, but it looks like I have no choice. How thick is the foam board that I need? If its thin enough I might be able to slip it under the framing. Do I have to seal ever seam on the foam board, or can there be gaps between each piece?

You have a couple of options if you don't tear out the framing...I don't think you need to:

1. Spray foam the wall...foam will fill all cracks and crevices...expensive to have done though, but would do the trick.

2. Cut 1 inch xps to fit inbetween studs...you might be able to slip 1/2 inch XPS behind each stud and seal the uneven seams where the 1/2 and 1 inch meet with foil tape...not ideal, but would work. You don't really want any gaps...the 4x8 sheets are tounge and groove, but you won't be able to take advantage of that feature without tearing out the framing.

You might want to look into a home spray foam kit...you can get enough to do 200 sq ft for about $400...that might be enough to fill the gaps behind each stud and you wouldn't have to tape any seams as the foam should adhere and seal to the XPS.

I will get some mold guys out and see what they say. After that I will dispose of the insulation and put up the foam board. I really dont want to remove the framing and put it back up, but it looks like I have no choice. How thick is the foam board that I need? If its thin enough I might be able to slip it under the framing. Do I have to seal ever seam on the foam board, or can there be gaps between each piece?

You can get thin foam board so it fits behind the framing, and then supplement it with unfaced fiberglass batts to achieve the thermal insulation (R value) for your area. You should also seal every seam, or your vapor barrier will be compromised. You'll probably have a lot of seams, as I assume you'll need to cut the foam board fairly narrow to fit it behind your framing.

In practice, this starts to make reframing at least an option, but that's your call. I didn't have any framing to worry about really, although I did have some old wood panelling that had to go to do the job right. I didn't mind, but my wife was really sad about that.

You have a couple of options if you don't tear out the framing...I don't think you need to:

1. Spray foam the wall...foam will fill all cracks and crevices...expensive to have done though, but would do the trick.

2. Cut 1 inch xps to fit inbetween studs...you might be able to slip 1/2 inch XPS behind each stud and seal the uneven seams where the 1/2 and 1 inch meet with foil tape...not ideal, but would work. You don't really want any gaps...the 4x8 sheets are tounge and groove, but you won't be able to take advantage of that feature without tearing out the framing.

You might want to look into a home spray foam kit...you can get enough to do 200 sq ft for about $400...that might be enough to fill the gaps behind each stud and you wouldn't have to tape any seams as the foam should adhere and seal to the XPS.

Are you saying I should put the 1" xps between the joists and give maybe an inch on each side near the studs, and then use a spray foam to get behind the studs and to seal the edges of the xps?

I guess I still need one last clarification. Am I doing all of this to make my basement more efficient than just going with fiberglass insulation? As I said earlier mold is my main concern. I've already ran my downspouts farther away from my house this week, and now someone is coming in to repair every rod hole in my basement, so any water issues should be resolved. Will I be fine with just replacing all of the fiberglass insulation with more paper back fiberglass an no vapor barrier? I havent priced out foam board, but I would guess its going to quite a bit more than fiberglass. If I do foam board and spray foam its going to dip into the drywall finishing budget, but I am willing to do that if this is really needed. I want to do it right the first time, but im willing to sacrifice some r value by saving money. I am not willing to sacrifice a mold free basement to save money though.

Are you saying I should put the 1" xps between the joists and give maybe an inch on each side near the studs, and then use a spray foam to get behind the studs and to seal the edges of the xps?

I guess I still need one last clarification. Am I doing all of this to make my basement more efficient than just going with fiberglass insulation? As I said earlier mold is my main concern. I've already ran my downspouts farther away from my house this week, and now someone is coming in to repair every rod hole in my basement, so any water issues should be resolved. Will I be fine with just replacing all of the fiberglass insulation with more paper back fiberglass an no vapor barrier? I havent priced out foam board, but I would guess its going to quite a bit more than fiberglass. If I do foam board and spray foam its going to dip into the drywall finishing budget, but I am willing to do that if this is really needed. I want to do it right the first time, but im willing to sacrifice some r value by saving money. I am not willing to sacrifice a mold free basement to save money though.

Yes...cut the 1 inch XPS...maybe to 14-15 inches wide, so it fits in your stud cavity and then use spray foam to seal the gap between behind the stud and also the next piece of XPS in the adjacent stud cavity.

You would be using the foam board to prevent future mold first and foremost...it does has some R-value, but only about 6-7 per inch...so using unfaced R13 once you wrap the walls with the XPS is still an option, but depending on your climate and basement set-up...might not be necessary. I live in Michigan and only my egress window area is exposed, other than that about 7.5 feet of my 9 foot basement walls are all underground...so it stays quite comfortable even in the winter. I decided that I didn't need the fiberglass in my walls and only used 1 inch XPS.

Going the extra mile with some of this stuff can be a bit more expensive, but doing it right the first time is much less costly in the end. I would hate to have you go through this all over again 10 years down the road, when a few hundred extra dollars on XPS would have prevented that all together.

BTW...the 1 inch XPS will probably run you about $10 for a 4x8 sheet.

I just went through the same sort of process. After ripping out the wood panelling, some of the insulation had mold. It was because there were two vapour barriers. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

So,I'll mostly repeat what has already been said.

First things first, rip out ALL the insulation and get rid of it. All of it.

Next, for me, I knew I didnt have any leakage but rather, the issue was of double vapour barrier (stupid, stupid, stupid). I didnt have to call in a mold team as I knew what the issue was caused by. If you feel differently, call an expert.

From there, you have two options:

- leave the existing studs and spray foam the crap out of your basement. Its expensive (the cheapest quote for us, to hit our desired R rating was over $4k) but it really is the best way to do it, at this current time

or

- rip down the framing. Keep what you can, throw out the rest. Buy 1.5" XPS panels and some PL300 caulking. Glue those panels to the wall. This will give you an R7.5 + your vapour barrier. Then reinstall your framing (for my entire basement of 31x31, the framing wood cost like $400. Its nothing compared to the cost of spray foaming). Then buy however many bags of Roxul Comfortbatt insulation and put them in. Easy peasy, nice and easy. Our basement is going to cost about $2000 to re-insulate and reframe.

I guess I still need one last clarification. Am I doing all of this to make my basement more efficient than just going with fiberglass insulation? As I said earlier mold is my main concern. I've already ran my downspouts farther away from my house this week, and now someone is coming in to repair every rod hole in my basement, so any water issues should be resolved. Will I be fine with just replacing all of the fiberglass insulation with more paper back fiberglass an no vapor barrier? I havent priced out foam board, but I would guess its going to quite a bit more than fiberglass. If I do foam board and spray foam its going to dip into the drywall finishing budget, but I am willing to do that if this is really needed. I want to do it right the first time, but im willing to sacrifice some r value by saving money. I am not willing to sacrifice a mold free basement to save money though.
I'm going to keep telling you straight, even if you don't want to hear it.

Do more independent research and reading on this until you are comfortable, but using the foam board is not a matter of being more efficient - it is for mositure/mold control. In addition to acting as it's own vapor barrier, it is made of a material that is not organic and therefore is not conducive to mold breeding & growth. Fiberglass is conducive to mold growth.

I'm glad to hear you're looking at exterior drainage as well, and moving the downspouts away from the house is a good start. I'd also monitor the runoff during heavy rain to see if you have any overflow anywhere, whether from plugged gutters or perhaps undersized or improperly placed downspouts. Also make sure the grading flows away from the house - some dirt here and there may be all you need there.

I'd also want to make sure you can identify a specific cause for every evidence of mold. If the pipes coming through the walls line up with every incident, you're probably good. If you have some mold where you see no obvious reason for it, you are tempting fate to start insulating and building before dealing with it.

And we haven't even begun to discuss how to properly remove the mold that is already there. That is another long dissertation, but do NOT think bleach or other common remedies are sufficient. The mold needs to be REMOVED, not just cleaned. It has microscopic spores that can remain dormant for long periods of time before becoming active again if/when conditions are right. And often times attempts to clean the mold simply causes some of the microscopic spores to become airborne and travel to another location in your house, waiting to begin growing again elsewhere. This is a big part of what the mold remediation specialist get paid so much to do - remove the mold completely and safely.

If you want to do it right the first time and you have to skimp somewhere to save a few bucks, and you already know mold is an issue for you, don't skimp on the mold remediation and insulation part. Keep reminding yourself about putting frosting on an unbaked cake.

Good luck.

Yes...cut the 1 inch XPS...maybe to 14-15 inches wide, so it fits in your stud cavity and then use spray foam to seal the gap between behind the stud and also the next piece of XPS in the adjacent stud cavity.

You would be using the foam board to prevent future mold first and foremost...it does has some R-value, but only about 6-7 per inch...so using unfaced R13 once you wrap the walls with the XPS is still an option, but depending on your climate and basement set-up...might not be necessary. I live in Michigan and only my egress window area is exposed, other than that about 7.5 feet of my 9 foot basement walls are all underground...so it stays quite comfortable even in the winter. I decided that I didn't need the fiberglass in my walls and only used 1 inch XPS.

Going the extra mile with some of this stuff can be a bit more expensive, but doing it right the first time is much less costly in the end. I would hate to have you go through this all over again 10 years down the road, when a few hundred extra dollars on XPS would have prevented that all together.

BTW...the 1 inch XPS will probably run you about $10 for a 4x8 sheet.

$10 isnt bad at all. I was thinking it was more money. Im getting the rod holes fixed this Sunday or early next week. By that time I will decide what im going to do about the insulation. Im strongly considering the foam board and spray foam combo on the edges.

What do i do about the cavities by the ceiling that is stuffed with unfaced fiberglass?

$10 isnt bad at all. I was thinking it was more money. Im getting the rod holes fixed this Sunday or early next week. By that time I will decide what im going to do about the insulation. Im strongly considering the foam board and spray foam combo on the edges.

What do i do about the cavities by the ceiling that is stuffed with unfaced fiberglass?

With the cavities (rim joist area) you have a couple of options...you can cut pieces of the XPS to fit up there and seal the edges with caulk or spray foam, or you can get one of the home kits of spray foam and spray the whole area. This area is less troublesome with mold as it is above grade and less prone to water, but still a good idea to at least cut pieces of the XPS and put up there.

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/4-air-barriers/info-408-critical-seal-spray-foam-at-rim-joist

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/PDF/Free/021189072.pdf

With the cavities (rim joist area) you have a couple of options...you can cut pieces of the XPS to fit up there and seal the edges with caulk or spray foam, or you can get one of the home kits of spray foam and spray the whole area. This area is less troublesome with mold as it is above grade and less prone to water, but still a good idea to at least cut pieces of the XPS and put up there.

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/4-air-barriers/info-408-critical-seal-spray-foam-at-rim-joist

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/PDF/Free/021189072.pdf

Thanks for the info. I measured and I have about 94 feet of insulated wall and my ceilings are 7'3". This is if I dont count the area where the furnace, hwh, and sump pump are. That area is not finished. Will I need to do anything with those walls? My hwh is pretty close to the wall. Will I be ok with painting with drylock only? Sorry for all the questions. First house with a basement i've owned, and first time i've done anything like this.

I didn't do any XPS in any of my unfinished areas, in fact I don't think you are suppose to as you need a fire barrier like drywall over the XPS. Drylock is probably a good idea if you have cracks where you see moisture...otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Are there any places to buy a spray foam kit locally in Metro Detroit, or will i have to order it?

I'm not sure if i missed it in this thread, but did the OP say what he had for insulation on the exterior, if any? If insulated on the outside, couldn't he just skip insulation all together inside and put up Sheetrock with no vapor barrier? no sure the 1/4" is sufficient for this method, might need a little more space between stud wall and block wall, like 1".

I'm not sure if i missed it in this thread, but did the OP say what he had for insulation on the exterior, if any? If insulated on the outside, couldn't he just skip insulation all together inside and put up Sheetrock with no vapor barrier? no sure the 1/4" is sufficient for this method, might need a little more space between stud wall and block wall, like 1".

If he has something like 2 inch XPS on the outside I think you can forgo the inside barrier, but I'm not exactly sure on that.

Are there any places to buy a spray foam kit locally in Metro Detroit, or will i have to order it?

I tried to find a local place in Michigan when i was in that phase and I couldn't locate one. The best I found were sprayfoam.com and tigerfoam.com, you can also find the kits on ebay. I believe a company called retrofoam is over by you, you might want to give them a call for an estimate.

i may have missed it above, but have you shared the status of the exterior of your home, including grading, performance of gutters/downspouts, and overall drainage around your property? sorry if obvious, but these are the areas you should take care of first.

also, be careful with bringing in the experts. not to say you shouldn't in fact talking to lots of different people during big projects is a great idea. and also not to say that those outfits don't do good work, but when i talked to a mold remediation outfit (alongside several GCs, landscapers, basement water proofers, etc.) i was described a process that reminded of when E.T. was pulled out of that kid's house. if you haven't already, take down all of the insulation. then investigate what the source would be of any water issues and make sure the sources are dealt with. then if there are foundation, etc. issues you'll need to address. it's possible that after the regrettable vapor barrier is removed, grading/drainage/etc. fixed, nasty moldy stuff cleaned out, that you'll be able to continue on with your project.

there are plenty of 'insurance policies' you can also go for. i personally 'water-proofed' my basement. i actually agonized over the best course of action but we also had a so called 50-year storm that spring where our basement took 4 inches of water (it had never before and has never since after taking care of some grading issues). so over 4 years my basement has been relatively dry, but if nature conspired i knew i still risked water. the sump pump installed (battery backed up) has never ever run, except for when i test it a couple of times a year. btw, make sure to give your basement floor a moisture test by taping several pieces of plastic down for a week or so and watching for moisture (appearing under the plastic, or the floor darkening due to water presence).

you can figure out what framing may/may not need to be replaced once it's all exposured. are the bottom plates PT?

also, i don't know where your house is located (sorry if missed above), but depending on seasonal climates, you may also not need to go crazy beyond hanging new insulation behind your new drywall. basements heat up and hold their temps pretty quick. btw, i also added inlets/a return to my basement from my 1st floor central air system for circulation/cooling/dehumidification/filtering during the summer.

also, be careful with bringing in the experts. not to say you shouldn't in fact talking to lots of different people during big projects is a great idea. and also not to say that those outfits don't do good work, but when i talked to a mold remediation outfit (alongside several GCs, landscapers, basement water proofers, etc.) i was described a process that reminded of when E.T. was pulled out of that kid's house.

I agree with pretty much everything else you wrote, but not sure I catch your point here. Are you saying that the mold remediation process the experts use is wrong?

not at all. when warranted i'm sure they do a fantastic job. i was just saying be careful not to go over board if that level of service is not needed (hard to know based on a few pictures). of course this warning would apply in most any case where someone is selling you a service or product (though in my case these guys tried to stage a lunar landing in my basement which in my opinion, and now with the full benefit of hindsight, would have been way overkill). now the OP's situation could be way different/far worse than my own, i'm just saying to try to figure it out as fairly as you can

Im not sure what the insulation is on the exterior. The house is brick on the exterior all the way around. I think im going to just remove the insulation, fix the rod holes, put up new foam board/spray foam and finish it off. I dont have a lot of mold in the basement, just in the areas near the rod holes, so I would guess thats the culprit. Honestly im not too concerned about water issues once those are fixed. I appreciate all the help with the insulation information. If I didnt decide to come on here, I probably would have put more fiberglass up.

btw, consider putting R-30C up in the ceiling bays before your new ceiling goes up. will make a decent (for the $) difference with sound in both directions, particularly basement up

Sometimes the lunar landing approach may be overkill, but on the other hand if you really have a mold problem and you don't get rid of it, it could end up costing you much more in the long run, as you'll not only have to deal with it properly down the road, but you'll also have to tear out all the material and money you put into building on top of a health hazard. Full benefit of hindsight in this type of situation won't be known for years and would require demo'ing down to the concrete again so you know what, if anything, is still there. Whoever the OP bought the house from may well have thought the same thing. Out of sight may mean out of mind, but it sure as hell doesn't mean there is no mold problem.

I am not saying this is the issue for the OP, not for you. I am saying it is foolish and short sighted to assume you don't need such measures simply because they seem over the top or expensive. Get opinions and bids from more than one expert in the area, and go from there. And remember you are not simply talking about cosmetics or preferences or what you would like to do - you are talking about something that is a known health hazard.

I did not want mold, nor did I want to spend a bunch of money paying for the lunar landing treatment, but I did when my wife and son's chronic allergies and health problems were traced to mold allergies. We ended up not only doing the full lunar moon treatment, but replacing our plumbing, windows and installing drain tiles as well. I hated to have to do it, but I don't cut corners when it comes to the well being of family members.

As I said, you and/or the OP may have no such problem. But tread carefully before simply assuming you do not, or advising others to do so. Ignorance may be bliss, but it's still ignorance.

your thread's and the OP's pics don't compare, fortunately for the OP. we agree on our respective main points: be deliberate and do what's best. but from different perspectives. you seem a bit bothered by mine. most importantly for this thread's sake it seems the OP was helped by the collective comments.

your thread's and the OP's pics don't compare, fortunately for the OP. we agree on our respective main points: be deliberate and do what's best. but from different perspectives. you seem a bit bothered by mine. most importantly for this thread's sake it seems the OP was helped by the collective comments.

I apologize if it seemed I was bothered by your comments. That wasn't my intent. As you know if you've read my build thread, I've had more than my fill of mold, so I may be a bit more sensitive about it than most, but I think it is much more typical that people are too quick to dismiss a potentially serious problem when it comes to mold. Hopefully this is not the case with the OP, who has now has enough input to proceed as he sees fit.

Extra insurance for mold/mildew concerns?

Although I did not have any mold problems >> I too was very worried about mold and mildew prevention during my build. I saw an article in a home improvement magazine where this product was used with success for someone who did have an actual problem:

http://www.concrobium.com/

As it turns out the solution can be purchased at HD, and they also rent a fogger appartus. So for less than $200.00 total I fogged my entire basement both before the insulation went in, and again with insulation installed but before the drywall went up.

Based on the research I did on the product >> I thought this would be cheap "insurance"

Thanks for that, Craig. I had never heard of that product before. If it works as described that's a great deal and something that lots of people should minimally consider especially when building in a basement.

Wow, great info! Our designer is just finishing up our plans and I hope to be throwing nails soon in the basement. Our home builder lined the basement walls with insulation and covered it with that white barrier, whatever it is. I think I'll be taking all that down, XPSing the foundation walls probably with 2" and then stuffing the stud walls with the insulation that I took down. It'll be a pain to cut it all up into 16" wide peices, but.... Just need to find out from the city if I can fireblock against the XPS or not or what I need to do differently to make it work. Thinking about fogging the walls with the stuff Craig used. Cheap insurance.

To the OP. I hope you are able to get your mold issues taken care of. My wife gets allergy induced athsma so I'm trying to learn at other peoples' expense.

Bob

I think I'll be taking all that down, XPSing the foundation walls probably with 2" and then stuffing the stud walls with the insulation that I took down. It'll be a pain to cut it all up into 16" wide peices, but....

Bob,

I've heard that you can buy the product pre-scored for easy breaking down into strips to fit between 16" OC stud walls, although I haven't seen it myself. Might be worth a look. But just to clarify - is your framing already up in the basement? If not, just apply the 4' x 8' sheets directly to the wall and frame on top of it.

In any event, if you choose to go with 2" thick boards I'm not sure you would need the fiberglass also. If you want to reuse the existing fiberglass you might look at saving some money by only going with 1" boards. Your call.

Sometimes the lunar landing approach may be overkill, but on the other hand if you really have a mold problem and you don't get rid of it, it could end up costing you much more in the long run, as you'll not only have to deal with it properly down the road, but you'll also have to tear out all the material and money you put into building on top of a health hazard. Full benefit of hindsight in this type of situation won't be known for years and would require demo'ing down to the concrete again so you know what, if anything, is still there. Whoever the OP bought the house from may well have thought the same thing. Out of sight may mean out of mind, but it sure as hell doesn't mean there is no mold problem.

I am not saying this is the issue for the OP, not for you. I am saying it is foolish and short sighted to assume you don't need such measures simply because they seem over the top or expensive. Get opinions and bids from more than one expert in the area, and go from there. And remember you are not simply talking about cosmetics or preferences or what you would like to do - you are talking about something that is a known health hazard.

I did not want mold, nor did I want to spend a bunch of money paying for the lunar landing treatment, but I did when my wife and son's chronic allergies and health problems were traced to mold allergies. We ended up not only doing the full lunar moon treatment, but replacing our plumbing, windows and installing drain tiles as well. I hated to have to do it, but I don't cut corners when it comes to the well being of family members.

As I said, you and/or the OP may have no such problem. But tread carefully before simply assuming you do not, or advising others to do so. Ignorance may be bliss, but it's still ignorance.

I appreciate the concern, but im not too worried about it. After removing all of the fiberglass I found a few leaky rod holes. I also found a vertical crack that appears to have been repaired at one point.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l163/billm0066/DSCN6239.jpg

The guy who was going to do my rod holes didnt return my call, so I need to find someone else. Im hoping to find someone who can fix the rod holes, and address the crack if needed. None of it is wet, but I want to be certain its not going to leak in the near future. I really hope I dont have to dig outside. If it needs it, I probably wont do it until the spring.

Also the mold issue was also probably due to the minor basement flood before I bought the house. It was a hud home, and they cut the power so the sump pump backed up. Before I tore the paneling down I could always smell mold faintly, which is the reason why im gutting it now. Now when I go down to the basement I cant smell anything so all the work seems like it's helping. Hopefully I can get the rod holes and crack addressed by next week so I can start insulating.

remax,

That photo looks encouraging - if pretty much everything looks that clean, excluding the rods you've mentioned, you look good to go. That's gotta be a relief!

Now a couple framing questions. I can't tell for sure, but are those firing strips against the walls or regular 2x4 studs? And are the base plates pressure treated or regular wood?

The wall on the window side looks to be framed with 2x2's...it looks that way because the 2x4 under the window is turned on its side and seems to be flush with the wall framing. Might just be easier to tear those out and put up new 2x4's...especially when you factor in all the monkey business with fitting the XPS between the studs. Just a thought.

Bob,

I've heard that you can buy the product pre-scored for easy breaking down into strips to fit between 16" OC stud walls, although I haven't seen it myself. Might be worth a look. But just to clarify - is your framing already up in the basement? If not, just apply the 4' x 8' sheets directly to the wall and frame on top of it.

In any event, if you choose to go with 2" thick boards I'm not sure you would need the fiberglass also. If you want to reuse the existing fiberglass you might look at saving some money by only going with 1" boards. Your call.

No framing is done in my basement, so I'll be gluing those sheets directly to the foundation and then building my walls. Makes sense to go with 1" boards being as that I'd like to reuse all that insulation. I'm sure there gets to a point of diminishing returns on the wall insulation where more is not really any better.

The wall on the window side looks to be framed with 2x2's...it looks that way because the 2x4 under the window is turned on its side and seems to be flush with the wall framing. Might just be easier to tear those out and put up new 2x4's...especially when you factor in all the monkey business with fitting the XPS between the studs. Just a thought.

I am really starting to consider replacing all of the framing. Most of the basement is 2x2. Not sure if it's pressure treated but I doubt it. I did buy the mold stuff from Home Depot and sprayed all the walls down today. Still trying to find someone to fix the rod holes. I posted an ad on craigslist and got a ton of responses but everyone is too busy to come and do the work. One guy said he would dig on the outside and address the crack for $250 labor.

Damn all of you. I swear this site is costing me so much money. I guess its for the better though. I started tearing the framing down last night. The garbage men are going to hate me after all of the crap im going to throw out the next week or two. I got all my rod holes drilled out and fixed. In the end there were 43 of them. The reason why I hate this site, is because I decided to do a dedicated theater. Ive been going back and forth about it the last year but im sticking to it now. I will start a build thread sometime this week. Thanks to everyone for their opinions on my basement.