living in a basement

[texastami]

We will be moving into the basement apartment at my inlaws in the spring. Until now, it has NOT been used for about 5 yrs. It will be in KS and KS living is NEW to me!! They store stuff down there and thats about it....

I already know I will REMOVE all the carpet, the paneling off the walls and paint the walls with something to remove the mold and mildew....

What I need is ways and ideas to keep it dry and ventilated to prevent mold growth or mildew buildup again. Part of the basement is Unfinished as well, so I am concerned about that as well.

Ideas I have come up with -

1. Reseal the foundation on the outside of the house to repair any minor water leaks - what does one use???
2. Paint the basement walls some sort of mold killer - do all indoor paints work well with that??
3. Replace windows with open/close windows to allow ventilation
4. install fans to aid in circulation
5. possible Vent tubes like in underground homes?????

I sure would appreciate any and all suggestions- I dont want to live in a dark, dank basement....

[holleegee]

My parents use a dehumidifier in their basement to keep the moisture out. They had problems with mold and so far that has stopped the mold. Make sure the dirt outside is landscaped so the water runs away from the foundation. Good luck! Kansas is a nice place to live!

[rickd203]

Hi,

We have a problem with damp basements in my area also. Most of the houses use sump pumps.

[cwgrl23]

I currently live in a basement and second the dehumidifer!!! We also painted the cement blocks with paint from Home Depot that is supposed to stop water seeping thru the blocks. It has worked so far!!! We have the humidifer set that that it automaticly drains the water into a drain by the hot water heater. This keeps the drain bucket empty so no nasties growing in it.

I also redid some of the landscaping to help keep the water away from the house. In one corner, were the water liked to puddle, I built a raised flower bed. Now if it puddles it is four feet away from the house and the plants in the flower bed soak up the water.

One of the things we did to brighten our basement is the ceilings are painted sky blue with white wispy clouds. We even put dots of glow in the dark paint all over the ceiling. This way when you shut off the lights, you can still see the "stars" Our walls are painted with 4 different colors of green paint. Picture the hedge and vine type plants that grew up over a castle way and that is how our walls are painted. Complete with the look of crumbling castle walls on the top part of the wall. Basically, we muralled (sp?) the entire basement. It has been this way for about 5 years and we still love it and find it very cozy!!

[Christiaan]

You're ideas sound good. If you use a mildewcide in the paint make sure it is acceptable for use in living quarters.

[mtman]

you can paint the walls with water block it is a paint that goes into the pores of the wall and expands as it dries makeing a water seal

[rambler]

Are you starting with a basement that has known problems, or are you just not used to basements & want to prevent too much dankness, but there never is water really much seeping in?

If there are no real water seepage issues:

A dehumidifier. Just do it.

For windows, you likely need ergress windows these days to legally have a bedroom down there. Those are bigger for firemen to fit through with air tanks on. Code in most locations, even retrofitting a house as you are.

Actually an open window lests in hot humid air, which condenses in the cooler basement, so can often times add to the humidity issues of a basement.

Just run a dehumidifier.

At least you are in a cold enough climate, you will dry out well in winter with the furnace on.

--->Paul

[Alex]

You won't like this:

• Dig down all around the exterior of the foundation and expose the foundation wall.
• Inspect -- repair and visible cracks, etc.
• Seal exterior wall with . . . sealant.
• Install perforated pipe drain tile.
• Place drain rock all around the pipe, and filter cloth -- only if lots of fines in the soil which might plug the rock or pipe.
• Find a place, lower, to discharge the footing drain water, like a dry-well which is lower, or a municipal storm drain system. Or, collect and pump footing drain discharge to another suitable location, if too low, etc.
• Back fill the excavation, etc.

I told you, you wouldn't like it.

All the other ideas are more fun, less expensive and easier, aren't they?

Good Luck.

Alex

[coalroadcabin]

If it just has that musty basement smell, then use a dehumidifier. If the problem includes standing water or if there may be a mold/mildew problem, then DO NOT move into that basement unless you want to end up with some serious health problems.

[texastami]

Originally Posted by Alex

You won't like this:

• Dig down all around the exterior of the foundation and expose the foundation wall.
• Inspect -- repair and visible cracks, etc.
• Seal exterior wall with . . . sealant.
• Install perforated pipe drain tile.
• Place drain rock all around the pipe, and filter cloth -- only if lots of fines in the soil which might plug the rock or pipe.
• Find a place, lower, to discharge the footing drain water, like a dry-well which is lower, or a municipal storm drain system. Or, collect and pump footing drain discharge to another suitable location, if too low, etc.
• Back fill the excavation, etc.

I told you, you wouldn't like it.

All the other ideas are more fun, less expensive and easier, aren't they?

Good Luck.

Alex

Well thanks Alex for the very indepth plans. I doubt its as bad as all that tho. They store alot of stuff down there but haven't ever had it flood or even have standing water in it... (no sump pumps needed)

The house sits on a hill and the only wall that has water running against it is the wall facing the driveway (concreted) so no worries there..... the rest of the house is landscaped but will definitely make sure that is something we handle immediately if we find differently.

When I talked about sealing the outside wall, I didn't realize there was stuff you could apply on the inside... THat makes me really happy to know!! I will definitely check into both the mildew paint and the sealant...

The bedroom window is up to code and so is the window. I was talking about the window in the front and back (kit and liv).

I am planning on painting murals in the basement.... I love painting... (painted wall murals for a daycare years ago... beach and forest scenes) I love the clouds and stars idea..!! That will be perfect!! Especially in the girls room!! DH thought it might be easier to order those "prepainted" wallpapers that create a mural.. anyone ever use those???

Our apartment will also serve as our classroom/school and office... I need lots of space saving ideas!!!

Thanks!

[Mrs_stuart]

Tami,
before i would do anything, i would find a good odor eliminator that digest biologicals...it is used all the time in carpet and upholstery cleaning and such. It is a liquid that you can spray on and it will diget all things like mildew and damp germs that my cause odors.

then I would also agree with everyone, a dehumidifier is the way to go. We have a small basement that we use for a pantry/storage area and the dehumidifier makes a world of difference. It has never been wet or flooded, it just smells "musty" and "dirty" but with the dehumidifier on for a day, it is so, so much better. It is worth the investment.

Good luck!

Belinda

[3sunz]

Most hardware stores also carry paint that is made for damp areas that "repel" mold and mildew growth. It is usually called bathroom paint because that is the dampest part of your house. If I were you, when I repainted, I would make sure that I used that bathroom paint in the whole basement. It can be colored/ tinted just like any other paint.

[BaronsMom]

Lived in a basement house when I was a kid and we first moved to the farm - you'll get a better idea of the condition of the basement when you get a heavy rain.

In the winter, our basement house was pretty well protected from wind, but snow did pile up in front of the only door one year.

In addition to a bit of dampness, you'll probably have more experiences with critters (bugs/spiders) - seal/caulk - put mouse glueboards in the corners to catch wandering insects/spiders.

And since you are going to be living in Kansas, a "luxury" basement (anything more than a cellar to me) is a great place to hide out during tornado season.

Always thought of our basement house as "cozy" - though a bit tight for a family of nine.

Sounds like you're on your way to a new adventure - plenty of stories to tell your grandchildren someday!

[moldy]

Welcome to KS! Depending on where in the state you are, it can be wet or dry (duh). I would definately invest in a dehumidifier. If there is not a mold problem you can see, you could probably wait on the Kilz (paint for mold), but if you are going to be painting anyway, Kilz does come in a lot of colors now.