Q. I’m going to be remodeling my basement and want it to be toasty warm. How would you do insulation for a basement remodel like this? Would you use foam insulation or just the old standby fiberglass?

The placement of a water vapor retarder directly below concrete floor slabs on the ground has become common practice for buildings where floor coverings or coatings are to be installed. Such use has ...

Basements are untapped resources in many homes. You can finish a basement, transforming it into a living room, home office, teen's bedroom, or a dream entertainment room or home gym. You can even turn ...

My daughter and son-in-law have a home that sits on sandy soil and has a very deep, full basement. They are planning on finishing the basement to include a bedroom. There is a large escape window, so ...

Q: We are finishing off part of the basement into a utility room. The washer, dryer, and laundry tub are already there, with the plumbing anchored to the cement walls. We have framed in the walls with ...

An insulated basement or crawl space provides many benefits year-round, and the rim joist (or band joist) is often a focal point in energy-saving initiatives. Installing insulation at the rim joists ...

Q. You’ve written about putting up a foam vapor barrier on the basement wall when remodeling. You suggested building a frame wall X-amount of distance from the basement wall itself and then insulate ...

Q: My house is built on a crawl space, like most of the houses in my area. Only part of the dirt floor of the space is covered with plastic. Do I need this plastic cover, and if so, what thickness do ...