Capentry Advice

[cdub]

Today I am going to start building my sump room in my garage. The idea is to frame the room with 2x4's. I plan on having one horizontally on top, one horizontally on bottom, and then every 16'' vertically. Once I get the framing up I am planning on putting drywall on the outside and caulking all the seams to keep in the salty air.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do this better? or does this sound about right?

 

[wbholwell]

Sounds like you might run into mold issues if you try to keep in the moist air.

Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in.

 

[james s_]

wbholwell;69383 wrote: Sounds like you might run into mold issues if you try to keep in the moist air.

Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in.

Not if you add ventilation in the room.I would suggest if your going to close the room in completely sheet rock,caulk,exterior door,etc..... that you buy an exhaust fan and a vent to bring in fresh air from the outside.Put the exhaust fan outlet up high in the room and a vent as low as you can get it that opens up when the exhaust fan is running which will be probably be 24/7.

 

[james s_]

There are several other options like HRV's or an AC unit that you could put in there that would be more $$$. They have Stand up up AC units that just sit on the floor if you dont have a window in the room,then you just run an exhaust out the wall.On sale right now 25-35% as well at Home Depot.Im going to use a window unit in my basement to keep my fish room at a nice Temp. and to keep the humidity down,but they dont look very nice hanging out of your house,only downfall.Fortunately the window in my fish room is on the back of my house.

 

[cdub]

I was actually considering having someone come and add an ac vent in the room from my existing system. Its only about a 5' run in the attic so I think it would be pretty cheap.

 

[george]

Remember that to keep your house to code, you MUST use pressure treated lumber for the bottom layer against the slab.

Also, to cut down on mold, you should consider using the non-paper backed wallboard or bathroom wallboard.

 

[james s_]

cdub;69416 wrote: I was actually considering having someone come and add an ac vent in the room from my existing system. Its only about a 5' run in the attic so I think it would be pretty cheap.

Possible as long as your existing units can handle the extra Square footage.You need to consider if you want the added moisture to be running thru the rest of your system,an HVAC tech would be able to tell you better then I could.Let us know how it works out.

 

[seedless reefer]

No.........

Double 2 x 4 top plate. Main wall top plate extended 3 1/2" both sides to secure any side walls with a 3 1/2 gap to accomodate the overhang this allows you to plumb/level the walls. 16" stud spacing is optimal but 20 can be used if your only hanging rock on the wall and it bears no other weight.

Green pressure treated 2x4 (single) on the bottom.

Corners need to be 2 - 2 x 4 with three blocks between for a total of
4 1/2" and any mid wall connectors (tees) need to be two 2x4 with three blocks for a total of 6 1/2".

Bottom plate must be leveled with shims if the basement slab is out and top plate may also need to be shimmed if the joist or the slab is out.

Bottom plate should be Ramset to the slab or at the very least masonary cut nails.

A simple fart fan or two vented to the outside (easy if you have vinyl) should suffice for the ventilation. Wiring them is the hard part.

The run of A/C @ 5' is not an issue however, if the plenum of your existing unit has no allowances for an additional duct you may be looking at big cost. and it is not just about getting air in it is also about getting air out and back in the recirc.

 

[cdub]

so here is my game plan based on all the above info:

Existing Wall A
-------------------------------l
l l
New Wall A l l Existing Wall B
l l
------------------- l
New Wall B l

what i'm hearing is a need a green pressure treated 2x4 for the bottom framing on both new sides. I need a double 2x4 on the top of both new walls. Stud spacing can be 20'' as the only weight hanging from the walls will be the sheet rock and maybe a few things for the sump. the bottom of the joist will be hammered into the garage slab with cut masonry nails.

The part i'm confused about is the corners and overhang seedless was talking about. can anyone give me a more detailed explanation.

 

[cdub]

well since that picture didn't come out too well i'll just explain it. i have a corner in my garage that i just want to build two additional walls to create a rectangular room.

 

[seedless reefer]

Send me an email to

 

[spike]

treated wood is needed anytime you come into contact with concrete.

 

[seedless reefer]

Email answered.

See below drawing sorry its not so great and the walls are not plumb or level :

 

[theplatypus]

WHy 20" on center?

 

[theplatypus]

It doesn't make any sense to build a wall on 20" centers. Plywood, sheetrock, etc. are all setup to break on multiples of 4'(48",96"....). Why create more work than needed?

 

[seedless reefer]

If the walls are extremly long he can save a few bucks going 20 on center since these are not load bearing. Sometimes the reduction in lumber is worth a few extra knife cuts

It is also possible that an 8' or 12' sheet of rock is an exact fit. If this is the case what is the point of using 16? Heck you could put them on 24's. Or if the 8 or 12 is small and needs to be cut anyway the spacing doesn't matter.

Always easier to go 16 for the sheetrock breaks to be sure. In the 90's a ton of builders went to 20" centers on the second story interior walls and non-load bearing walls throughout however, it has been years since I built anything not on 16's.

Platy is correct if the walls are short then the extra 3 bucks a stud is worth it. If the walls extend all the way across your basement you will save money on 20's.

 

[theplatypus]

Use 24" centers then. You get the best of both worlds. Fewer cuts and less lumber.

 

[seedless reefer]

Ok we have decided for him 24's it is.

 

[theplatypus]

lol

 

[ckwatson]

you can also use sheet rock that is intended for bath rooms it has something special in it to deal with moist air. It could help with any mold issues