When our house was build (1983), the basement walls were only finished half way down and the spacing between the studs was 24". I would like to finish down to the floor, but prefer 16" spacing between the studs. Do I just frame the botom half, or do I have to rip everything out and start over? What would you recommend?
Answer:
You could probably save yourself the trouble of ripping things out because its the bottom half that gets the most abuse so 24" O.C. should be OK above that level. You might also consider framing in such a way as to ensure an R-20 bat will fit the bottom and then upgrade the top portion accordingly. The existing vapour barrier though, has to come off so you don't end up with two of them.
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