We have just bought a townhouse, the townhouse is from 1947 and has a basement that is currently unrenovated. Since we only have 80 m2 of living space, it would be great if we could use about 45 m2 of the basement space as a larger bathroom, TV room, and guest room. The basement does not smell musty, and I get no readings on the moisture meter when I check the interior walls and floor in the basement.
We would need feedback from those of you who have experience with this, both good and bad.
The basement has a ceiling height of 2.1 m, and one of the rooms is also located under our terrace.
Our idea was to drain around the house with insulation on the outside of the house of the type isodrän, but NOT dig up the entire basement floor and insulate it, as it seems that the project would then become very costly. But to install several water-based radiators and a dehumidifier in the basement.
Do you think it will be difficult to get this space sufficiently warm (18-19 degrees) in winter?
Thoughts on this?
Christer and Louise
We would need feedback from those of you who have experience with this, both good and bad.
The basement has a ceiling height of 2.1 m, and one of the rooms is also located under our terrace.
Our idea was to drain around the house with insulation on the outside of the house of the type isodrän, but NOT dig up the entire basement floor and insulate it, as it seems that the project would then become very costly. But to install several water-based radiators and a dehumidifier in the basement.
Do you think it will be difficult to get this space sufficiently warm (18-19 degrees) in winter?
Thoughts on this?
Christer and Louise
It is likely possible to get it warm enough with properly sized radiators. I would probably install a carpet so it feels warmer on the floor, there are variants suitable even for basements. The bathroom floor will probably be cold no matter what you do, and I don't think vinyl flooring is completely suitable for a basement.
I would be hesitant to have a TV room in the basement since the air usually isn't very good, and I wouldn't recommend rooms that are occupied for a long time at all. Also, consider that a bedroom might be unsuitable due to escape routes in case of a fire.
I would be hesitant to have a TV room in the basement since the air usually isn't very good, and I wouldn't recommend rooms that are occupied for a long time at all. Also, consider that a bedroom might be unsuitable due to escape routes in case of a fire.
No problem at all. A basement requires very little energy as it has a lot of insulation in the form of soil, stone, clay around it. Tile floors feel cold to walk on but can be mitigated with a rug. We have wooden flooring in the family room. Such a floor feels much warmer. It sits on a moisture barrier plastic mat type Platon. Creating a bathroom is fine. But you have to think about moisture protection so it doesn't become too tight. There are many threads here on the forum about showers etc. in basements. Ventilation is, as always, important.Chrillesnickare said:
We have a single-story with a basement, we have one radiator per room, we barely need to have them on to maintain 17-19°C, the radiators upstairs emit significantly more heat, admittedly we have warmer upstairs (20-21°C). We have a living room, shower, etc., downstairs, and we will soon be moving our bedroom to one of the rooms in the basement so that the children get their own rooms upstairs. Two years after we bought the house we installed FTX ventilation because we noticed that the air quality throughout the house was poor, before there was natural ventilation, previously it was oil heating which the previous owner switched to district heating. Before we installed the FTX system, we had a typical basement smell in several rooms, today that smell is gone.
Depending on the air quality, you should consider some type of ventilation, F/FT/FX/FTX, the type you choose also depends on your heat source and whether it needs to be replaced or not. If you live in a place with ground radon, it might be good to avoid F & FX systems as these create more negative pressure in the house than FT & FTX.
Depending on the air quality, you should consider some type of ventilation, F/FT/FX/FTX, the type you choose also depends on your heat source and whether it needs to be replaced or not. If you live in a place with ground radon, it might be good to avoid F & FX systems as these create more negative pressure in the house than FT & FTX.
Why spend time and money on draining if you don't have moisture problems?
In our 65m2 basement, there is electric underfloor heating across the entire area, which used about 10,000kWh per year.
We now use an air/air heat pump instead and maintain about 23 degrees year-round, 21 at night.
The pump uses about 3,000kWh per year.
18 degrees is root cellar level, why have it colder in the basement than on the upper floor?
My experience is that you don't need to dehumidify if it's just kept warm enough.
In our 65m2 basement, there is electric underfloor heating across the entire area, which used about 10,000kWh per year.
We now use an air/air heat pump instead and maintain about 23 degrees year-round, 21 at night.
The pump uses about 3,000kWh per year.
18 degrees is root cellar level, why have it colder in the basement than on the upper floor?
My experience is that you don't need to dehumidify if it's just kept warm enough.
Air/air heat pump or a mini FTX (e.g. http://www.luftbutiken.se/ftx-aggregat/6306-mitsubishi-vl-100-u5-e-lossnay-x.html) is good in the basement as they dry the air and provide cheap heating. Make sure to get fresh air in!
A bedroom must always have at least two escape routes (normally window + door).
A bathroom can be built with ventilation (like Platon) underneath and then underfloor heating in the bathroom (as a room within a room that is).
The room under the deck can experience cold drafts from the ceiling (if it is an uninsulated concrete slab).
A bedroom must always have at least two escape routes (normally window + door).
A bathroom can be built with ventilation (like Platon) underneath and then underfloor heating in the bathroom (as a room within a room that is).
The room under the deck can experience cold drafts from the ceiling (if it is an uninsulated concrete slab).