Basement Walls
When working on finishing a basement, odds are you will have to install new basement walls as dividers between rooms in your basement. When most homes are built, the basements are often left unfinished, allowing the new home owners to make a variety of different decisions on what to do with the basement, as well as anticipate the changes in the building due to the home settling on the ground. Because the ground beneath the home has to settle, construction companies will often leave basements unfinished so that they can easily do any repairs to the structure of the basement a year after the home has been completely built.
If your property is newly built, you will want to wait approximately a year before installing new basement walls. Because the ground is shifting beneath the home when it is newly built, this can ensure that your walls will be level and remain level once you install them. This can save you from having to do the job twice. However, if you install the new walls complete with studs and full supporting structures rather than thin layers of dry wall, you can add these walls in after the home has been built. A general rule to follow is if the construction of the home is new, you will have to use only the best methods and supplies to get the lasting structure that you desire. After the home has totally settled on its foundation, you will be able to take short cuts and do the work on a smaller budget.
If you are making any modifications to the basement walls already in place, it is vital that you identify the type of wall that you are working with before you work with it. For example, there are basement walls that are for pure aesthetics and division, separating one room from another. In addition to this, there are vital support walls, which contain beams that support the rest of the house. When you are modifying your basement walls, it is vital that you never remove a supporting wall. This can cause the floors above the wall to collapse. This sort of damage can result in tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and the possibility that the entire building must be condemned, torn down, and rebuilt. You should never tear down a wall unless you are positive that the beams in that wall are not part of the basic supporting structure of your property.