Yes, there is no vapour barrier or insulation behind all of the finished
part. The basement is also very damp in the summer.
Sould I re-drywall and vapour barrier the whole basement andd not just the
half that is currently drywalled??
Also, what do you think about the spray foam for the drafts?? The house was
built in 1950 and I've talked with a few of my neighbours who have the same
problems with drafts. Actually, there are drafts allover the house.
kudos
Steve


"Noozer" wrote in message
news:TySGd.103004$8l.66215@pd7tw1no...

"dude" wrote in message
wsgroups.com...
Hi all, here is my dilemma:
I bought a house 2 years ago in the summer with a half finished basement
(supposedly). This is where my tv is and is a busy spot. I found out my
first winter that the walls were not insulated and and that there are
some
nasty drafts.

It sounds like it wasn't finished properly. I'm betting that if they
didn't
use insulation, they didn't put a vapour barrier up either. Insulating the
walls is just asking for a damp basement, etc.

Cut a small section of drywall out and see if there really is no
insulation
and check for the plastic vapour barrier. It should be between the drywall
and studs, so any insulation would be in contact with the foundation, not
the drywall.

If there's no vapour barrier you might plan on taking the drywall down and
redoing the job. Major pain and major waste, but at least you'll know it's
done properly. While the drywall is down you can install plastic
"envelopes"
around your electrical boxes to help keep the drafts out as well.