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Home»Basement Finishing»Basement Finishing Photo Galleries»Collinsville, IL Basement Remodeling Transformation

Basement Finishing Photo Album: Collinsville, IL Basement Remodeling Transformation

This Collinsville, Illinois basement remained unfinished and was primarily used for storage until Spring 2015. The homeowners worked with our Total Basement Finishing Design Specialist, Zane Jackson, to layout an all-new floorplan for the basement. And that's when the transformation began. Dr. Energy Saver St. Louis contributed to Phase One of the project, which required air sealing the basement rim joists and installing fireblocking. The TBF crew then cut out a section of the basement wall to install a Rockwell Egress Window Well—allowing more natural light into the space—and installed the WellDuct window drainage system to guard against window well leaks. Phase Two involved framing the finished areas. Wood studs, fiberglass insulation, and drywall can spell disaster in the event of a leak or high humidity. So, Woods Basement Systems framed the basement with metal studs and finished the walls with the inorganic EverLast Basement Wall Panels, made from 2 1/2-inch thick rigid foam insulation with 1/2-inch thick cement board cladding. The cement board is finished with an off-white vinyl surface treatment. In Phase Three, the crew framed the drop ceiling and installed Total Basement Finishing's Drop Ceiling Tiles, made specifically for basement environments. TBF Drop Ceiling Tiles are built for long-lasting beauty and warranted to be non-sagging and mold-resistant. The Final Phase included the installation of basement flooring, and the crew finished the crown molding, baseboard trim, and other fixtures. To complete their Collinsville basement remodeling project, the homeowners chose inorganic MillCreek Flooring with a mahogany finish. Mill Creek Flooring bears the same look, feel, and touch as a hardwood floor without the potential for mold and mildew. What was once a cold, bare, and dark unfinished basement used only for storage is now a beautifully-finished, warm, and bright basement playroom and sewing room. What a transformation!

Unfinished Collinsville Basement

This Collinsville, Illinois basement was once bare and unfinished. Under-utilized, the open space provided much potential for dry, usable finished space.

Unfinished Basement with Egress Windows

Even after the egress window was installed, the basement was fairly dim. The floor, walls, and ceiling still needed to be finished to help harness the natural light.

Transforming the Basement Environment

In the middle of transforming this basement space.

Air Sealing Basement Rim Joist

Even the most well-built homes experience air leaks. In the basement, these air leaks often occur at the perimeter where the sill plate and rim joist meet. Fiberglass insulation does next to nothing but filter the outside air that leaks in at the rim joist. Spray foam insulation expands to fill any penetrations and joints.

Fireblocking & Basement Safety in Collinsville

Fireblocking is intended to prevent the movement of flames, smoke, and gases through concealed spaces. Air sealing the basement rim joist also helps with draft-stopping, eliminating drafts that could either feed the flame of a fire or allow smoke or gases to escape into other other areas.

Window Well Drainage

WellDuct helps keep basements dry by capturing and draining any groundwater seepage that may occur beneath basement windows.

Discussing Finished Basement Layout

Total Basement Finishing's Chris Schmidt contributed his knowledge and experience to the project, helping the crew transform the basement from bare to beautiful.

Getting Squared Away in the Basement

As hard as builders work to construct level, square structures, reality doesn't always match the blueprints. Despite the fact that the foundation walls in this Collinsville basement were not completely square, the crew carefully measured and diligently monitored levels to ensure a well-built and asthetically-pleasing basement design.