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Recently bought a ranch - smells moist downstairs, but read a de-humidifier may do more harm than good in the long run plus I'm not so sure I want to have to manage that thing year-round. How do those of you who frequently spend time down there make it feel as comfortable as the rest of the house? What flooring do you use, temperature control (heat/ac) etc.? We're trying to determine the best way to "do it up" so it's useable year-round.
You're going to be sorry if you don't use a dehumidifier. When my friend bought her house she was singing the praises of her basement because it was "so dry". I told it probably wasn't that dry and she should get a dehumidifier. She did not, and she stored a ton of baby stuff down there. When she went to get it out for the next baby, it was all so moldy she couldn't use it.
I can't imagine the harm of a dehumidifier (you'll really only need it in summer). It simply removes moisture from the air. We used one for 13 years with no issues. There's nothing to "manage" - when it is full, you remove the container of water, dump it out, and put it back in the dehumidifier.
As far as heating it - depending on the type of heat you have for your upstairs you may not need it. When we had steam heat, our basement was warm just from the steam pipes. Once we switched to hot water baseboard heat upstairs we needed a space heater down there. But our plumber told us it was would really simple to put in a baseboard down there. If we had stayed we would have done that.
Refinished my basement over 20 years ago with carpeting and sheetrock and never had a problem. The addition of a pool table, dartboard, and TV made for many enjoyable evenings for my kids and their friends.
Recently bought a ranch - smells moist downstairs, but read a de-humidifier may do more harm than good in the long run plus I'm not so sure I want to have to manage that thing year-round. How do those of you who frequently spend time down there make it feel as comfortable as the rest of the house? What flooring do you use, temperature control (heat/ac) etc.? We're trying to determine the best way to "do it up" so it's useable year-round.
Finishing a basement (or half-finishing) is the best investment you can make. I've never seen so many basement-haters (the ones on this thread!)... Everyone I know tells me about how they wish they had a basement. The possibilities are endless. I would first inspect the outside of your house and gutters. Is rain pooling or running toward the foundation in any areas? If so, buy a gutter extension (cheap and will work wonders), make sure water is running at least 2-4 feet away from the foundation. I don't think a dehumidifier is absolutely necessary but it can't hurt. Where did you hear it could do more harm?
Next, do not do carpeting. That is asking for trouble. Go with cheap but nice looking $1.99 tiles from HDepot or Lowes or if you have friends that can hook you up with even better deals. Install those and put down an area rug and install baseboard heating and you are set. Pool table, card table, game room, mini-gym, sofa with flat screen and mini bar...whatever floats your boat. I would keep an area for storage as well. Good luck and congrats!
I will never finish my unfinished basement. I love that I bought a house with an unfinished basement but maybe that is b/c I spent too much time in a basement in my younger years. Never again. Just doesn't appeal to me, the lack of air and natural light.
I use a dehumidifier year-round. If you put it on a reasonable humidity level, it rarely runs in the Winter, but makes a huge difference in the Summer!
Never heard anything about using a dehumidifier being a bad thing
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