Basement Finishing Methods in New Hampshire, Vermont & NY

VERMONT

Addison County:
Addison
Bread Loaf
Bridport
Bristol
Cornwall
East Middlebury
Ferrisburg
Granville
Hancock
Middlebury
Monkton
New Haven
North Ferrisburg
Orwell
Ripton
Roxbury
Salisbury
Shoreham
Starksboro
Vergennes
Whiting

Bennington County:
Arlington
Bennington
Bondville
Dorset
East Arlington
East Dorset
Manchester
Manchester Center
North Bennington
North Pownal
Peru
Pownal
Readsboro
Rupert
Shaftsbury
Stamford
West Rupert

Caledonia County:
Barnet
Danville
East Burke
East Hardwick
East Ryegate
East Saint Johnsbury
Groton
Hardwick
Lower Waterford
Lyndon
Lyndon Center
Lyndonville
McIndoe Falls
Passumpsic
Peacham
Ryegate
Saint Johnsbury
Saint Johnsbury Center
Sheffield
South Ryegate
Sutton
Walden
West Burke
West Danville

Chittenden County:
Bolton Valley
Burlington
Charlotte
Colchester
Essex
Essex Junction
Hinesburg
Huntington
Jericho
Jericho Center
Jonesville
Milton
Richmond
Shelburne
South Burlington
Underhill
Underhill Center
Westford
Williston
Winooski

Essex County:
Averill
Beecher Falls
Canaan
Concord
East Haven
Gilman
Granby
Guildhall
Island Pond
Lunenburg
North Concord
Norton

Franklin County:
Bakersfield
East Berkshire
East Fairfield
Enosburg Falls
Fairfax
Fairfield
Franklin
Highgate Center
Highgate Springs
Montgomery
Montgomery Center
Richford
Saint Albans
Saint Albans Bay
Sheldon
Sheldon Springs
Swanton

Grand Isle County:
Alburg
Grand Isle
Isle La Motte
North Hero
South Hero

Lamoille County:
Belvidere Center
Cambridge
Eden
Eden Mills
Hyde Park
Jeffersonville
Johnson
Lake Elmore
Morrisville
Moscow
North Hyde Park
Smugglers Notch
Stowe
Waterville
Wolcott

Orange County:
Bradford
Braintree
Brookfield
Chelsea
Corinth
East Corinth
East Randolph
East Thetford
Fairlee
Newbury
North Thetford
Post Mills
Randolph
Randolph Center
South Strafford
Strafford
Thetford
Thetford Center
Tunbridge
Vershire
Washington
Wells River
West Fairlee
West Newbury
West Topsham
Williamstown

Orleans County:
Albany
Barton
Beebe Plain
Coventry
Craftsbury
Craftsbury Common
Derby
Derby Line
East Charleston
Evansville
Glover
Greensboro
Greensboro Bend
Irasburg
Jay
Jay Peak
Lowell
Morgan
Newport
Newport Center
North Troy
Orleans
Troy
West Charleston
West Glover
Westfield

Rutland County:
Belmont
Benson
Bomoseen
Brandon
Castleton
Center Rutland
Chittenden
Cuttingsville
Danby
East Haven
East Poultney
East Wallingford
Fair Haven
Florence
Forest Dale
Hydeville
Killington
Mendon
Middletown Springs
Mount Holly
Mount Tabor
North Clarendon
Pawlet
Pittsfield
Pittsford
Poultney
Proctor
Rutland
Shrewsbury
Wallingford
Wells
West Pawlet
West Rutland

Washington County:
Adamant
Barre
Bolton
Cabot
Calais
Duxbury
East Barre
East Calais
East Montpelier
Graniteville
Marshfield
Montpelier
Moretown
North Montpelier
Northfield
Northfield Falls
Plainfield
South Barre
Sugarbush Valley
Waitsfield
Warren
Waterbury
Waterbury Center
Websterville
Woodbury
Worcester

Windham County:
Adamant
Barre
Bolton
Cabot
Calais
Duxbury
East Barre
East Calais
East Montpelier
Graniteville
Marshfield
Montpelier
Moretown
North Montpelier
Northfield
Northfield Falls
Plainfield
South Barre
Sugarbush Valley
Waitsfield
Warren
Waterbury
Waterbury Center
Websterville
Woodbury
Worcester

Windsor County:
Andover
Ascutney
Barnard
Bethel
Bridgewater
Bridgewater Corners
Brownsville
Cavendish
Chester
Chester Depot
Gaysville
Hartford
Hartland
Hartland Four Corners
Ludlow
North Hartland
North Pomfret
North Springfield
Norwich
Perkinsville
Plymouth
Proctorsville
Quechee
Reading
Rochester
Sharon
South Pomfret
South Royalton
South Woodstock
Springfield
Stockbridge
Taftsville
West Hartford
Weston
White River Junction
Wilder
Windsor
Woodstock

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Belknap County:
Alton
Alton Bay
Barnstead
Belmont
Center Barnstead
Center Harbor
Gilford
Gilmanton
Gilmanton Iron Works
Laconia
Lakeport
Lochmere
Meredith
New Hampton
Sanbornton
Tilton
Weirs Beach
Winnisquam

Carroll County:
Bartlett
Center Conway
Center Ossipee
Center Sandwich
Center Tuftonboro
Chocorua
Conway
East Madison
East Wakefield
Eaton Center
Freedom
Glen
Hart's Location
Intervale
Jackson
Kearsarge
Madison
Melvin Village
Mirror Lake
Moultonborough
North Conway
North Sandwich
Ossipee
Sanbornville
Silver Lake
Snowville
South Effingham
South Tamworth
Tamworth
Tuftonboro
Wakefield
West Ossipee
Wolfeboro
Wolfeboro Falls
Wonalancet

Cheshire County:
Alstead
Ashuelot
Chesterfield
Drewsville
Dublin
East Sullivan
East Swanzey
Fitzwilliam
Gilsum
Harrisville
Hinsdale
Jaffrey
Keene
Marlborough
Marlow
Munsonville
North Walpole
Richmond
Rindge
Spofford
Stoddard
Sullivan
Swanzey
Troy
Walpole
West Chesterfield
West Swanzey
Westmoreland
Winchester

Coos County:
Berlin
Bretton Woods
Colebrook
Dixville Notch
Errol
Gorham
Groveton
Jefferson
Lancaster
Meadows
Milan
Mount Washington
North Stratford
Pittsburg
Shelburne
Stark
Twin Mountain
West Stewartstown
Whitefield

Dartmouth County:
Acworth
Andover
Canaan
Charlestown
Claremont
Cornish Flat
Danbury
Enfield
Enfield Center
Etna
Goshen
Grafton
Grantham
Hanover
Lebanon
Lempster
Lyme
Meriden
New London
Newbury
Newport
North Sutton
Orford
Plainfield
Salisbury
South Acworth
Sunapee
Unity
Warner
Washington
West Lebanon
Wilmot

Grafton County:
Ashland
Bath
Bethlehem
Bristol
Campton
Canaan
Dorchester
East Hebron
Enfield
Enfield Center
Etna
Franconia
Glencliff
Grafton
Hanover
Haverhill
Hebron
Holderness
Lebanon
Lincoln
Lisbon
Littleton
Lyme
Lyme Center
Monroe
North Haverhill
North Woodstock
Orford
Piermont
Pike
Plymouth
Rumney
Stinson Lake
Sugar Hill
Warren
Waterville Valley
Wentworth
West Lebanon
Woodstock
Woodsville

Hillsborough County:
Amherst
Antrim
Bedford
Bennington
Brookline
Deering
Dunbarton
Francestown
Goffstown
Greenfield
Greenville
Hancock
Hillsboro
Hollis
Hudson
Litchfield
Lyndeborough
Manchester
Mason
Merrimack
Milford
Mont Vernon
Nashua
New Boston
New Ipswich
Pelham
Peterborough
Sharon
Temple
Weare
West Deering
West Peterborough
Wilton

Lakes Region County:
Alton
Ashland
Barnstead
Barrington
Belmont
Bristol
Center Barnstead
Center Harbor
Center Ossipee
Center Sandwich
Chocorua
East Hebron
East Madison
East Wakefield
Farmington
Franklin
Freedom
Gilford
Gilmanton
Hebron
Hill
Holderness
Laconia
Madison
Meredith
Moultonborough
New Hampton
North Sandwich
Ossipee
Pittsfield
Plymouth
Rochester
Rumney
Sanbornville
Snowville
South Tamworth
Stinson Lake
Tilton
Union
Wakefield
Weirs Beach
Winnisquam
Wonalancet

Merrimack County:
Allenstown
Andover
Boscawen
Bow
Bradford
Canterbury
Chichester
Concord
Contoocook
Danbury
East Andover
Elkins
Franklin
Henniker
Hill
Hooksett
Hopkinton
Loudon
Mount Sunapee
New London
Newbury
North Sutton
Pembroke
Penacook
Pittsfield
Salisbury
South Sutton
Springfield
Suncook
Sutton
Warner
Webster
West Hopkinton
Wilmot

Monadnock Region County:
Alstead
Antrim
Ashuelot
Bennington
Chesterfield
Deering
Dublin
Fitzwilliam
Francestown
Gilsum
Greenfield
Hillsboro
Hinsdale
Jaffrey
Lyndeborough
Marlow
Mason
New Ipswich
Peterborough
Rindge
Sharon
Spofford
Stoddard
Sullivan
Troy
Walpole
West Deering
West Swanzey
Westmoreland
Wilton
Winchester

Sullivan County:
Acworth
Charlestown
Claremont
Cornish
Cornish Flat
Georges Mills
Goshen
Grantham
Guild
Lempster
Meriden
Newport
Plainfield
South Acworth
Sunapee
Unity
Washington
West Springfield

NEW YORK

Clinton County:
Altona
Sciota
Ellenburg
Lyon Mountain
Dannemora
Saranac
Morrisonville
Schuyler Falls
Black Brook
Au Sable Forks
Keeseville
Plattsburgh
Chazy
Champlain
Beekmantown

Essex County:
Elizabethtown
Jay
Lewis
Westport
Wilmington
Willsboro

Franklin County:
Tupper Lake
Paul Smiths
Franklin Falls
Malone
Bangor
Bellmont Center
Moira
Brushton
Bombay
Constable
Westville
Chateaugay
St. Regis
Fort Covington

Getting Ready to Finish Your Basement in Vermont, New Hampshire and Northeastern New York

Vermont, New Hampshire and Northeastern New York, Tri-State Basement Systems

finished your basement

- Install an effective waterproofing system.
- Install a reliable sump pump with alarm and back-up system.
- Guard against floods from frozen sump discharge lines.
- Install a vapor barrier on the walls before you put up finished walls.
- Keep the floor warm, dry and comfortable.
- Protect against common plumbing leaks that ruin your finished basement.
- Inspect your basement windows.
- Dehumidify the space.
- Perform some basic exterior maintenance.

1. Install an Effective Waterproofing System

If the basement has ever experienced any groundwater seepage at all, then it needs a quality basement waterproofing system like WaterGuard®, DryTrak® or other options available from Basement Systems. The idea is that basement water problems never get better, they only get worse as the house ages and the drains and coatings that protected the house fail. Therefore, even if water seepage is a once-a-year occurrence, it needs to be fixed before the basement is finished, as flooding is likely to be more frequent in the future. Some cautious homeowners put in such a system even if they have not had seepage, just in case. This makes sense from the stand point that these systems are far easier to put in a basement that is unfinished than one where finished walls and floor coverings restrict access after ward. It is also highly recommended that this system be installed around the entire perimeter of the basement.

WaterGuard and DryTrak Basement Waterproofing Systems

2. Install a Reliable Sump pump with Alarm and Back-Up Systems

Before investing in finishing your basement, you should have the best sump pump protection available to guard your home against flooding from primary pump failure, pump overload from torrential rains, and power failure. Basement Systems TripleSafe sump pump system stands ready with primary and secondary AC-powered pumps and a third battery-operated backup pump in a single airtight sump liner. The TripleSafe system automatically pumps out water in the event that the power goes out or the primary pump mechanically fails to operate. Without this triple protection, your finished basement is only one pump or power failure away from a flood. Ensure a dry basement all the time with triple protection - before you invest in it. If you do not have a TripleSafe pump system and have a Basement Systems SuperSump instead, at the very minimum you should have an UltraSump back-up pumping system and a WaterWatch Alarm.

The UltraSump (standard with a TripleSafe system) is a battery-operated back-up pumping system with a DC pump installed in the same sump hole, a battery, and a charging system. The UltraSump will pump up to 7000 gallons of water out of your basement in the event of the primary pump failing for any reason including power outages. A WaterWatch Alarm is standard on all Basement Systems pump systems and will sound off to alert you to pump failure before your floor gets wet.

TripleSafe Sump Pump Systems

3. Guard Against Floods from Frozen Sump Discharge Lines

If you have a sump pump, it probably discharges outside. Snow and ice can block the opening and cause it to freeze. When this happens your pump will be running and the water can't get out, causing your basement to flood. Basement Systems IceGuard®, which is standard on most systems, will prevent this problem automatically.

4. Install a vapor barrier on the walls before you put up finished walls

Basement walls can leak higher up off of the floor. Water vapor can also pass through basement walls and contribute to a higher humidity level in the basement. Installing a sheet of plastic, preferably a high-quality, extra-durable one will direct water seepage down to the drainage system below and keep it off of the studs and sheetrock or paneling. It will also keep water vapor from getting into the basement environment and lower the humidity levels. It is important that the vapor barrier be tucked into the drainage system below if one exists. The top of the vapor barrier should be caulked to the top of the wall.

Even better, you can install a vapor-proof drainage sheet on the walls that will insulate, such as Basement Systems ThermalDry® wall system, which reflects 97% of the heat back into your basement.

5. Keep the floor warm, dry and comfortable

Once you have eliminated any possible leakage problems in the basement, the next thing to eliminate is water vapor from coming through the concrete floor. Because concrete is porous, water vapor will slowly and continuously travel up through it. If you lay a carpet on top of the concrete floor, this moisture gets trapped under the carpet and causes odors, mold and rot in the carpet.

Basement Systems solution is a ThermalDry® Basement Floor Matting system. This consists of a specially engineered polypropylene, 17-inch tongue-&-groove square tile that, unlike systems that use wood, is totally water and vapor proof. The unique grid design on the bottom of the tile creates an air space that insulates the floor and does not cause water vapor to condense. The installation takes away only 3/8" of precious ceiling height in the basement, instead of 4" for other methods.

Basement floor tiles
Basement flooring

6. Protect against common plumbing leaks that ruin your finished basement

Any water leakage, whether it be from the ground or not, will have the same damaging effect on your finished basement. Basement Systems has easy solutions for the two most common domestic water leaks, which we see all the time. The first is water heaters leaking. The average life of a water heater is seven years, and when they fail, they usually leak and flood the basement. Basement Systems FloodRing® is the solution. The FloodRing® will contain water seepage and drain it to the waterproofing system when the water heater leaks. The second common plumbing leak is washing machine hoses that can flood your basement even if the washing machine is on the upper floors. These hoses are not made to withstand the 50 or 60 pounds per square inch of water pressure like our hard plumbing system is. There is a valve to shut the water pressure off when the washing machine is not in use, but very few people use them all the time. Eventually, these inexpensive hoses will leak, or blow-out completely. Basement Systems FloodChek® hoses are the answer. Guaranteed for 20 years, the FloodChek® hoses are made to take the pressure, and will not blow-out, corrode, or rust at the end connections.

water tank flood protection

washing machine hoses

7. Inspect your basement windows

Will you be happy with them in your newly finished basement? Basement windows are notorious for being hard to open and drafty. Furthermore, the wet environment near the ground or in a window well causes a metal window to rust and a wood window to rot. Many do not have screens and painting them is a constant challenge.

Basement Systems can replace your basement windows with energy-efficient, all-vinyl EverLast windows. They feature smooth sliding operation, double glass, full screen, easily removable panes for cleaning or passing long objects into the basement, and they never need to be painted! The right time to replace your basement windows is before you finish the basement. Then the carpenters can trim right up to them for a nice finished look.

Everlast basement window repalcement

8. Dehumidify the space

The SaniDry Basement Air System is a powerful and effective dehumidifier - big enough to do the job - where most standard dehumidifiers are too small to make much difference. The SaniDry dries the air and automatically drains the water out of the hose, so you never have to empty it, like a conventional dehumidifier. The SaniDry takes four times the amount of water out of the air as a typical dehumidifier, yet uses the same energy. The SaniDry has a powerful blower to draw musty air in and move the dry, clean air back out into the basement. This unit helps to ensure that you won't have high humidity and musty smells in your finished basement.

basement and crawl space dehumidifier

9. Perform some basic exterior maintenance

You should have your down spouts extended with Basement Systems RainChute® to keep roof water away from the foundation. Keep the soil graded away from the house wherever possible, and keep the gutters clean. Keep window wells clear of leaves and debris.

Basement Contractors Serving Vermont, New Hampshire & Northeastern New York