Raised, but not floating, floor

[YOUR KONG]

Hey all - looks like I'm getting the house! W00t! This makes me a 2nd-level multi-classed suburbanite/musician, with non-combat skills in jazz and electronica.

Ahem - anyway, the basement is concrete and water can come in through the walls and can pool on the floor. We're going to get that fixed from the inside, but in the meantime I want to make sure my stuff is dry.

To that end, I'm interested in the best way to make a raised floor - soundproofing isn't an issue, but raising everything above the concrete floor is.

Should I just throw down some wood palettes and nail plywood on top, or is there something more sophisticated? I have a few old organs so it needs to be able to support the weight! (I'm no powder-puff myself...)

[phait]

I would think typical long beams set along the floor, atop that plywood and then if you're carpeting it, some carpet grip... if no carpet, hardwood floor?

[mikeyc]

I'm not sure what kind of budget you're looking at, but I've seen these 2'x2' interlocking raised subfloor pieces at HomeDepot. I think they're about $5 each. They've got a raised plastic backing that's supposed to protect the floor from moisture. I think they look pretty cool, but I'm still looking for the lo-budget alternative.

[Rolsen]

I don't wanna get all 'this old house' on your ass, as I am not a master craftsman. I helped my dad with this problem once. Raising the floor won't be enough to fight off mold, rotten 2x4's (or whatever) underneath. You really don't want the mold - everyone including singer will get allergic, sounding like Gavin Rosdale. A concrete sealant in the basement will help, but is not a fix all. The 'sump pump' clicks on when its float is raised due to water - pump it back outside! Perforated pipe bedded in gravel directing groundwater around and away from the house is the only way to solve that problem (french drain, right?). Oh, yeah, check the gutters too....if they're clogged, that rainwater will cascade right down to your foundation.

[stuntbutt]

I don't believe that it is a good idea to create a space for the accumulation of water in your house! Unfortunately you have to correct the problem. A raised floor would sound like ass anyway.

[xonlocust]

I don't wanna get all 'this old house' on your ass,

nice one bob vila!!

good advice though!

[jajjguy]

A raised floor would sound like ass anyway.

yes, you'd have to take steps to prevent/deaden resonance in the floor boards and cavity. like filling the cavity with fiberglass, say, which would get gross fast when mixed with water seepage.

[Professor]

Following on the same train of thought of fixing the water problem before attacking the flooring...
Do you really want those organs in a room that will have such problems with moisture and humidity?

If you absolutely must use the place for storage for the next few months, then just throw down some shipping pallets before storing anything there. But I wouldn't suggest nailing plywood over that or doing anything else that might 'dress up' the place and make it more useable. That will just be less encouragement to fix the water issue which will, in turn, make you less likely to fix the problem in a timely manner. Keep the floor ugly and keep the space less useable, and you will be constantly thinking of fixing the problem sooner rather than later.

-Jeremy

[YOUR KONG]

Ok, I need to clarify - my apologies - the basement HAS gotten water, specifically after a hurricane rocked me like RATT (or did I get that backwards).

We did a walk-through with the home inspector today (who was awesome - I started calling him "Sherlock Home." Not much in the way of a sense of humor, though...). He pointed out that the side of the basement that got the water was where the ground tilted toward the foundation. So I'll incorporate that gravel/perforated pipe idea.

So water is not an ONGOING problem. But, to be on the safe side, I want to make one part of the basement elevated - not the whole thing, since the basement is just one huge room that runs the length of the house.

(which would sound horrible, as other posters have pointed out, but I'm 95% digital)

[joel hamilton]

I did something like this in my old studio, and I basically wound up building floating sandboxes.

A low "stage" that I then laid the 2x4 sleepers on, sealed the outside edges, and laid in sand and vermiculite (the foam type stuff in potting soil) then put drywall, then wood over that, then oak tongue and groove. If you want to you could just do the sandbox thing. Make a box with a plywood "bottom" and support it on hockey pucks (which is what I used) lay the 2x4 sleepers, cover with 3/4" plywood and carpet it if you dont want to spend the money on hardwood....

[Professor]

Oh.
Well that's quite different then.

I like Joel's idea of the sandboxes, and I've always thought that would be a good idea for room isolation as well. I figured on building 8" wide, 4" high troughs that would be filled about halfway with sand and then have the 2x6 footer for each wall laid across the top. From there, staggered studs for each side of the wall, mineral fiber insulation, etc. but it seemed like a sensible isolation system for a room within a room design. But I've not had to build a room from scratch yet, so the idea is just hanging back for future use.

As for you, I'd suggest looking at the Auralex website and specifically look at their construction products. They make a product called the "U-Boat" which is a rubber isolation block meant to hold up a 2x4. If you bought a couple boxes of those, you could lay them on the floor to cradle a bunch of 2x4 joists. Then a layer of plywood over that, maybe even two layers. 2x4s would be more than enough to support the floor since it would sit almost directly on the ground without any wide spans to cross.
As for the sound, like you said, you're 95% digital - but I also think that with a sturdy design and construction, you might actually improve the sound over the concrete. Plus the isolation of the rubber u-boats would help minimize noise coming in from traffic outside, nearby washing machines, or other things, and would help prevent the sound from your studio from transferring to other areas.

Just be sure to build yourself some access so you can run wires under the floor, and so you can get to the lowest point of the original floor to drop in a pump if one is ever needed.

-Jeremy

[colinandrew12]

Ok, I need to clarify - my apologies - the basement HAS gotten water, specifically after a hurricane rocked me like RATT (or did I get that backwards).

that was the scorpions, dude.

[YOUR KONG]

that was the scorpions, dude.

Crap.

Well, thanks for everyone's advice so far, including this.

The sandbox idea is really interesting, I NEVER would have thought of that.