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Basement wall insulation and wall build

PLIERS | Posted in General Questions on

I’m insulating and framing a basement wall that is 24 feet long.  A 4in PVC sewer pipe runs horizontally about 15 feet down the top of the wall and then drops vertically down to sewage line and my water meter.  The vertical pipe is not near the corner it’s about 3-4 feet from corner.  I want to insulate with 1 inch rigid foam and then build 2×4 wall.  Most recommend building a wall in front of pipe but the room is very small, my wall would be coming out 8 1/2in.  Is there a way to notch the wall and save room.  How much can I notch the wood studs?  I could use blocking to build under the pipe but then finishing with drywall would become complicated.

Joe

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
    NICK KEENAN | | #1

    I would look at moving the pipe, finishing a basement is a lot of work and PVC pipe is easy to cut and glue. Even if you have to break up some concrete it may be the way to get the best result.

    If moving the pipe doesn't help, you're going to have to box it in. This is very, very common in basement finishing. The answer to your question is that the wall you're building isn't load bearing, all it has to hold up is the drywall. You could fasten the studs to the wall and not have them be continuous from floor to ceiling.

    Metal studs are popular for basement framing because they are somewhat more tolerant of extreme notching than wood.

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