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Should I finish my basement

Moved in to a new house....one of the main selling points was a concrete basement; walls and floor slab.
The dimensions are perfect for my setup and I will finish the ceiling and do sound treatment as necessary but really wonder if I should also put up sheet-rock ?
As of now wall are painted with water-seal paint, and I have a large carpet on the floor.
I can just hang few drapes on the walls, do some sound treatment and leave it as is...
The looks are OK either way for me - no bearing on my decision.

Just want to hear if some of you have experience with such a "dilemma" (finished vs cement walls) and what would be recommended?

PS: I would NOT want to do any sound treatment under the sheet-rock...as a matter of fact I would only mount aluminium rails to the walls and then attach 1/2inch sheet-rock
ether
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Brf brings up another valid point. Years ago I had my system in a semi-finished basement. The sound was never my issue. But the ugly walls and ceiling drove me nuts.

If you're sure that won't bother you, then just get the sound right and enjoy.
kgturner's avatar
kgturner
664 posts
 
I don't know about where everybody else lives, but the
county assessor has never toured my home to see what
improvements I've made. If you're not planning on moving
ever again I say finish it as you see fit.
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
Yogiboy, why town should look inside the house? Whatever's inside the house isn't the town's business. Finish basement and than shushh. It's common and works.
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
I second the 'leave it as it is'. tweaking the room with sound treatment will require a lot of patience. Also, consider leaving the ceiling open, not installing anything for now. Open rafters can be a great ceiling sound treatment. So, wait. Start listening and get a good sound measuring computer program to help the process. Many programs are free and can go a long way to help you understand what you are hearing.
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,763 posts
 
Czarivey, I've lived in New York and Connecticut and the two towns I lived in they did have the right to come in and inspect for assessment. Sad but true!
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