Build a room to house your appliances to improve your basement's looks.
A furnace sitting in the middle of your basement makes the room appear rough and unfinished. Building a furnace room enclosure not only improves the looks, but increases hidden storage space and adds to the home's value. Insulation helps muffle the sounds of the furnace when it ignites; drywall, a non-combustible material, actually resists flames, and may extend your reaction time in the event of a furnace fire. While building a room might sound overwhelming, it's something even a beginning handyman can accomplish in an afternoon.
Instructions
1. Mark an "X" at the top and at the bottom of the wall on one side of the furnace. Move to the opposite side of the furnace and mark the top and bottom of the wall again to indicate the length of the enclosure desired. Add extra space on both sides of the equipment -- 18 inches at minimum -- before making your wall markings to provide clearance around the furnace and any other appliances you enclose in the furnace room.
2. Align a straight edge with each set of marks, from floor to ceiling and draw a line vertically for each set. Measure the distance between the two lines and record the figure. This is the length of the furnace room. You will build one wall this length.
3. Measure and mark the length of the first furnace side room wall. If the furnace is in a corner along one wall, use the existing side wall as one side of the furnace room and place an "X" at the top of the wall and again at the bottom. Align a straight edge between the marks and draw a line to indicate wall placement. Allow for at least 18 inches of clearance past your furnace; a minimum of 3 or 4 feet will provide more space to work on the equipment if necessary.
4. Repeat the measurement for the second furnace room side wall, adding in the extra clearance again. Run the tape along the floor and create a mark, using tape if necessary. Measure along the ceiling the same distance and mark again. These marks help align the wall during placement.
5. Record the length of the furnace room side walls. You will build at least one wall to this dimension -- two if you do not have a corner wall to incorporate into the framing.
6. Cut two 2-by-4 boards to measure the length of the wall opposite the furnace wall. These will form the header and footer of the first wall.
7. Lay the boards on edge, butted together. Mark the edge of the boards, using a straight edge, beginning with a mark 19 inches from the end of the board and again every 16 inches until the final 3 inches. Draw across both boards at once. These marks indicate the spacing of the wall studs, which will begin with two studs and continue spaced 16 inches apart to center.
8. Measure and record the height of the furnace room, from floor to ceiling. This will determine the height you will make your wall.
9. Subtract 3 inches from the room height. Cut additional 2-by-4s, one for each stud mark, to this figure. Each 2-by-4 is actually 1 1/2 inches thick; thus, a wall 7 feet tall (84 inches) requires studs 81 inches high, sandwiched between a header and footer that equal 3 inches together.
10. Lay a stud on edge, adjacent to the header board. Nail through the header into the end of the stud with two nails. Continue down the length of the header, attaching studs.
11. Attach the footer similarly. When complete, label the wall and set it aside.
12. Build additional walls, as needed, to form the furnace room side walls. Leave a gap between the studs on one of the walls to form a doorway. Check the door opening requirements and frame the door with a stud on either side.
13. Measure up the required height from the footer, and place another board, parallel to the header and footer, to form the top edge of the door frame. Nail through the door-framing studs into the board to secure.
14. Tilt the stud walls up and wedge into place, one at a time, aligning the ends with the "X" marks on the walls, floors and ceilings. Use shims, as needed, to make the walls fit snugly into place without securing the walls permanently.
15. Hold a level to each wall to ensure it is plumb. Adjust walls, if necessary, by tapping either the top or the bottom of the wall with a hammer. Ensure each walls fits against the adjacent one for a solid installation.
16. Nail each wall into place, anchoring it into the floor and ceiling by driving nails through the header and footer. Attach the outer studs to the existing walls and into the adjacent wall sections. Space the nails 12 to 16 inches apart.
17.Insulate the room by wedging fiberglass batts, cut to fit, into place between the studs. Top with a covering of drywall nailed into place. Finish as appropriate and add a door to complete.
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