Hello.

I have framed my whole basement for finishing. Went to get my building permit and found out that the base plates needed to be treated wood, which they aren't.

Is there a way to remove the base plates that already have the studs toe-nailed in without tearing down all of the framing?

Thanks.

First thing is to check into this a little further. If the house is old (like, older than the code department) then something like this should be grandfathered in. To be factual, while it is good construction to have PT sills or a liner or both, if your non-treated sills have been there for 50 years already then you can tell the code department to essentially pound sand. You will just have to push a little.

Beyond that: Other methods of 'legal' sills are to have a foam pad or metal flashing that isolates the wood from the masonry part of the foundation. If the plate is held in with foundation bolts, then it is possible to slightly jack the plate after loosening the bolts and slip some flashing in there. Still a big job though and something best done by a pro with the right equipment.

It really boils down to the circumstances that existed when the house was built. If it was built without permits when it was supposed to have them, then you are screwed and are paying the price. However, as I said above, there are many 'old' practices that are no longer used or allowed. That doesn't mean that everything that wasn't built to current code needs to be ripped out and replaced. Most code inspectors are pretty cool, but sometimes they get too caught up in the rules and regs that they forget what makes sense. I've found this to be especially true for a new inspector.

Go higher up the code department food chain until you get the right answer.

Well, the house was built in 2005 and we are the second owner. I have a call into the developer/builder to see if it has a vapor barrier (?) underneath, which is what the person giving the permit said would be required to not have treated wood base plates.
He said, beyond that, that the only other option was to take up what we just put down and replace it with treated wood.
Are you saying that if it doesn't have a vapor barrier, I should call and ask to speak to his supervisor about it -- or am I pretty screwed.
If I do have to replace the plates, is that even possible without removing all of the studs and top plates too?

It sounds as if you have done this recently and I doubt that the grandfather clause will help. That being said how did to attach the base plate to the floor. Helti, wedge bolts, tapcons. May I introduce you to my friend. "Sawzall". You can cut through almost every fastner that you used, remove the non treated base and insert the PT base. Reattach the base to the floor and the studs to the base. The studs should stay in place "hanging" if attached to the top plate while you pull the old plate out.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: redoverfarm,

We used a hilti gun.
Sawzall? That sounds like what I'm looking for
So it's not a complete redo!

Agree with red, a sawzall will be your best friend here.

OK, I need to back up a little. I misread what you had done and thought you were talking about the sill on the main house framing - my bad. Treat my first post as the garbage advice that it is.

Nope, no grandfathering for this. Even with a seal under the bottom plate, you need PT lumber here: It's below grade and on concrete. So, the fix is still a bit of a pain but workable.

Remove your Hilti fasteners and cut between the top of the sill and the bottom of each stud - use a Sawzall with a metal cutting blade. Slide out the non-treated sill and replace with a PT sill. Toenail the studs back into the new sill, fasten it back down to the concrete and you are done.

Thanks guys.
Very helpful

Metal cutting blade would be good option for you go for it.
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