advice on keeping cellar dry

[drjpeterman]

Hi there,

Converting my cellar into a kids playroom. Cellar is dry already, just get a tiny bit of damp at the bottom of the walls when it rains excessively.

For the brick walls I am going to use a DPM, then Celotex, then plasterboard. For the concrete floor I just want to put down some laminate, so was going to use some kind of plastic sheeting, then insulation, then laminate. Just a few questions, any advice would be most appreciated.

Does the DPM need to go all the way to the top of the walls?

Do I need a gap between DPM and Celotex? Do I need a gap between Celotex and plasterboard?

What should I put on the floor first, i.e. DPM, vapour barrier, etc?

Thanks so much for any help....

 

[peaps2]

you shouldn't seal the walls of the cellar

 

[jeds]

Don't put a membrane on the cold side of the insulation - i.e. against the wall. Providing it's not very damp you would get away with a membrane on the warm side - i.e. between the insulation and the plasterboard.