New Basement

[Uturn]

I'm from N. TX, so the sum of my basement experience is seeing them on TV.  I recently rented a house in Raleigh NC that has a basement.  It is unfinished, but it was obviously finished before.  All the drywall is gone and about half the insulation.  The insulation in the ceiling is still there, but sagging.  I would like to use the basement as a woodshop.  It's a walkout and the back wall has 3 windows.  Windows means I can put in AC. 

My first question is, why would someone un-finish a basement?  My mind goes to excess moisture, but I see no mold.  How do I figure out if it does have excess moisture? 

To keep the insulation from falling down, can I just a roll of brown paper and staple it to the ceiling?  I don't want to put money into someone else's house, but I can spring for a roll of paper.

[CowboyAndIndian]

Many reasons for removing drywall/insulation in a basement

• Probably a plumbing disaster either in the basement or on a floor above caused a basement flood.
• Does it have a sump pump? Do you see any water in it and does it run? Could be the pump failed and caused a basement flood.
• Maybe the basement was illegal (no permits, shoddy work) and to get COA, it had to be removed.

If the water was cleared out immediately (with a liberal application of bleach) and a low humidity maintained after, there may not be any mold. Your landlord should be able to tell you why this was done.

Basements are inherently humid, so make sure you run a dehumidifier if the window ac is not running.

Ask the landlord to fix the insulation. There are better ways than stapled brown paper to keep it in place. Something like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-16-in-Insulation-Support-100-Qty-IS16-R100/100375163

[Uturn]

Thanks CowboyAndIndian. 

anyone else? 

[Sibley]

I would guess that it did get wet for some reason and had to be ripped out. I don't generally agree with finishing basements (at least without planning for them to get wet at some point) for that reason.

[socaso]

They might've wanted to redo the basement and then lost steam on the project or realized it was going to cost more than they wanted to spend. As far as moisture is concerned, ask the landlord if that is why the drywall was ripped out. They should know what is going on with their property.