I'm working on planning out a project that's a bit over my head, so I'd love any and all feedback the community has to offer.
I live in a house built in 1919. At some point (guessing 60s?), the basement was semi-finished. Part of the basement was framed out and drywalled, with wood paneling over the drywall. There are also baseboard steam radiators, consistent with the rest of the house. The wood paneling has since been painted white.
A few years back, during a wet spring, water came in through the east wall (the one with the window in the pictures), damaging the drywall that was there. The prior owners tore out the wall and left the cinderblock bare. Since buying the place, we've been working with exterior landscaping and gutter repair to fix basement water issues in other places, with good results. We haven't seen any moisture in this area, but we have built up a better exterior grade than existed when we bought.
My plan for this space is:
-Take the paneling off the drywall
-Tear out the ceiling and entertainment center
-Drylok the cinderblock
-Fur out the east and south walls (window and entertainment center in the pictures) with 2x2 furring strips
-Install a reclaimed wood half-wall (along the lines of this:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/12/b7/bb/12b7bba934853f008861eee797cb2223.jpgIf anyone has any experience with prepping reclaimed wood, I'd love to hear it. This wood came from a dock, so may have some growth. I was thinking a light power-washing? My mother is convinced that nothing but scrubbing with bleach will do, but she tends to be overzealous about stuff like this.
Also, I'm debating insulation behind the wood. On one hand, couldn't hurt, right? On the other, what's the point if the cinderblock above the wall isn't insulated, and the other 75% of the basement isn't, either? Or maybe the point is that, if we ever did finish more of the basement, we wouldn't need to take down the wood wall?