When the electricans wire the place, they will probably run a rats nest of wires under the floor. Pretty costs a lot more. It will be something you want to cover up.

Consider a dropped ceiling, if you have the headroom.

I was hoping to have a basement that will resemble the one featured in this link which has an open commercial feel and poured walls, polished concrete floors, nice hvac ducts.

Here is a link that might be useful: basement photo

You can't insulate the walls without covering up the concrete so you need to make up your mind what you want the space to look like. I agree that the idea of the joists being clean and attractive is unrealistic. Of course, it's possible to put polystyrene foam board insulation on the outside of the foundation wall, perhaps even up to the sill plate if you are willing to finish the exposed surface of it. This is the standard approach where I live.

"I agree that the idea of the joists being clean and attractive is unrealistic".

I wouldn't say that. It depends on if the various trades people doing it are capable of laying out and doing good clean work taking into consideration cosmetics over just functioning well,(which is the most important aspect). As Creekside mentions, it will cost big for that to be pulled off.

A major factor in the neatness of the wiring and heating work is the nature of the engineered joists ( LVL's, trusses, I-joist, etc.).

how did they get the look of the basement ceiling in the attached photo? If I could achieve this look in the main room and run the electric in the other room where I could put a drop ceiling in to hide things.

MACV, I am a little confused with whether you are saying that engineered joists are better for neatness or worse?

Can't you meet your insulation requirements with rigid foam on the outside of your poured walls?

You should have insulation on one side of the foundation wall or the other. If you haven't backfilled, put foam board on the exterior. However, you'll only be able to insulate as high as your grade, and you'll be left with a significant heat drain at the exposed parts of foundatoin.
If you already covered the exterior of the walls and backfilled, then your easiest solution is to put xps (extruded polystyrene) insulation board against the interior. From my research, you can glue it directly to the walls. You'll have to frame a wall against that (you can't leave just the foam board due to fire regulations). If you didn't insulate the exterior, you can't have the concrete look inside and be insulated. In Virginia, I think you'd want to be insulated at least to an R-5 (1" of XPS board). I'd go for at least R-10.
I just ordered mine today, and there was a very wide range of prices. The box stores actually did best if you get them to bid the job through their contractor sales or commercial sales department (if the order is large enough). I got 1" board for less than half the regular price in the store.

insulating the exterior is still something we can do but how do you cover the above grade sides, the house will have a brick exterior.

If the brick extend down to grade, you can put the foam board insulation in the cavity. What kind of sheathing are you using?

The term "engineered joists" covers a lot of different kinds of framing. Some are easier to put utilities through. It's pointless to discuss all of them if you have already picked one.

If you are willing to run exposed ducts through the space a major issue will have been resolved.

Keep in mind that concrete walls and floors will be cool even if they are insulated and the humidity level of the space will have to be carefully controlled. Frankly, I wouldn't want to live with the smell of concrete regardless of how well the space was designed and would prefer to spend my time and money above ground.

First, unless your local authority requires it, I know of no code requiring insulation for basement ceiling joists (or 1st floor joists). I live in an area of winter lows between -20 & -30 and there was no such requirement at a 2008 completion date; and NY bases their code on the IRC.

Now for the Tubb residence. Birmingham's coldest average temps are highs of 53-56 deg with lows of 32-35 deg. They may not have been required to insulate. And it looks like only the back wall was kept unfinished. The side walls are clearly finished and may have insulation behind them. Also, the basement picture does not clearly show the type of ceiling joists used (wood I-joist, open web wood truss, or open web metal truss??).

As previously noted, the look you want can certainly be attained for a higher cost. Electrical wiring would need to be in conduit and you might have to use copper for plumbing as I don't know if PEX can be painted. While not conventional in residential construction, you might want to price out metal web trusses for your ceiling/1st floor. Metal trusses will likely be more costly and residential builders may charge more to install them.

The Richmond area is only slightly colder than Birmingham, and it gets colder as you move west, but insulating the exterior is probably the way to go for your look. Your builder or brick mason can advise you on running rigid insulation above grade. You can also look into what is called the exterior insulated finish system (EIFS). You would run your rigid insulation to the top of your concrete wall and finish it with an approved exterior coating. Not brick but something that can easily be colored to coordinate with the brick. But this is another unconventional product for residential construction and may again cost more to install.

Like all things it comes down to how deep your pockets are. Good luck...

"First, unless your local authority requires it, I know of no code requiring insulation for basement ceiling joists (or 1st floor joists). I live in an area of winter lows between -20 & -30 and there was no such requirement at a 2008 completion date; and NY bases their code on the IRC. "

Chapter 11 of the IRC from the 2000 through 2009 versions all have required basements to be insulated....even in New York state for 2008 builds.

See the link below.

The International Energy Conservation Code (adopted in most US states) also requires it.

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Basements is nearly all US locations are required to be insulated either in the ceiling or foundation walls.

How much insulation is determined by where you live, what type insulation you will use, where the insulation will be located, whether or not your basement walls are considered below grade or above grade, and from what materials the basement walls will be constructed.

For most locations, newly constructed basements either need to be insulated in the ceiling of the basement using a minimum of R-30 or on walls using R-13 cavity insulation (batt) or R-10 of continuous (rigid foam).

As mentioned, the best insulation is rigid foam located on the outside of the foundation.

But rigid foam cannot be used in regions of high termite infestation and must be parged with mortar when installed on the outside above grade.

Rigid foam used on the interior of the basement walls can also work, but as mentioned, it must be thermally isolated from the habitable space to prevent ignition in a fire.

This can be done by framing walls in front of foam applied to the masonry foundation...then installing wallboard to themally isolate it...or by installing faom insulation like Thermax which has a foil coating which can be considered a thermal barrier.

Bottom line is that insulation for Virginia and most places in the US is mandatory in new home construction.

The only question is where the insulation and how much is required to be installed.

Here is a link that might be useful: New York State Building Code

Yes,Chapter 11 of my copy of the Residential Code of NY State requires all conditioned spaces to be insulated. But only the perimeter of conditioned spaces. My statement was based on OP's comments indicating the basement is or would be living space. Living space all but guarantees use of heating and/or cooling which requires the basement walls to be insulated through exterior or interior means. Hence, no insulation required in the ceiling joists.

As for termites, check with local authorities but any rigid foam in contact with the ground should be treated with a borate compound for pest resistance.

"My statement was based on the OP's comments indicating the basement is or would be living space."

Ahhh. I understand now.

The way it was written seemed to indicate that the ceiling of a basement could never be part of the thermal envelope or that NY Code did not require basement insulation... ever.

Don't forget that the OP's currently issued building permit does not allow for this space to be finished or made habitable.

An amended permit application will need to be filed before she can 'finish' this basement showing, among other things, how it will meet Code for energy purposes.

Thank you for all the great information. It would seem that I should abandon the concrete wall look and insulate the interior walls. I spoke with the GC and he said that he was planning on just fir strips on the walls and then batt insulation. I have read that when this is eventually covered with dry wall, mold can develop in the future.

What is the best way to handle the walls. I have been reading up on this and am a bit confused. It would seem the wall board is better? The exterior of the walls will have a Tuff and Dri water proofing system applied.

You should still consider adding rigid foam to the exterior of the foundation.

Your region requires 2" (R-10) of rigid foam for basement insulation.

If you plan to install batt insulation, it is required to be R-13 insulation and will need to be installed into framed walls...not between furring strips.

Rigid foam on the exterior will be more apt to keep the foundation walls on the inside above the dew point and the interior of the foundation drier further reducing the risk of condensation.

Rigid foam on the exterior must extend from the sill plate to the top of the footings.

Exposed areas of foam on the exterior above grade must be covered with mortar or some other type of opaque material to keep the foam from degrading in UV light.

But rigid foam on the exterior is still the best method in my opinion.

Manhattan,

I have run into a situation where one side of my concrete foundation requires exterior insulation above grade. The only installation assembly I have found is a photo from Oak Ridge Labs. 2x strips are attached to the foundation with a 1" layer of rigid foam placed vertically between the framework. A second layer of 1" foam board is then attached horizonatally over the framework. Wire lathing is then attached and a stucco finish is applied. I trust Oak Ridge but I wondered if you knew of an alternate installation system?

One caveat -- the exterior insulation will extend below grade where I anticipate difficulties with digging out sufficient space for mechanically fastening the 2x strips to the foundation.

[Apologies to fabbyone for diverting your thread]