Spray insulation = no mold.

www.icynene.com/en-us

Steam heat is wonderful, I envy you.

Thanks for the quick responses.... so would it be advised to leave the pipes open like in this photo? we could save some money on the ceiling, have more headroom, and then not have to install alternative heating.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/basement-remodel-transitional-basement-detroit-phvw-vp~85552639

i will ask the contractor to do spray foam - maybe thats where we could put any cost savings on the heat side.

any other basement tips are appreciated! i've read some things about water resistant drywall and baseboards?

The thought of covering up the steam pipes and then spending money on installing and running an electric heater seems counter intuitive to me. You could cover the pipes and add a small radiator. I am not sure how well the radiator would work since the steam pipe is above the radiator. Perhaps you could leave some piping exposed and paint it so it blends in with the ceiling. Another idea is to box in the piping and cover it with a decorative metal mesh to allow heat flow.

Any idea how thick are the foundation walls? Are they cold to the touch? Steam produces a high humidity and you can get condensation if the walls are cold. Spray foam might be overkill if the foundation walls are a foot thick.

thanks mike! i think that's what we'll do as i agree it seems counterproductive and i've seen some photos on here where the painting of the pipes looks great.

i think the foundation walls are reasonably thick - its a field stone foundation. i do not believe they are cold to the touch b/c the space is so warm usually given the pipes give off a lot of heat. i'm not home right now or i'd check.

so would you just go for the regular batt insulation if spray is overkill or nothing?

We recently debated installing fiberglass insulation in a finished basement in another posting. After reading some of the postings, I am not sure what is the right thing to do in every situation.

Part of my basement is finished with fiberglass batts in the walls. There is at least a 2 inch gap between the cinder block wall and the fiberglass. But my house has forced hot air heating where is basement is at 35-40% humidity in the winter. Your humidity is likely to be higher and your winters are colder than what I experience in central NJ.

Maybe the right thing to do is no insulation. There is heat loss through the foundation, but it is much less than an exterior wall that is above ground. If the basement is comfortable in the winter then I question how much energy can be saved by insulating field stone foundation?

Check out InSoFast insulating panels. They lock together, have studs to screw drywall to, chases for wires. No problem with dampness; good solution for a basement. I saw them used on This Old House a while back.

thanks tatts! i had read a bit about those. one thing i wasnt clear on is if they can be used on a fieldstone foundation if the wall is uneven and therefore the panel can't be fully flush?

I am wondering why you can’t install radiators in the basement just like in the rest of the house. There are many aprtment bldgs with steam heat and the ceilings are not open . Maybe I am missing something in my understanding of steam heat. There are Many quite attractive radiators

Thanks Patricia. We potentially could as i believe our system has excess capacity - although someone above noted there could be an issue with the piping moving downward/level vs. up? I'm not an expert so dont know if that would be an issue with steam not traveling up.

However, after viewing several nice photos where the ceiling has been left open and painted, I think I may even prefer that option as should make the ceiling feel higher.