basement finishing

Hello Tony -

Thanks for creating a great information resource for home DIYers. I am in the midst of framing a room in my basement. I live in Denver, and have heard on a couple of occasions that floating walls are code around these parts. So, my home was built in the 1960s, and to my knowledge the basement was finished at that time (with a few different interior walls here and there - non load bearing). None of the walls in the basement (exterior or interior) appear to be floating. There are also steel support pylons in a few different places around the basement (nothing appears to have moved or shifted...ever).

I am favor of doing things correctly and per code, but in this particular application I am attaching a few built-ins to said interior basement wall and it will make it decidedly more complex to make the whole structure float. The house is completely solid and has not experienced any heaving issues since it was built. I have a feeling the answer is to "float" the wall....always float the wall. But since the house has not had any issues...should I really be concerned? Thanks.

Tony,

Many thanks for the quick response. I spoke with a neighbor of mine who finished his basement a few years back, sans floating walls, and he has not experienced any issues. I appreciate the information - it definitely helps with the process moving forward. I will likely be referencing your site for future queries on my basement-finishing foray.