unfinished basement

[mf915]

Hi. My basement is unfinished, concrete with furnace/gas boiler located in a corner. THere are 4 small windows on two sides of the basement. One of these windows is where the furnace/boiler are.

Questions:
1) is it safe to turn this basement into a living room ? I am worried about the furnace generating CO/CO2, etc. Would building a room around the furnace/boiler be an option ? I read from somewhere that furnace needs air and it's not a good idea to have it enclosed in a small room. Is it true ?

2) If It's safe to turn it into a living room. I will need to put 2x4 frames for drywalls. I am not comfortable drilling concrete. Can I use adhesive to attach frames to concrete ? If so, what kind ?

Thanks in advance. I am sure I'll have a lot more questions later on.

[not2skilled]

I just started framing out the basement. I have the same exact scenario as you. I did enclose the boiler room and replaced the window in there with a slider window from home depot that has a full screen. you can leave that slightly open to get air in. Also what you can do is put a dryer vent on the outside of the house and run the tube into the boiler room for extra ventilation. Check the code in your town for the door. Here in NY the door has to be a self closing 36" 1 hour fire rated door. For ther walls, I used metal tracking and shot them into the ground with the single shot gun.(around 72 bucks at home depot) some people recommend putting a pressure treated sill plate on the bottom but it is not necessary. the bottom molding can be attached to the metal track with no problems.

[Blizzard]

The thing to remember about building a room around your furnace is that you don't limit the combustion air. Most areas require you to have a grill in the wall that is equal to 1 square inch per 1000 BTU/Hr and at least 100 square inches in size. If what you have is really considered a "boiler" there are usually minimum room sizes related to the boiler volume as well. The codes department in you area could tell you the requirements.

Also, make sure you leave enough room to work on the furnace and a door large enough to replace it when the time comes. You can by a CO detector as well if that helps give you piece of mind.

Also, I have seen some DIY shows where they use liquid nails to attach the 2x4 walls to the concrete. But you might be able to rent a Hilti gun locally and it will be quicker and easier. Make sure that you use pressure treated lumber for any wood that directly contacts concrete.