How to Insulate My Basement

I did some reading on insulating the basement.  The readings were somewhat contradictory.  Some recommend that you use a rigid foam board against the walls, some recommend that you paint the walls with a sealant.  There were some things that I read that suggested different ways to do the vapor barrier.  The thing that I did pick up on was that everyone was writing from their perspective in their area.  I recognized that this was a pretty important distinction.  So after reading all these different articles, I did what one recommended: find out what is done in your area or what is required by calling the zoning people in your town.  I live in Dublin, OH.   We have four seasons and our winters are usually mild, but it's cold.  We get plenty of rain so water in the ground is clearly an issue and our basements do tend to get wet pretty easily especially if you don't have a good sump pump or a well designed basement or your landscaping is an issue.  Also my house is only 6 years old, so everything is up to code in the basement.  I'm guessing all this means that I have so much less to worry about than someone in a house that was built 20-50 years ago and that lives in a harsh climate.  So the advise stands: call building inspectors or contractors in your area for advice.  The building inspector in Dublin was very helpful and the city has a website that apparently contains everything I need to know, but he was very happy to talk to me on the phone and answer my questions.  The most useful information about insulation and vapor barriers that seemed relevant to me were:

1. 1" air space between the wall and the studs
2. pressure treated bottom plate
3. insulation with R-11 minimum and vapor retardant between the studs and the drywall 

I think my plan is to use R-13 for extra insulation if it doesn't cost too much more.  I also plan on using a pressure treated bottom plate with a second bottom plate to ease in the construction on the floor prior to raising.

Other links I enjoyed reading:

• http://www.homeconstructionimprovement.com/vapor-barriers-for-basement-insulation/
• http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/basements/msg0815391420723.html
• http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-106-understanding-vapor-barriers/view 

Introduction to Finishing My Basement

Not sure how this is going to work, but I'd like to keep a history somewhere of all the videos and links that I'm using while trying to understand how to do my basement.  Maybe it will help some other non-construction type who is trying to do this on their own.

Starting out is really simple.  I'm just reading as much as I can about how to finish a basement and I'm thinking about the design.

Here's a simple video that gives me a visual on how to frame and the tools used.

From other things I've read, I need to also consider the electrical and vapor barrier, but I like the visual on how to build on the floor and then lift the frame up.