Looks to me the original plaster never squeezed between the lathe. That would probably do it! It sure would make it easy to tear it all off if OP had to.

Self leveling underlayment/cement. It's neat stuff! Very messy and expensive though

Does the sound correspond to the weather (especially wind)?

Have you tried calling the owner of the apartment? Something similar happened to my friend and 3 weeks later they discovered that the tenants abandoned their pet cat.

You can get in a bucket or a box normal sold in a couple gallons. Drywall mud not spackle. https://www.acehardware.com/departments/paint-and-supplies/patch-and-repair/joint-compound/12922

I didn't know sill gasket was a thing! I just built a wall in my basement and I used PT for the sill, and shimmed it off the floor cause I do get leaks sometimes.

Yes. Brick is very easy to grind away with a grinder.

Can you say a little more about the product to use for the final coat?

They go bad

So... What do we do in wildly temperate climates?

My city website building department links to the code online.

Nah rock lath was attached to framing, it wouldn't have the wood lath.

Is this on exterior wall or remotely under a bathroom/kitchen in the house.? Does it leak when it rains or when somebody flushes a toilet? Runs dishwasher? Showers?

Delaminating paint/plaster/sheetrock is a sign that significant moisture is absorbed into its composition. And continually being exposed to it a steady pace. It’s may not be enough to precipitate out to significantly form a wet spot or puddle. Much like a leaking washer on a shower cartridge, a shifted tub shoe or an old copper/CI drain connection that has a slow leak on certain occasions. Either way, the only way to fix this issue is address the source of the leak first. Cut out a square in the ceiling twice the size of the damage. Leave it open to dry, and Liberally spray either dilute benzyl alcohol/water or dilute bleach/water. That will disinfect and aid in the evaporation of water. Replace with appropriate thickness sheet rock

You can use joint compound over thinset to restore a smooth surface, no problem. How I've fixed a problem like that is by loading a 12" plastic taping knife with joint compound, and spread a very thin coat over the thinset. I then let it dry, hit it with some drywall sandpaper to get rid of the ridges, then repeated with another coat that I smoothed with a drywall sponge. I recommend a couple coats of PVA primer on the fix prior to paint, just to ensure the paint gets a consistent bite (and you can see any spot repairs you need to do).

I finished half my basement a year ago, I also live in new England. I bought 5 gallons of drylok first and put two coats on the wall and floor. Then put 2in foam boards against the wall and use tape in between each foam board. I framed right that right after. I just had to be mindful of leaving enough space for plumbers to access any drain pipes, so I had to make an adjustment on one corner. I've had no issues with water at all since completing it and it stays pretty warm in the winter even without the baseboards on.

My stupid brain read

>It also has a corrugated black face that still allows the concrete to breathe.

["Wait, brain. That doesn't make sense. Read it again..."]

I disagree.

I may be wrong, but it seems like he’s confused about how a gfci works and is only checking for moisture at the outlet itself. He also hasn’t mentioned trying any other load besides the one set of lights.

So OP, if you’re reading here, unless more than one set of Christmas lights causes this trip, you probably have moisture getting into your lights somewhere. Could be the female side of the lights, could be a loose or broken bulb.

If a few different loads all trip it, then definitely change the outlet.

This won't stop the mold from growing on the concrete though...

Warm side of the insulation is what the ABAA typically says.

That being said, we do a lot of vapor permeable on exterior sheathing prior to facade installation in colder climates. It really depends on where your dew point lands in your wall assembly. Which is way above my pay grade.

If you're within city limits, the city is the Authority Having Jurisdiction. If you're not within the city limits, the county is the Authority Having Jurisdiction.

If you live with a city that doesn't do zoning or permitting, they will direct you to the county.

From his imagination to the land of make believe!

Trying to choose the proper PEX-b sizing. Had a leak in my copper tube, cut that off and placed a shutoff valve. Now I'm trying to rebuild downstream.

My copper tubing is 1/2" (OD=5/8"), and it would be feeding to my toilet.

Should I maintain the ID of the connection, or use same size?

I'll take other thoughts and suggestions. Thank you.

I'm not an expert, but a house that age I'd consider an asbestos test before I started ripping things apart

I'm in Canada, not Alabama, but I would say that yes, you should use a vapour barrier. A properly sealed vapour barrier will prevent drafts from getting into the house. Remember to install it on the warm side of the wall to prevent condensation inside the wall cavity.

The answers you've gotten are not "wrong", but they may not be right either. If you research code throughout the country you'll find that it varies significantly by region. Two areas that specifically can and will vary (there may be more); the requirement to build a floating wall in basements, and insulation.

No walls that you erect in a basement will be load bearing, but if your home and area are subject to soil settling or heaving, you'll want to make sure they don't become load bearing by being pushed up into the joists. That's what floating walls are designed to prevent.

Insulation is different depending on to climate zone and local code. The one thing that a few folks pointed out is to make sure you don't put 2 vapor barriers in (accidentally or on purpose) as this will trap moisture and cause mold.

You didn't say where you live (or I missed it if you did) but if your basement came with an insulation blanket already on the wall, you can actually frame up to that. If it didn't, how cold it gets will determine how much insulation and what kind of framing you want to use.