We have not noticed any changes in our bills so far. We never had insulation before, hence the outcome. Only drawback is that you can hear a lot of noise from below or above if people are noisy, but our whole house is like that so it does not bother us at all. The space is not noisy though as the vinyl and the wood are not hard like ceramic tile or a hard ceiling would be. The space also does not get crazy cold as there is a furnace in the adjoining room and it has a louvered door on it.

Thanks, that's good to know. Our basement ceiling isn't insulated, and sometimes the wood floors upstairs can be chilly - especially this winter! We have dropped ceilings in our basement, and they are barely at 8 feet, so your solution seems an appealing and budget-friendly way to visually expand the space. Your beautiful space has certainly inspired us to give it a try.

what is the flooring in the basement?

what color is it? I'm having a hard time finding it. Thanks!

@smlambe it is Shaw Quiet Walk color: Urban Ash. Do read the requirements for humidity levels, we run a dehumidifier, just FYI, good luck!