Cost effective way of dividing up basement access for duplex

[Jay Chung]

Is there an easy way to divide the basement up? Each side of the duplex has access to the basement but below everything is connected together and I want to make sure no side has access to each other. The way I can imagine is perhaps putting up additional cinder blocks but that sounds expensive. I can put a wood panels but I don't 'know how long that would last.  I am at this point looking an easy/smart way to put something in between. The gap opening is roughly a 11 ft and 6 ft high. Thank you.

[Alecia Loveless]

@Jay Chung If the mechanicals for the duplex are in the basement it may be better not to give the tenants access. For insurance you often have to have a certain amount of access to get to furnaces, hot water heaters, and electrical panels.

In my basements tenants have access to they totally disregard the access required and block the pathways needed for access.

In one building the tenants accumulated so much junk over the course of their tenancy that I was forced to get a 40’ roll off dumpster to get it emptied for a sale. And the tenants still lived there, they had just been putting old mattresses, broken furniture, and crud there for years. They then refused to accept responsibility for it.

I just think basement access is generally a bad idea.

But my solution in your case would be to frame out a dividing wall of 2x4s and either drywall or if the basement is prone to taking on water then I’d look for something waterproof as opposed to the drywall. There’s a rigid plastic type material that’s used in dairies and on farms that I’ve seen used.