*** FINISHED BASEMENT - its over... ***

[-GoBengals-]

Finally got started on the basement, its going to be a LONG process, I cant really afford anything, so using my Chase debit card rewards before they cancelled that program I had made just over a grand in lowes gift cards, and another $300 in gift cards for holidays for lowes...so with my two days a week off, one is for football and family time and the other is for basement finishing, so my dad and I spent 1 day a week, between 11-4:30 working on it, thats the only time i am down to just one son to watch, and have the free time. once my oldest gets home, work time is over, and in the morning i get the oldest ready and on the bus and then get the youngest up, fed, ready and plan for working on the basement.

in 4 days, we have bought all of the lumber, planned the rooms and got all of our pressure treated wood on the floor for the "floating walls" (aka huge pain in the ass).


in the end it will add:

1. A 13 x 14" Den/Office w/ 4' French door entrance(decided it was more useful than a 5th bedroom)
2. a 17' x 15' Theater room with in wall 7.1 surround sound.
3. a 4th bathoom ( will be a 8 x 6' storage room until I convert to a bathroom down the road)
4. an 8 x 2.5' sliding door storage closet(for kids games, toys, etc)

and we still have a 22 x 8' unfinished portion for storage as well as under the steps for storage.


Here are some pictures of the place so far..


[attachment=926:IMAG0243 Resized.jpg]

[attachment=927:IMAG0244 Resized.jpg]

[attachment=928:IMAG0245 Resized.jpg]

[attachment=929:IMAG0246 Resized.jpg]

[attachment=930:IMAG0247 Resized.jpg]

[attachment=931:IMAG0248 Resized.jpg]

[attachment=932:IMAG0249 Resized.jpg]

I will post pics as we move further along... probably 4-6 weeks away from drywall, the wiring might take the most time... 22 outlets/switches and 12 can lights to add... plus speakers and HDMI in wall cables, etc... i basically run out of money after drywall... hopefully just in time for tax returns....

[BengalBacker]

That will be great when it's finished. Wish I had a basement, my parent's house had one when I was growing up. Of course my wife would just fill it with junk, so I'm probably better off without one.

[Rumble In the Jungle]

My favorite hangout is the basement. Always feels nice down there. Funny thing is I noticed us Ohio-ens like basements cause people outside Ohio don't like them that much.

[Bengals1181]

nice. I may be picturing it in my head wrong, but looking at that last picture you'll have some pretty narrow hallways, no? At least that back one.

[TheBeaverHunter]

I am finishing mine up right now. Carpet guy is there today. It has been two years in the making. If you have any questions let me know, I have pretty much ran into everything. Use sketch-up to design if you want a visual, it really helps with the details and it's nice to see everything in 3-D. I did my HT room in 7.1 too, with upgrade to 11.3. My receiver shipped today. Here are some tips off the top of my head....

1. It looks like you will be using wood. CROWN YOUR 2x4's. I have seen people not and their walls are wavy as hell. Also, it will be a bear to hang drywall.
2. Run additional CAT 6 cable to your TVs \ media devices for future proofing. I ran all my cables in PVC piping with pull strings so if technology changes all you have to do is pull a new cable.
3. I don't know if your bottom plates are down or you just have it laid out, but it's much easier to build the wall on the floor and stand it up. Invest in a framing gun. Framing was the easiest part of the build.
4. If you are doing your wiring, plan your lighting path way (which switches lights will you first turn on) Also, think of what you will wire with, I did all 12 gauge and would recommend you do the same.
5. Use as big of sheets of drywall as you can. I used 12', 8' sheets would have taken a lot more time and material.

Doing it yourself will save you TONS of MONEY. The bids I got were $45-$65 a sq ft finished. It takes forever and it's a lot of work, but it is worth it. It's gratifying seeing and knowing that you built that.

As you can see Sketch-up from Google is bad ass and it can make you think of things you never would have just in your head.

[img]http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=206162&d=1300753405[/img]

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='TheBeaverHunter' timestamp='1323879574' post='1074986']


Doing it yourself will save you TONS of MONEY. The bids I got were $45-$65 a sq ft finished. It takes forever and it's a lot of work, but it is worth it. It's gratifying seeing and knowing that you built that.

[/quote]

at the same time, I can see all the little mistakes that other people don't.

[Jamie_B]

My Dad and I did this project as well a few years ago after I had bought my house. We did it on the weekends for most of the day, took a few months to get done. Did everything except the electric/plumming/ and carpets.

Next house I buy I'm getting the basement finished.

[TheBeaverHunter]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1323880307' post='1074988']

at the same time, I can see all the little mistakes that other people don't.
[/quote]

True. At first it would drive me nuts, knowing that 'it' was an 1/8 inch off. Now I'm like, if they are looking at it that close, then they can kiss my ass.

[mullichicken25]

[quote name='TheBeaverHunter' timestamp='1323879574' post='1074986']
4. If you are doing your wiring, plan your lighting path way (which switches lights will you first turn on) Also, think of what you will wire with, [b]I did all 12 gauge and would recommend you do the same[/b].
[/quote]

why is that?

just curious

[TheBeaverHunter]

I like running all 20 amp circuits for future use. With 14 gauge you can only do 15. Some people will still run their lights out of 14, but I prefer doing everything in 12, since you're wiring fresh. The rule of thumb is 80% max of circuit, so you get 1920 vs 1440 max usage. Plus it's a heavier wire which isn't a bad thing when dealing with electric.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1323876974' post='1074977']
nice. I may be picturing it in my head wrong, but looking at that last picture you'll have some pretty narrow hallways, no? At least that back one.
[/quote]
all are at least 3.5 feet wide, so not the widest, but easy enough to get furniture in and out..

@ thebeav, I have used sketchup a bit, i dont love it but i did up some seperate rooms with it for visual, i remember you posting your mock up a while back and i started using it back then..

@backer, yea, i like it finished so we dont just start stacking shit down there in a corner and then end up with a junk yard like basement... specific closets for storage i think will help. I have a few friends who are "minimalists" so keeping in touch with them keeps me on my toes with getting rid of things i dont feel i "need" but i keep it within reason pretty well i think..

I "stumbled across" some 12 gauge electric wire.... funny what you stumble across in a neighborhood under construction for 3 years straight...I always like to do things on the high side just in case, sounds like we hav the same thought process there... i knew it wasnt necessary, but with potential for photo studio stuff, professional printing equipment, etc filing up rooms i just wanted to be on the high end of everything, just in case..

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Jamie_B' timestamp='1323881559' post='1074991']
My Dad and I did this project as well a few years ago after I had bought my house. We did it on the weekends for most of the day, took a few months to get done. Did everything except the electric/plumming/ and carpets.

Next house I buy I'm getting the basement finished.
[/quote]

It was $15,000 through the builder to finish it. and probably $10k from someone else...

I will be around $3500 when i am done, $1300 of which was "free money" so $2200 out of pocket..... i will do it myself every time for $8000+ savings...

but it is a handful of work...

kind of fun work... at least for now...

working on it today, i will post pics if we accomplish much... only going to have about 3-4 hours total today though...

[esjbh2]

[quote name='TheBeaverHunter' timestamp='1323888709' post='1075026']
I like running all 20 amp circuits for future use. With 14 gauge you can only do 15. Some people will still run their lights out of 14, but I prefer doing everything in 12, since you're wiring fresh. The rule of thumb is 80% max of circuit, so you get 1920 vs 1440 max usage. Plus it's a heavier wire which isn't a bad thing when dealing with electric.
[/quote]
Completely agree. It's better from a safety standpoint as well. Not that it would get to it due to design/safety factors and such, but I don't want the weakest link to be INSIDE walls, etc. Oversize the wire, leave your options open. Outlets are bit more expensive, but you don't want to use the crappy bulk ones anyway.

[esjbh2]

[quote name='TheBeaverHunter' timestamp='1323879574' post='1074986']
I am finishing mine up right now. Carpet guy is there today. It has been two years in the making. If you have any questions let me know, I have pretty much ran into everything. Use sketch-up to design if you want a visual, it really helps with the details and it's nice to see everything in 3-D. I did my HT room in 7.1 too, with upgrade to 11.3. My receiver shipped today. Here are some tips off the top of my head....

1. It looks like you will be using wood. CROWN YOUR 2x4's. I have seen people not and their walls are wavy as hell. Also, it will be a bear to hang drywall.
2. Run additional CAT 6 cable to your TVs \ media devices for future proofing. I ran all my cables in PVC piping with pull strings so if technology changes all you have to do is pull a new cable.
3. I don't know if your bottom plates are down or you just have it laid out, but it's much easier to build the wall on the floor and stand it up. Invest in a framing gun. Framing was the easiest part of the build.
4. If you are doing your wiring, plan your lighting path way (which switches lights will you first turn on) Also, think of what you will wire with, I did all 12 gauge and would recommend you do the same.
5. Use as big of sheets of drywall as you can. I used 12', 8' sheets would have taken a lot more time and material.

Doing it yourself will save you TONS of MONEY. The bids I got were $45-$65 a sq ft finished. It takes forever and it's a lot of work, but it is worth it. It's gratifying seeing and knowing that you built that.

As you can see Sketch-up from Google is bad ass and it can make you think of things you never would have just in your head.

[img]http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=206162&d=1300753405[/img]
[/quote]
I'm also in the process of finishing my basement and agree with many of your points above. Some additional comments:

Most people don't know what Crowing a 2x4 means, so to clarify, you will find that most 2x4 has a slight bow to them....actually MOST are downright unusable unfortunately at the big box stores anymore....but anyway, you want to align these slight bows so that they are all in the same direction and most suggest that they point such that the wall ends up being convex (bowed towards room). Some prefer to use steel studs, but I still prefer the convenience/availability/familiarity of wood. If you do go the steel stud route, buy the crimper tool which is AWESOME, instead of messing with the little sheet metal screws that are a pain in the ass and 'bump' your drywall.

Big thumbs up on 12 ga wire as previously mentioned above.

Also regarding size of drywall sheets, I have a disagreement. Since basement walls are typically shorter than 8 ft, I prefer to use 4x8 sheets of drywall and hang them VERTICALLY. This means you ONLY have to finish tapered seams. Tapered seams are easy/peasy compared to the non-tapered edge seams. Also, if you steps are like mine, it's hard if not impossible to get a larger sheet in the basement to begin with unless you have outside access directly to basement, i.e. walkout.

Finally, in a basement, I prefer to have a non-drywall ceiling, i.e. acoustic panels or something so I can maintain utility access, etc. This also reduces your need to think everything out in terms of future proofing since you can always get to the ceiling to run new wires, fiber optics, or whatever the future brings. If you insist on drywall, make sure you take LOTS of pictures so you know where stuff is in case you need to dig into plumbing or whatever later. Oh, and if you do use acoustic panels, be prepared for a serious butt-puckering when you look at costs. Most other construction materials, i.e. 2x4's, drywall, etc. have become cheaper over the last several years, but for whatever reason (partial monopoly with USG & Armstrong maybe), these ceiling panels have gone up significantly.

Just my 2 cents.

[BengalsOwn]

I am so insanely jealous...I desperately want a basement.

[-GoBengals-]

@own, it is probably one of the biggest excitements of buying our house, all of my apartments were pretty private, and i did most of what i wanted in them, so the house part wasnt a HUGE change, but having a basement both for storage and customized spaces i want is pretty exciting..... ditch ohio, build a house down the street here.... then we can go to HOA meetings and bitch about stuff...


@ceiling comments - i am doing an armstrong drop ceiling, 2 x 2' panels, like this one just not as coffered... about half that coffer depth...

[img]http://hci.frontstepsmedial.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Armstrong-Coffered-Ceilling-Panels.jpg[/img]

I want access to my wiring for the family room above's speaker system and HDMI setup up there which runs to the ceiling of the theatre room/media room.

I became a dealer for a competitor of armstrong via a family members side business of doing blinds/shutters and can get these for about 35% of armstrongs retail cost... so total on all 3 rooms and the halls and landings i will spend $1100 on ceilings... drywall isnt an option in my book, a bitch to put in, a mess to deal withabove you, and seals off access to a LOT of things i want to have access to...ducts, gas lines, wiring, everything...

and there is a drop ceiling system that doesnt requite wires hanging down and adjusting, you screw a peice to the ceiling, then snap the next peice in that the tiles hang from...so its about 2 inches down from the floor joists... should work nicely...

today we cut all of the studs, the floating walls screws you, they need to be 7'4" to account for the floating part, so even buying the shorter studs they need to lose like 5 inches... cut about 65 of those today and assembled one wall but didnt hang it yet...

[-GoBengals-]

ceiling mounting system... im going to have to probably attsome 1" boards across so everything is the same height and misses the pipes, and such that are just below the floor joists.. seems much easier than standard drop ceiling though..

[img]http://www.kensa.com/CL_pic5.jpg[/img]

[esjbh2]

[quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1323915316' post='1075162']
ceiling mounting system... im going to have to probably attsome 1" boards across so everything is the same height and misses the pipes, and such that are just below the floor joists.. seems much easier than standard drop ceiling though..

[img]http://www.kensa.com/CL_pic5.jpg[/img]
[/quote]
Yes, I'm using a very similar system, around here its called CeilingMax, and the only difference from above is that the bottom T-section is barbed instead of the double-T like the top "runner", i.e. what you have shown looks like two "top" pieces of CeilingMax instead of a top and bottom (barbed T). I installed a subfloor using a product called Platon, i.e. think "sole of a soccer cleat" shoe and then 3/4" Tongue & Groove OSB sheets above that, so I needed ALL the ceiling room I could get. Plus as you say, it's easier than the wire hanger system which requires a 4" plus drop which I've done in another section of my basement (office).

Borrow or rent a 360 degree laser level to help shim the ceiling runner strips and perimeter edging pieces and your panel will be nice, planar, and level.

[BengalsOwn]

[quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1323913598' post='1075155']
ditch ohio, build a house down the street here.... then we can go to HOA meetings and bitch about stuff...
[/quote]

Hahahaha, sounds glorious

The way my job search is going, moving has bumped up to a 3% chance. Too bad my parents wouldn't be able to/ever consider moving away (pretty much the only people we have available to help us with baby stuff, among other things)

[BengalsOwn]

I have made many mistakes in my 28 years.

The most glaring, most painful, the one I wake up with and go to bed with, is my decision to not pay extra for a basement when my house was built. 7 years later and a loss of $35k in the value of my home, I am stuck in a basementless house for who knows how long. If I didn't have a family, I'd be half tempted to create a "hoarders" situation (to make it more flammable) in the house, and fuck with some wiring or something so it burns down, and I could start over again and pay for a damn basement. :halfninja:

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='BengalsOwn' timestamp='1323924045' post='1075195']
I have made many mistakes in my 28 years.

The most glaring, most painful, the one I wake up with and go to bed with, is my decision to not pay extra for a basement when my house was built. [b]7 years later and a loss of $35k in the value of my home,[/b] I am stuck in a basementless house for who knows how long. If I didn't have a family, I'd be half tempted to create a "hoarders" situation (to make it more flammable) in the house, and fuck with some wiring or something so it burns down, and I could start over again and pay for a damn basement. :halfninja:
[/quote]

just because of the economy and how much it was assessed for, or other reasons?

[BengalsOwn]

[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1323924537' post='1075197']

just because of the economy and how much it was assessed for, or other reasons?
[/quote]

Most recent appraisal (over a year ago when we refinanced to a lower interest rate). After probably $8k in improvements (landscaping, flooring, paint, etc.) and an exceptional lawn (tooting my own horn here).

2100 sq. ft. two-story house with an enlarged three car garage, three bedrooms, 2 and a half baths, and 1/3 of an acre, overlooking a large field and woods.

It was a kick in the balls. With a steel-toed boot

[Bengals1181]

[quote name='BengalsOwn' timestamp='1323932848' post='1075208']

Most recent appraisal (over a year ago when we refinanced to a lower interest rate). After probably $8k in improvements (landscaping, flooring, paint, etc.) and an exceptional lawn (tooting my own horn here).

2100 sq. ft. two-story house with an enlarged three car garage, three bedrooms, 2 and a half baths, and 1/3 of an acre, overlooking a large field and woods.

It was a kick in the balls. With a steel-toed boot
[/quote]


yikes. Yea we bought during the down economy and the house we bought got appraised for $15K less than what we paid for it less than 2 months after. It's not a great feeling. We'll likely get back near the original number whenever we decide to sell as the value has been creeping back up on various websites you can look at (not that those are necessarily accurate). We've also added $5-6,000 value in improvements since purchasing the house.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='esjbh2' timestamp='1323919188' post='1075170']
Yes, I'm using a very similar system, around here its called CeilingMax, and the only difference from above is that the bottom T-section is barbed instead of the double-T like the top "runner", i.e. what you have shown looks like two "top" pieces of CeilingMax instead of a top and bottom (barbed T). I installed a subfloor using a product called Platon, i.e. think "sole of a soccer cleat" shoe and then 3/4" Tongue & Groove OSB sheets above that, so I needed ALL the ceiling room I could get. Plus as you say, it's easier than the wire hanger system which requires a 4" plus drop which I've done in another section of my basement (office).

Borrow or rent a 360 degree laser level to help shim the ceiling runner strips and perimeter edging pieces and your panel will be nice, planar, and level.
[/quote]

Cieling max is ACP system i think lowes carries... pretty much identical system like you said, i thought about doing a sub floor and then doing hard wood, but with the expansive soils and loss of head room i decided it was a poor idea out here...disapointing really..

[quote name='BengalsOwn' timestamp='1323922556' post='1075189']

Hahahaha, sounds glorious

The way my job search is going, moving has bumped up to a 3% chance. Too bad my parents wouldn't be able to/ever consider moving away (pretty much the only people we have available to help us with baby stuff, among other things)
[/quote]

it is nearly impossible with a family tie, especially a babysitting family tie. i wouldnt have considered it before my mom passed, but after it was a no brainer, the family left werent ones i saw much, and had to tie to my daily life what so ever... being with my sister in a fun place with bomb ass weather, and a national park and like 11 great state parks within an hour is the best...

its just impossible to walk away from family, i wouldnt have left if i still had my mom back there... my dad built a house 300 yards from mine in my sub division out here so its allll good here...

i also seem to have got lucky and got my house at the bottom of the price drop, so with my family discount and low prices i made out good. to build the same house would cost me $10-15k more right now....got very lucky..

[TheBeaverHunter]

[quote name='esjbh2' timestamp='1323898984' post='1075073']

Also regarding size of drywall sheets, I have a disagreement. Since basement walls are typically shorter than 8 ft, I prefer to use 4x8 sheets of drywall and hang them VERTICALLY. This means you ONLY have to finish tapered seams. Tapered seams are easy/peasy compared to the non-tapered edge seams. Also, if you steps are like mine, it's hard if not impossible to get a larger sheet in the basement to begin with unless you have outside access directly to basement, i.e. walkout.
[/quote]

I should have said I have 9ft ceilings. I used stretch board, it's 54", so I wouldn't have to put band boards around the top. Also, if you buy drywall, it's nice to buy it from a supply place that will pack it for you, most the time it's included in the price. I had 135 sheets of 4.5' x 12' drywall that they unloaded for me. It took them 2.5 hours with 3 guys. Carrying drywall sucks, so try to avoid it if possible.