Ginge's basement reno thread
11-07-2006, 05:00 PM
#41
Originally Posted by soopa
My house is nearly 90 years old.
Lots of old BX. It's a mess.
Couple that with the 2-3 minor renovations/additions the house has seen and received... ugh... scary scary site.
I could try to clean it up, but I think I'd rather just build a new house in the Spring
Lots of old BX. It's a mess.
Couple that with the 2-3 minor renovations/additions the house has seen and received... ugh... scary scary site.
I could try to clean it up, but I think I'd rather just build a new house in the Spring
Heh, I was only 40 or 50 years off.
Do you know when your breaker box was installed? And I can't imagine the mess your wiring is in, especially after the renovations.
Good idea on the new house...everything customized the way you want it
11-07-2006, 05:10 PM
#42
Originally Posted by Scrib
Everything is the house is in conduit. Once in the box, it obviously goes down to 12 & 14 AWG copper straight to the breaker.
Originally Posted by JLatimer
The only color code that I know of that is required here in Canada is that we must use red jacketed wire to indicate 2-wire 220 heater wires. This way you dont mistake a white wire for a neutral. Color coding is starting to come into vogue for some installers even though it isnt code yet.
Nice box Ginge...
Nice box Ginge...
11-07-2006, 05:53 PM
#43
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Originally Posted by Scottman111
Are they all wired like that in Canada?
Originally Posted by Scottman111
And I'm surprised more of your wire's aren't color-coded.
11-07-2006, 05:59 PM
#44
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Originally Posted by NSXNEXT
Decided to skip the underlayment altogether. Both of my neighbors used the 8lb felt under the carpet and the floor is not cold.
Can't justify an extra $750 for a basement. (120 tiles @ $6 a piece)
Can't justify an extra $750 for a basement. (120 tiles @ $6 a piece)
I'm guessing that NJ doesn't get as cold for as long as Edmonton, I'm a good 13 degrees farther north! Brrr!
11-15-2006, 11:53 PM
#46
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Got the Dricore floor down on the weekend. Actually, it only took me about 4 hours to do about 720 sq ft. The floor is noticeably warmer, however, I am a little disappointed with the Dricore system. I checked to see that all my tiles were sitting flat on the concrete as they were being laid (only 2 tile required levelling); however, once I had the floor installed there were about 10-12 tiles that are not resting on the floor.
Even though some are only raised 1/16" or so, the fact that it is hard plastic on a concrete floor means they 'slap' when walked across. I am hoping that the partition walls' tapcon screws and pre-laoding the floor with furniture will resolve this, but it would have been so easy to install a foam underlay that would eliminate the harsh sound if not the movement of the tile. Worst case, I get out the hammer drill and screw down each raised tile.
Also shown is the lumber. Having 9' ceilings in the basement looks great, but it means you have to buy 2"x4"x10', which are double the cost of 8'. Hand bombing 81 of those suckers across two snow covered yards was fun. Also loaded about 480' of 1x4 strapping. Friends who own trailers =
Inside the box:
Future Home Office. Reminds me of Les Nessman
Even though some are only raised 1/16" or so, the fact that it is hard plastic on a concrete floor means they 'slap' when walked across. I am hoping that the partition walls' tapcon screws and pre-laoding the floor with furniture will resolve this, but it would have been so easy to install a foam underlay that would eliminate the harsh sound if not the movement of the tile. Worst case, I get out the hammer drill and screw down each raised tile.
Also shown is the lumber. Having 9' ceilings in the basement looks great, but it means you have to buy 2"x4"x10', which are double the cost of 8'. Hand bombing 81 of those suckers across two snow covered yards was fun. Also loaded about 480' of 1x4 strapping. Friends who own trailers =
Inside the box:
Future Home Office. Reminds me of Les Nessman
11-16-2006, 12:35 PM
#48
Creepy guy in the mirror.
Looks good. You still have a lot of work ahead.
Do you have "whole home" surge suppression on your panel. I am wondering what that little pigtail thing is in the top left corner.
Do you have "whole home" surge suppression on your panel. I am wondering what that little pigtail thing is in the top left corner.
Originally Posted by GINge!
Inside the box:
11-20-2006, 05:05 PM
#49
Originally Posted by JLatimer
Looks good. You still have a lot of work ahead.
Do you have "whole home" surge suppression on your panel. I am wondering what that little pigtail thing is in the top left corner.
Do you have "whole home" surge suppression on your panel. I am wondering what that little pigtail thing is in the top left corner.
Thanks for posting the pic by the way. Like I said before, never seen one wired like that before. Whatever works though...
11-26-2006, 08:09 PM
#50
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Update 26 Nov, framing 95% complete
Been a busy few days, but the -30*C weather is conducive to indoors work 
Here are the wall-mounted speaker plates I plan on using. These will hook up the FR/FL and both surround sound speakers using 14 AWG UL rated in-wall speaker wire. I have an 8-prong one that will go behind the reciever.
Double-door opening into HT room. Going with 2x28" bevel glass doors:
The Thousand Screw Ceiling. I might live to regret this, but I wanted a 'racetrack' ceiling with 2 tiers. The middle tier will house about 10-12 pot-lights running the perimeter of the room.
View of the HT wall. Hard to give a sense of scale in these pics. The wall is 15' long, and front & centre will be the TV.
And this is what I want it to look like after sheetrocking. I *might* dress each tier with a run of 4" crown moulding, but I can add that after the project is done:
Here are the wall-mounted speaker plates I plan on using. These will hook up the FR/FL and both surround sound speakers using 14 AWG UL rated in-wall speaker wire. I have an 8-prong one that will go behind the reciever.
Double-door opening into HT room. Going with 2x28" bevel glass doors:
The Thousand Screw Ceiling. I might live to regret this, but I wanted a 'racetrack' ceiling with 2 tiers. The middle tier will house about 10-12 pot-lights running the perimeter of the room.
View of the HT wall. Hard to give a sense of scale in these pics. The wall is 15' long, and front & centre will be the TV.
And this is what I want it to look like after sheetrocking. I *might* dress each tier with a run of 4" crown moulding, but I can add that after the project is done:
11-26-2006, 08:45 PM
#51
You don't screw around. I'd love to build (or build on to) my house some day... First I need to have an actual house, but you know what I mean.
I wish I had caught this earlier to ask if you ever have a flooding problem, because before doing all that work(or maybe even finishing now) a sump install is easiest. We had a company do ours(my parents) and we had to pull out a bunch of stuff, but they appeared to be able to get under the existing walls.
What type of display and audio system do you plan on using? Are you going to be running ductwork into the room for climate control? Is their going to be a separate room for AV equipment?
Mike
I wish I had caught this earlier to ask if you ever have a flooding problem, because before doing all that work(or maybe even finishing now) a sump install is easiest. We had a company do ours(my parents) and we had to pull out a bunch of stuff, but they appeared to be able to get under the existing walls.
What type of display and audio system do you plan on using? Are you going to be running ductwork into the room for climate control? Is their going to be a separate room for AV equipment?
Mike
11-26-2006, 08:55 PM
#52
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Sumps are code here, and I'm on a ridgeline, so here's hoping that flooding will never be a problem. The subfloor is elevated about 1/4" by plastic treadplate and should take care of any moisture problems. That, and the basement flood insurance I am taking out!
Ductwork is already done, there are 5 down vents for heat and I just put in 2 cold air returns. In fact, the whole idea for the tiered ceiling was as a result of having to build a soffit around a heating duct.
I know SFA about audio & HT. I will probably go with a wall unit (ie built) for the AV stuff, and two speaker 'pillars' to house the 5.1 bookshelf units.
Thinking about 50" plasma for TV, maybe LG? I dunno. Speakers, probably JBL, but truthfully my ears are shot, so I might go entry level on the audio. I would like to match my reciver and speaker mfr's though.
Ductwork is already done, there are 5 down vents for heat and I just put in 2 cold air returns. In fact, the whole idea for the tiered ceiling was as a result of having to build a soffit around a heating duct.
I know SFA about audio & HT. I will probably go with a wall unit (ie built) for the AV stuff, and two speaker 'pillars' to house the 5.1 bookshelf units.
Thinking about 50" plasma for TV, maybe LG? I dunno. Speakers, probably JBL, but truthfully my ears are shot, so I might go entry level on the audio. I would like to match my reciver and speaker mfr's though.
11-26-2006, 10:05 PM
#53
Eh... For a room of that size, I'd probably get a 70 inch SXRD, not much more(less than some) than a good 1080P 50 inch plasma, and only about a foot or so thick, so would come out about as much as the speakers. For our small room we are looking to eventually upgrade to a 60 or 70 from the 50, and it is barely 10 feet wide.
My friend has a 50 inch NEC with a screen that drops down in front and a $15K infocus 3 chip 720p(yeah I know) SP777. Always something to drool over. But seriously, you will find 50 to be a bit small, and plasmas are grossly overrated IMO.
I assume the lighting is also going to be controllable by remote?
Mike
My friend has a 50 inch NEC with a screen that drops down in front and a $15K infocus 3 chip 720p(yeah I know) SP777. Always something to drool over. But seriously, you will find 50 to be a bit small, and plasmas are grossly overrated IMO.
I assume the lighting is also going to be controllable by remote?
Mike
11-26-2006, 11:30 PM
#54
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Lighting will be on a remote dimmer, but I will still have to get off my lazy ass to close the blinds etc.
50" is plenty big - although the room is 24' long, the seating is only 8'-9' from the wall. I think any bigger than 50, and I'll start to discern the lines on the TV.
I don't even know what an SXRD or a 1080p is.
50" is plenty big - although the room is 24' long, the seating is only 8'-9' from the wall. I think any bigger than 50, and I'll start to discern the lines on the TV.
I don't even know what an SXRD or a 1080p is.
11-27-2006, 08:55 AM
#55
Originally Posted by GINge!
Lighting will be on a remote dimmer, but I will still have to get off my lazy ass to close the blinds etc.
50" is plenty big - although the room is 24' long, the seating is only 8'-9' from the wall. I think any bigger than 50, and I'll start to discern the lines on the TV.
I don't even know what an SXRD or a 1080p is.
50" is plenty big - although the room is 24' long, the seating is only 8'-9' from the wall. I think any bigger than 50, and I'll start to discern the lines on the TV.
I don't even know what an SXRD or a 1080p is.
1080p is the latest and greatest in HD TV.
11-27-2006, 03:03 PM
#57
HDTV was released slowly(pricks). 1080i, 720p, now 1080p, which is the "final" HD standard until they do it again 40 years from now.
Sony SXRDs are currently considered some of the best HDTVs on the market. They are Rear Projection LcOS if I am not mistaken.
At 8-9 feet the lines will not be noticeable. Our bestbuy showroom has a 70 inch SXRD set up at about 7 feet and it is the "perfect size." No noticeable flaws. Also, I am not sure whether or not the SXRD has a "screen door," I know the DLPs do not.
Here is our 50(Sammy 720P DLP), it is viewed at about 8 feet, and is actually slightly annoyingly small. We measured out for a 70 inch and it would still have an air gap between those two cabinets.
Mike
Sony SXRDs are currently considered some of the best HDTVs on the market. They are Rear Projection LcOS if I am not mistaken.
At 8-9 feet the lines will not be noticeable. Our bestbuy showroom has a 70 inch SXRD set up at about 7 feet and it is the "perfect size." No noticeable flaws. Also, I am not sure whether or not the SXRD has a "screen door," I know the DLPs do not.
Here is our 50(Sammy 720P DLP), it is viewed at about 8 feet, and is actually slightly annoyingly small. We measured out for a 70 inch and it would still have an air gap between those two cabinets.
Mike
11-27-2006, 05:50 PM
#58
Originally Posted by GINge!
The Thousand Screw Ceiling. I might live to regret this, but I wanted a 'racetrack' ceiling with 2 tiers. The middle tier will house about 10-12 pot-lights running the perimeter of the room.
Planning on growing something??
:wink: Just kidding, I know what you mean. Looks like it's coming along well
12-26-2006, 11:52 PM
#60
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Got the wiring and plumbing done. The plumbing took less time than I thought, only a couple hours. I used wirsboro tubing and rented the expander for a day, what a cool system - you basically expand the collars around the tube, remove the expansion tool, and then slip the collar over your fitting.
After about 4 hrs, the collars shrink down and you have a leak-proof seal. It was so easy, I decided to run a 1/4" supply line to my fridge, and we now have a working ice/water maker. Perfect for -30C weather
I got the sheetrock delivered 5 days ago, and rented a panel lifter (woohoo - only had to pay for 1 day rental on account of the store being closed until tomorrow!). I ordered 52 x 8', 12 x 10', and 8 x 12' sheets. Looks like I might only have 1 or 2 8' sheets left over.
I decided to pre-wire for 7.1 sound, with the 2 rear channels being ceiling speakers (you can see the in-wall wire dangling from the ceiling). The 2x4 pillars will house the L & R surround speakers, and will also function as storage cabinets. I'm all motivated to try out some MDF after reading Scribesofts fireplace mantle thread.
Added some sound batting around the furnace room, and did the inside of the furnace in OSB vice sheetrock.
That's about it for today. Pass the advil please.
Here's the home office / hobby room. I'm almost done here, and the bathroom, hallway, and storage closet are practically done. Hard to take a decent pic of a 15x6 room, I guess the pros use a wide angle lens?
After about 4 hrs, the collars shrink down and you have a leak-proof seal. It was so easy, I decided to run a 1/4" supply line to my fridge, and we now have a working ice/water maker. Perfect for -30C weather
I got the sheetrock delivered 5 days ago, and rented a panel lifter (woohoo - only had to pay for 1 day rental on account of the store being closed until tomorrow!). I ordered 52 x 8', 12 x 10', and 8 x 12' sheets. Looks like I might only have 1 or 2 8' sheets left over.
I decided to pre-wire for 7.1 sound, with the 2 rear channels being ceiling speakers (you can see the in-wall wire dangling from the ceiling). The 2x4 pillars will house the L & R surround speakers, and will also function as storage cabinets. I'm all motivated to try out some MDF after reading Scribesofts fireplace mantle thread.
Added some sound batting around the furnace room, and did the inside of the furnace in OSB vice sheetrock.
That's about it for today. Pass the advil please.
Here's the home office / hobby room. I'm almost done here, and the bathroom, hallway, and storage closet are practically done. Hard to take a decent pic of a 15x6 room, I guess the pros use a wide angle lens?
12-27-2006, 08:53 AM
#65
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
looking great man
12-29-2006, 11:56 AM
#66
Senior Moderator
Looking Good!
Its been 2 days foo. Where your pics at
Originally Posted by NSXNEXT
Looking good. I'm gonna take pics of my finished basement today. 
12-29-2006, 03:20 PM
#67
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Here ya go!
I had to take the drywall scraps (about 600 pounds
) to the dump today.
Office, bathroom, and closet are all done, but the pics don't really show much.
Now, to find a taper - my DIY process is over for this next phase.
I still haven't settled on a floor. Part of me wants to get another 700 sq ft of plywood, and go with radiant ceramic...but talking with my realtor, she said it would be overkill for a basement. Probably just go with a good laminate. If I didn't have the dog, I'd be going with cork.
I had to take the drywall scraps (about 600 pounds
) to the dump today. Office, bathroom, and closet are all done, but the pics don't really show much.
Now, to find a taper - my DIY process is over for this next phase.
I still haven't settled on a floor. Part of me wants to get another 700 sq ft of plywood, and go with radiant ceramic...but talking with my realtor, she said it would be overkill for a basement. Probably just go with a good laminate. If I didn't have the dog, I'd be going with cork.
12-29-2006, 04:31 PM
#68
Everyday Joe
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Hampton Roads, VA (Smithfield)
Age: 49
Posts: 888
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Looking great...I'd be looking at putting in a nicer floor like ceramic too. Do you plan on selling soon? If not, I'd be all about doing what I like and not necessarily what is best for resale. Although I'd be worried about the basement floor being too cold with something like ceramic. You could always go with green astroturf 
People like you make me want to teach myself to be more handy....my wife is very hesitant to even let me try crown moulding- she wants me to do it in the garage first
People like you make me want to teach myself to be more handy....my wife is very hesitant to even let me try crown moulding- she wants me to do it in the garage first
12-30-2006, 12:35 AM
#69
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Probably be selling again within 3 years.
Yeah, ceramic might be too cold, even with a sub-sub-floor. Even it if wasn't cold, it would give the perception of being cold, which can turn away buyers. I suppose carpet makes the most sense in a home theatre, but I can just see the steady trail of mud/grass tracked across it from that outside door.
Hey - crown moulding is *%*ing hard! Buy those 4" cube thingies for the inside & outside corners, saves having to cut a compound mitre.
Yeah, ceramic might be too cold, even with a sub-sub-floor. Even it if wasn't cold, it would give the perception of being cold, which can turn away buyers. I suppose carpet makes the most sense in a home theatre, but I can just see the steady trail of mud/grass tracked across it from that outside door.
Hey - crown moulding is *%*ing hard! Buy those 4" cube thingies for the inside & outside corners, saves having to cut a compound mitre.
12-30-2006, 08:09 AM
#71
Community Architect
robb m.
robb m.
looking great man, what colors are you going to go with?
12-30-2006, 10:24 AM
#73
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
I haven't decided on colours yet, but it will probably be in the neutral shades. I would like to do a green, like a khaki colour. A lot of that will depend on the floor.
Can bamboo floors be installed below-grade?
Can bamboo floors be installed below-grade?
01-16-2007, 05:55 PM
#78
Health's Angels
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Age: 55
Posts: 2,633
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
These pics are after the first coat on the corner beads, and about 15 gallons of plaster. The taper used a whol pail on each tier of the ceiling! hahah! So far we have killed 30 gallons, but after sanding tonight I will be ready to prime.
Future site of big-ass TV:
Future site of big-ass TV:
