Step 4 – Plumbing
There are two spots in my basement with a need for water. The wet bar and the bathroom. The wet bar needed hot and cold water, a drain, and a drinking water line.
The bathroom was stubbed out by the builder. So….the drains were there….but we didn’t like the drain for the shower. We cut it out.
The bathroom also needed hot and cold water to the sink and the shower and also cold water to the toilet.
I used 1/2″ PEX throughout with the exception of the drinking water line from my R/O unit to the basement refrigerator For this I used a 3/8 PEX line to keep the volume stored in the line to a minimum and hopefully help pressure loss.
<insert picture of tap of 3/8″ line from R/O tank>
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Insulation is not bad. Unroll batt, staple up batt, tuck in loose pieces and cough. ugh
On the other hand, the drywall for a 1500 square foot basement is a daunting task. Just getting the sheets down stairs was rough for 5 guys. It took 1.5 hours. The worst was the 16 foot sheets that we had to bend around the staircase to fit and not upsetting the wife while taking out chunks of the basement stairs ceiling.
I had great success with this type of collated screw gun. The picture shown is the current model, but it is similar to the Ridgid model that I had. Made things much easier has I only have two hands and one knee to hang drywall. I also used a lift for the ceiling and the top wall pieces.
The bedroom with batts in and ceiling rock hung
Wall rock hung
A bit of the rock in the main room as well.
My rotozip kept leaping out of the can when I would go around the edge of the can. I cut this cross first so I would know about where the edge was in hopes that I could contain that rotozip. 🙂
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Step 3 – Run Electric
This is actually one of the parts of the project I felt I could do with ease. There were a few tricks, but overall it went smoothly. As shown below, I used all Insteon Switches in my basement. It was a huge overkill for the budget, but it was one of the few things that I wanted.
The key to doing this work is being comfortable with it, have a great teacher, or just be safe and pay for someone to do it for you.
I think I placed about 35 – 4″ can lights in all. They were pretty easy as they all have the nice push in connectors already installed in the cans….nail em up and wire in about 10 minutes.
Aside from the standard power wires, I also ran CAT6 and speaker wires. I didn’t do too well on planning this as I no know after the basement is complete, that I should have done this…or that.
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I got real nervous during the build and got lazy about posting. So. I have a finished product now. I will go back and post progress pictures when I get the chance. It will be nice to go back and see how far I got through this project. The city did approve my basement and I got to take the yellow sign down from my front window. The wife thinks the house looks much better without it. 🙂 The pictures attached is of the single bedroom we added in the basement. I especially love the pendants hanging from the wood frame on the far wall.
ojc
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Step 2 – Frame the walls
After some waiting, I began to frame my walls. So far so good. There have been mistakes, but all in all it is pretty neat!
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Step 1 – Foam Board on the Walls
I received my permit from the City (in less than a day no less) and immediately ordered some 1″ XPS to put up on the walls. I haven’t got it all completed as Carter Waters (place where I purchased the foam from) ran out of the adhesive. But…here are is the progress that I have made so far.
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Step 0.5 – The Plan
I don’t know exactly the square footage here, but it is good sized and a huge project for me.
Here is a pdf of the layout. Walls
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Step 0 – Basement Pics
The before!
I wanted to get it all cleaned out before I started….but if I want to keep my car in its spot in the garage during the winter….well I just didn’t have space for it all.
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Application Submitted
After some initial planning, I finally submitted my application for a permit to finish my basement. I guess buying the house was actually a bigger decision, but this is a bit more exciting for me. Probably because the work is on me and not someone else. If I screw up, my wife won’t let me hear the end of it. 🙂 The lady stated that they have 3 days to review the plans for the basement, but it probably won’t take that long (during these…the slow months).
I am hoping that to have it, the permit, by this weekend as then I can order the 1″ foam boards that will line the walls of my basement.
After that is up, then the framing will begin.
My goal is to have the framing done and inspection finished by the end of March. It sounds like a long time, but I have some travel for work that will delay my efforts.
ojc
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Hair Care
My wife has been saying for the last couple of weeks that she needs to get her hair cut and colored. She normally goes to a pretty expensive lady to get her hairs cut. Yesterday, she decided to go to a cheap place.
I dropped her off and I proceeded to the grocery store next door. I was wrapping up my shopping in the frozen section when she came strolling down the aisle with much shorter hair. I was expecting the worst, but she said “not bad”. I really like her short hair, but I never know what her critique are going to be.
With her hair cut, she also wanted it colored. I normally color her hair, so this is no big deal. We finished the coloring late in the evening and at that point I was reminded that she just saved us over $80 just by going to a cheaper place and by letting her hubby color her hair. AWESOME!
Let it be know that my wife is not a tomboy by any stretch of the imagination. She did grow up in the country, but once she moved to KC, she became a city girl. She likes sparkly things and cleanliness. SO, for her to agree to do something with her hair that doesn’t require a HELOC, I was more than proud of her.
ojc
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