# Summer project-finishing the basement



## Badfish740 (May 26, 2011)

Well I have to find something to keep myself occupied during the summer months when I'm not feeding the furnace  

I started with this-the previous owner had done a half decent job putting up walls with the proper vapor barrier, insulation, etc...but they had divided into two rooms, put up crappy drop ceiling, and there was no flooring-I think they kind of stopped halfway through:







I also had these to deal with which I ended up relocating using flexible duct (the foil faced high temperature stuff of course):






Here's what it looks after relocating and enclosing duct work, adding recessed lighting, and sheetrock:





















The reason for the multicolored sheetrock is that my FIL is a construction project manager and was saving left overs for me.  Usually when the company does a job and they have a sheet or two left over they'll chuck it because they don't want to store it somewhere until its needed.  The purple stuff is some kind of sound deadening board.  The green is mold resistant for bathrooms.  

This is one of my favorite new features-I got three of these windows (brand new in the plastic) on Craigslist for $50!











Since the back of the house faces south it brightens up the basement a lot plus it would provide egress in an emergency.  There's still a lot more to do so more pics to come.


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## laynes69 (May 26, 2011)

Not to burst your bubble, but flexible ductwork is not allowed due to the high heat potential of a woodfurnace. I would have used rigid ductwork and insulated it with a foil faced fiberglass insulation. Not only will it withstand higher heat, but will have a better flow due to the smooth walls. Also it looks like there is only one round line. The new ducting should have the same flow as the old. Other than that it looks okay. Just be careful in an outage that the ducting doesn't get too hot.


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## Badfish740 (May 26, 2011)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> Not to burst your bubble, but flexible ductwork is not allowed due to the high heat potential of a woodfurnace. I would have used rigid ductwork and insulated it with a foil faced fiberglass insulation. Not only will it withstand higher heat, but will have a better flow due to the smooth walls. Also it looks like there is only one round line. The new ducting should have the same flow as the old. Other than that it looks okay. Just be careful in an outage that the ducting doesn't get too hot.



I looked into that and actually read some old posts on it here.  Elk and some other folks had a few arguments over it.  The wood furnace still feeds into the sheet metal plenum on the oil furnace which in turn feeds into an 8' section of sheet metal 8" x 14" rigid-you can't see it because it's behind the "purple wall."  At the end of that rigid trunk line there is a cap and two take offs which feed the two sections of flex (one on each side of the house).  The air flow actually seems better believe it or not-as for the heat factor I just use the generator when the power is out.


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## yooperdave (May 26, 2011)

best way to go for air flow is hard pipe-not flexible. the flexible still works, but...
as you think it would, the interior of the flex creates a lot of resistance and turbulence.

but if your are happy and the outcome is good...

now- the biggest question.
why did you plan for the remodel to take place during the summer months? winter time...inside projects. summer time...outside projects

good luck!


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## velvetfoot (May 26, 2011)

I was gonna say the same thing!  This is a job for the winter!

Have you thought about the floor?
A lot of people put a fair amount of bucks into that, I'm not so sure...
I was thinking stained concrete and area rugs for the winter (rolled up and stored topside summer).
That's not cheap either...


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## Badfish740 (May 26, 2011)

yooperdave said:
			
		

> best way to go for air flow is hard pipe-not flexible. the flexible still works, but...
> as you think it would, the interior of the flex creates a lot of resistance and turbulence.
> 
> but if your are happy and the outcome is good...



Basically what I did was have a friend of my FIL's come out (HVAC contractor) and I told him what I was going to do.  He walked me through the design part of it and recommend the product (Hart and Cooley) which is way better than what you get off the shelf at Lowes or Home Depot.  It was the quickest, easiest, and most cost efficient way to accomplish what I wanted to do.  Would I have gotten a small percentage better airflow with hard duct?  Sure.  Do I really need it in a 900 square foot ranch?  No.  



			
				yooperdave said:
			
		

> now- the biggest question.
> why did you plan for the remodel to take place during the summer months? winter time...inside projects. summer time...outside projects



I had been fooling with the basement over the winter and had planned on giving it a rest in the summer.  Then in March I got some news-I'm gonna be a dad!  We have a two bedroom house, so right now, the room that will be the nursery is packed to the gills with stuff (it's kind of a guest room/office/crap catcher type room) that needs a place to go.  The basement will become the family room/guest room/office area and the baby's room will go right next to ours upstairs.  She'll be here ready or not in October so hence the need to get my butt in gear.  It's also nice working in the cool basement on hot days.  



			
				velvetfoot said:
			
		

> I was gonna say the same thing!  This is a job for the winter!
> 
> Have you thought about the floor?
> A lot of people put a fair amount of bucks into that, I'm not so sure...
> ...



We're just going to do carpet.  Seems risky I know, but we're lucky to have a dry basement to begin with plus full inner and outer foundation drains and two sumps on battery backup (I have a generator too).  With the de-humidifier running in the summer the humidity isn't an issue.  In the winter with the wood furnace running (on the unfinished side) it's warm and drier than a popcorn fart.  Plus the carpet will be a low cost/high durability berber since the basement will inevitably turn into a playroom in about two years


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## yooperdave (May 26, 2011)

well, congratulations badfish  great news and yes, it all makes sense now with the "rush" to get the job done before fall.
what state are you in?  do you have decent summers?


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## Badfish740 (May 26, 2011)

yooperdave said:
			
		

> well, congratulations badfish  great news and yes, it all makes sense now with the "rush" to get the job done before fall.
> what state are you in?  do you have decent summers?



New Stinkin Jersey...90 degrees and 80% humidity isn't at all uncommon.  If the wife and I had our druthers we'd pick up and move to Maine because in the winter you can always throw another split on the fire or put on another layer of thermals   I think we may just settle for a camp up there one of these days-we do hope to make it up to the UP at some point though.


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## gpcollen1 (Jun 1, 2011)

Nothing wrong with an inside project for the summer.  You can have the baseball game on while you work or just some music...while working in a cool environment.  I like having indoor and outdoor projects for summer and winter...

ALSO...indoor projects are great for when it rains or working after dark...


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## lukem (Jun 1, 2011)

CTwoodburner said:
			
		

> Nothing wrong with an inside project for the summer.  You can have the baseball game on while you work or just some music...while working in a cool environment.  I like having indoor and outdoor projects for summer and winter...
> 
> ALSO...indoor projects are great for when it rains or working after dark...



+1

When the temp is 90+ my outdoor projects are reduced to riding around on the lawnmower.  I have a basement bathroom I'll resume work on July/Aug when it really gets cookin'.


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## gpcollen1 (Jun 2, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

> CTwoodburner said:
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it is also nice to have something easy to pick up on again after the kids are in bed.  I know there is plenty to do outside but from 9-11 PM, I am currently finishing up some wiring and moving on to insulation and sheetrock...


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## mecreature (Jun 3, 2011)

I come up with things to do in the basement on 90 degree summer days too. 
I have a totally unfinished basement that will need some attention soon. well sometime in the future anyway.


keep the pics coming.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 3, 2011)

Basement work in the summer makes sense- cooler.

My only problem with this project is that at this pace you'll be done before half the summer is gone- then what'll ya do?


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## Badfish740 (Jun 5, 2011)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Basement work in the summer makes sense- cooler.
> 
> My only problem with this project is that at this pace you'll be done before half the summer is gone- then what'll ya do?



I have a week of vacation coming up at the end of the month-the spacklers come a week from Monday, so I'll paint and have the carpet installed right before the 4th.  At that point it'll be done enough that my wife can get some relief from the heat during the day through July and August.  Once fall comes I'll be enjoying cold ones in front of the Giants game on the 55" that will soon grace the entertainment center


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## Badfish740 (Jun 27, 2011)

A little progress:

The walls on either side of the steps used to have pegboard for holding pots and pans and housecleaning stuff.  That's all going to be stored elsewhere now.






Looks much better after a little spackle and paint:










The built in entertainment center-what's not covered with drywall will be faced with beadboard.  The two openings on either side will house bookshelves that can be pulled out if need be.  On the right is one of the sump pumps, so access will be needed there periodically.  On the right I was thinking of installing a safe at some point:





And now for today's work-the beadboard panel ceiling.  I had to drop the ceiling a bit because this area is right below the kitchen and the drain line hangs below the floor joists.  I figured it would be a lot easier if I did some sort of panelized ceiling so that if something needs to be accessed, it's a matter of pulling a few nails and sliding the panels out rather than ripping up drywall.  It's coming out even better than I thought it would.  The panels are Georgia Pacific faux beadboard-I nailed some braces to the back to stiffen them which seems to work well.  The panels just slide in through the front which will be faced with 1x lumber.  Everything will be painted semi-gloss white:











We ordered carpet last Friday-hopefully it will be installed this coming Saturday, which is just as well, I need to get one more coat of white on the ceiling and it's nice not having to worry about drips on the floor.


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## mecreature (Jun 27, 2011)

I like the ceiling panel solution. I have kind of the same situation. I might steal you idea.

looking good thanks for the pics.


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## lukem (Jun 27, 2011)

mecreature said:
			
		

> I like the ceiling panel solution. I have kind of the same situation. I might steal you idea.



Same here.  Consider it stolen, but slightly tweaked.

I'll probably make some dado cuts in some boards, fasten the board to the joists (running in the same direction as the joists), rip down the panelling to fit, and make some "drawers" to access my kitchen plumbing above my bathroom in the basement.  Trim the ends with some 1x and voila....ceiling problem solved.  It will kinda look like a board and baton ceiling.


I never would have thought of that if I didn't see your post. Thanks!


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## Badfish740 (Jun 27, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

> mecreature said:
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Have at it guys-that's why I posted it!  I can't tell you how many good ideas I've lifted off of forums like this one.


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## Badfish740 (Jul 5, 2011)

More progress-things kicked into high gear over my vacation this week-paint, carpet, trim, etc...

There's still a little more trim to do but the beadboard ceiling is coming out nice:





These are the built in bookshelves-they still need a lot of trim work:





This is where the TV will go-the plate is a nifty little gadget they make for wall mount TVs.  It has a surge protected 15A duplex receptacle and a portal for cable, HDMI, etc...





The stairs sure look different-I have to find a new way to bring wood into the house now-tromping through the mud to the woodshed and down the steps is out of the question:





The "office" area:





The dog has only known hardwood his whole life-he likes carpet


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## mecreature (Jul 5, 2011)

good pics...nice job... 

again I like the ceiling. 

the carpet is nice on the bones.


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