Starosta Basement Finishing Project

[Keith Starosta]

The LOML and I decided about six months ago that we were going to bite the bullet and finish the basement. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do since we bought the house five years ago, but hadn’t had the time of funding to pull it off. The time has now come!! :)

I’m going to update this thread as I make slow progress, much like many other Creeker’s have done in the past. I’ll use it to pick your collective brains on topics ranging from framing to wiring to finish trim work. This is by far the biggest project I’ve ever taken on by myself, and I’m extremely excited to get it done.

We actually started the process a few weeks back, when we had an electrician and a plumber come in that do some work. My main breaker box is on the far wall of my attached garage/shop. I didn’t want to have to run all of the wiring back there, so I had a pro come in and drop a 60amp sub-panel into the basement. Also, when the house was built, the rough plumbing was installed such that it would have been virtually impossible to have a working bathroom in the basement, so we brought in a pro to bust up the floor and re-install it properly. That’s about all the subcontracting I’m going to have done for this project. I’ll try to handle the rest.

I’ve attached a few pictures to get me going…

Pic 1: I used SketchUp to visualize that the space will look like. It’s not huge, but it’s what we have to work with.
Pic 2: Somebody just delivered me a whole lotta work!!
Pic 3: The bathroom and utility area, just before the plumber patched the floor.
Pic 4: The sink/toilet/shower are all roughed in, and I’m halfway done with the wall framing.

I’ve tentatively set a deadline of Christmas 2005 as a project completion date, but knowing me and how my schedule changes, that may only be a dream. Oh well…..a boy can dream, can’t he? :D

Keith

[Jim Becker]

Looks like a fun project, Keith!! I remember doing the basment at my previous home and it was a good experience...I learned a lot.

Sure you don't want an entry to the office from the bottom of the stairs??

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Keith....Looks like a lot of work! Keep us updated.

[Corey Hallagan]

Have fun there Keith, I am sure it will be great. I am sure you are excited to get it going and I am sure you will be absolutely sick of it when you are near completed...lol. I was. My basement was my first remodel project 18 years ago.

[Mike Weaver]

Keith,
Looks like fun! Keep us posted.

I have to agree with Jim - a door to the office at the bottom of the stairs seems like the logical place.

In my house though, that space between the bottom of the stairs and the wall is a bit tight for the door we wanted to use, so I'm not sure how we'll handle it either...<img>

Is your situation similar?

Thanks for the thread - I hope to learn from you as you continue.

Cheers,
-Mike

[Greg Narozniak]

Looks like a fun project, Keith!! I remember doing the basment at my previous home and it was a good experience...I learned a lot.

Sure you don't want an entry to the office from the bottom of the stairs??

I thought the EXACT same thing as Jim. Also, maybe a second door into the bathroom from the Office.

Great project!

[Aaron Montgomery]

Looks like a great project Keith. I've got a similar project that I'm currently not working on. :) I agree with what was posted above about the door to the office from the stairs. I was also wondering if it might create better hallway flow and visual interest to put the office hallway door on a ~45 degree wall. (It would also put you a few feet closer to the bathroom on those long computer gaming nights) :) Either way it's never bad to have two exits from a basement room - particularly if one of them isn't an escapable window.

[Keith Starosta]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, guys!

Ya know, we had briefly talked about that door at the bottom of the stairs in the very early stages, but never went back to it. I'm going to have to revisit that one with the job foreman. :D :rolleyes:

Aaron, that 45 degree wall would have been an interesting idea...had I not framed out that wall last night. :eek: Oh well.

Thanks again, guys!

Keith

[Bart Leetch]

Its to bad your already as far along as you are.

That little entry way to the bath and utility room is a real waste of space. I would have flipped the bathroom the other way & pushed it back into the little corner on the left end of the utility area. It really doesn't matter if you walk across the end of the utility room to get to the bathroom. So the door by the stairway would have been the entry to the utility room & the office door way would have been as Jim said at the bottom of the stair way. This way you would have a bigger utility room (read less sheet rock to hang) & you would enter it & walk over to the bath room door.

With the bathroom pushed back this way you would have had a short wide hall in front of the bathroom. Where you could have possibly put floor to ceiling cabinets on the wall that divides it from the office. The Utility room would have had more space for cabinets too.

I have included a quick down & dirty pencil drawing.

I guess I see things differently because my Dad was a builder & trained me not to chop up a space with a bunch of small rooms especially rooms that will not benefit me in any way & just become walking area. But to try & make as much room in each room as I can & make each room as useful as possible.

This is just another perspective & my 2 cents worth.

[Douglas Robinson]

Keith:

Up here in Fairfax county, I have been told by a very reliable contractor friend that the silver-sheet insulation must be removed before installing the interior walls and then insulation should be installed between the joists. I would check on this in your area. Good Luck.

Doug

[Ray Bersch]

Keith,
Allow me to chime in here, that closet in the family room may prove problematic - it is too deep and narrow to be functional - you will be able to cram a lot of stuff in there, but getting it out will be forever difficult. When faced with this same problem I installed two pair of double doors that open out (I don't like sliders, but that is a less expensive alternative.) Depending on the intended use, you could install shelves or just leave the space open. Again, depending on intended use, you could then also reduce the 3' 8" to 2' or so.

Do you have plans for storage under the stairs - or did I miss that?

Have fun.
Ray

[Chris Padilla]

Keith,

I agree with Bart's assessment of your room layout. That 44" of width of the space next to your already framed bathroom looks too small to be very useful...it isn't very wide!

Of course, we do not know your intentions for all these spaces but things are quite chopped up. I'd make the family room bigger and your utility area bigger and get rid of one room behind the stairs much like Bart suggested.

What exactly are the purposes of the "finished storage" and "utility rooms". I just see that 44" of width you have on the left sides as way too cramped to be useful.

You hired a couple pros already and we come free but someone who can help you design better flow in this area might be money well spent. I can't imagine it would cost more than a couple hundred dollars. Maybe a local college has interior decorator classes in which you could submit your plan for scrutiny?

However it turns out, I find these things a lot of work but a lot of fun in the end. I did all my plumbing and electrical work in my garage gut but did hire out the sheetrock and muding/taping job.

Also keep in mind that your Sketch-Up layout doesn't include the thickness of the finished walls so that 44" might actually be even smaller by as much as 6-8"!

Keep us posted, Keith...lets see how much we can impact your design! :D ;)

[Tim Lindgren]

Hi Kieth.. arent basements fun! I bet you never realized how uneven your floor was until you started cutting stud walls huh! I stopped doing basement finishes anymore (takes too long), but allow me to offer you few tips to save you some time & money. Excuse some items that may seem elementary but theses are the areas most owners overlook when doing it themselves.

A. Most important: Are you having this inspected? If so, you may have overlooked the code requirement for fireblock in between the foundation wall and the interior studded wall. I was hired to re-build three seperate "do-it-yourself" basements that all failed inspection due to lack of fireblock. I had to rip out all the walls and start over. Expensive and very frustrating to the owners. Be vigilant about fireblocks. Any time the a vertical space meets a horizontial space requires a block of either 5/8" drywall, or nominal lumber (1" thick or better). This is tricky around beam support posts... but they still should be done. The steel beam down the center of the basement is the most vulnerable to fire (heat really) believe it or not. Protect it as much as you can. And.... Moving or relocating beam supports is a serious NO NO!

B. Don't forget the exhaust vent in the bathroom.

C. I'm confused about the vapor barrior. What's it attached too, and what's behind it?! Glad to see treated lumber bottom plates. You'd be surprised how many dont do that! Use greenboard for the bathroom. Not drywall.

D. No need to use 16"OC for stud walls in a basement. You arent carrying any loads. 24" OC is fine and within code. You won't notice ANY difference in wall strength. Same for the door framing. No need for cripples or kingstuds. You aren't transfering any loads.

E. IMHO... I don't see much need for the wall & door that is in-between the family room and foyer (under-the-stairs area) to the bathroom / office. I would just omit this. I know you have a beam going across there.. but just box it out instead. It'll make the rooms flow much better. If you have to open a door, to open another door, the flow doesn't work, and the door will be forever propped open. Just omit the door altogether. In fact, you may want to consider moving the door from the utility room to the wall that adjoins the family room. I'm guessing you spec'd this for a W&D area. I would put a door at the bottom of the steps to the office space. You're walking 20 steps to get into a room that could take 2 steps. by the way... You're NOT thinking about using the office room as a bedroom...RIGHT?! There is no escape in the event of a fire! And it has almost zero air circulation. This is a dangerous and uncomfortable space.

Personally, I would make the office area a laundry / storage room, and open up the family room where the utility room is. Carrying laundry sucks... down the steps, around the corner, and through 2 doors... that's gonna get old. Down the steps, turn right.... that's managable. The storage closet could then be turned into built-in's and an entertainment center. Again, Just my opinion.

f. Smoke Detectors. You'll need 3. (utility room, office, bottom of steps.) hard wire them, and you'll never worry about em again.

I know I'm being very presumptious here. My apologies. I really feel for those that get burned after they put in so much time and effort.

Have fun!! ( aka. Better you then me! )

[Keith Starosta]

:D WOW!! Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys!!! I'm a bit overwhelmed, but I'll try and address each of them.

Bart & Chris....the "unfinished" storage area behind the bathroom is going to be used for, well....just that. Storing small, very much unused (yet somehow still relevant :rolleyes: ) things. I showed my wife the drawing you did, Bart, and while she appreciated the thoughts, she did not at all like the idea of having to walk through the utility area to get to the bathrioom. So, it stays the way it is. ;)

Doug, down here in Stafford County, the silver-backed builders insulation is just fine for code. We've had several neighbors do the same thing, and all was well.

Ray, don't even talk to me about that closet. :rolleyes: My wife really thinks (and to a certain point, I agree) that we need more storage. I am trying to work out some ideas that would be more beneficial to both of us. That door is going to seriously limit the size of the television I put on that wall. ;)

Tim.....ya got me worried now. I'm going to have to go down and check on the fire blocking, and look at the county building code book. If I don't have it correct, I'll fix it now. Thanks for that heads-up. The bathroom exhaust fan is sitting in the box, waiting to be installed. That vapor barrier is actually the insulation that is attached directly to the concrete foundation walls. Every builder in this region uses the stuff, and it is apparently OK to leave up when finishing the basement. The framing is something I've been beating myself up over. Now that I hear you say that 24" O.C. will be fine, I'm going to go that route to finish things up. The "Office" will be just that, an office. My real office got turned into a play room after the twins came along, so I'm anxious to get my own space back. As far as the washer and dryer....well, they're staying put. That's where they were originally placed, and I'm not going to go through the hassle to have that whole floor area busted up and re-plumbed, but I DO appreciate the suggestion!! :D

The door into the office at the bottom of the stairs is a no-go. I've attached a pic of the view from the family room, looking back toward the stairs. Since I'm going to be opening up that stairway, my wife (and my mother!!) said that they didn't think they wanted to look at a door at the bottom of the stairs through that open wall. What can I say... I liked the idea, but I am merely the hired help for this job.

Again, all thoughts and suggestions are very much appreciated. Please keep them coming as I move forward!!

Keith

[Bart Leetch]

Well they have to live with it. :D

[Corey Hallagan]

Kieth you could totally eliminate the door in the family room in the closet and put in on the short connecting wall in the utility room. You could put a larger door there it looks like and totally eliminate any restictions in your family room. Only problem is it is a lot of doors to carry stuff thru if you need to. Just an idea.

Corey

[Jerry Olexa]

Keith: Have you already installed the attic Fan??:D in your spare time...Looks like your off to a good start. The guys have some good suggestions. Enjoy your project!

[Keith Starosta]

Corey, the floor plan that I posted is minus any of the mechanicals. That corner of the utility area currently houses the furnace and hot water heater, along with the washer/dryer. We had actually talked about how nice it would be to just put a door where you suggested, but I'm not sure we could have the furnace moved at this point. ;)

Jerry, believe me...she hasn't forgotten about that fan!!

I got some more framing done yesterday, and today I hope to have the pocket door between the utility room and the connecting hall completed. After that, we've got some stuff to move out of the way so I can finish framing.

Keith

[Jim Becker]

I got some more framing done yesterday,.

Not possible...no evidence.

[Ray Bersch]

:D WOW!! Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys!!! I'm a bit overwhelmed, but I'll try and address each of them.

Ray, don't even talk to me about that closet. :rolleyes: My wife really thinks (and to a certain point, I agree) that we need more storage. I am trying to work out some ideas that would be more beneficial to both of us. That door is going to seriously limit the size of the television I put on that wall. ;)Keith

Keith, ALL wives think you need more storage. Storage = tools, same thing, we all need more. Now, when a convenient access to the storage area interferes with the size of your TV, well then my friend, you have problems - so, your design is great and as your reward for completing this project you should get the very largest TV you can carry in the door.

Sounds like you are having fun so keep up the good work.

By the way, and I know this won't sink in just yet, the more storage you have the more stuff you store, the more you have to move or get rid of (does it sound like I am still smarting after moving from my home of 25 years??)
Ray

[Dan McGuire]

Keith,

Finishing the basement is quiet a project, believe me I am just about finished with mine. I started about the same point as you. the bathroom drain plumbing was roughed in by the previous owner of the house and a couple of walls along two sides of the foundation were framed, everything else I did. However, I wish I would have invested the time and effort into the CAD program like you are doing, great idea. SWMBO and I went to the basement with a piece of sidewalk chalk and two heads filled with ideas and started roughing the design on the floor, building around where the bathroom plumbing was already roughed.

I viewed the whole project as a learning experience and wanted the opportunity to do it all myself, including electrical, plumbing (save for the sewer drain rough-in), sheetrock (hang, mud and tape) as well as laying the tile. I told myself that if it ever became a hassle or I was up against the wall on time I would sub out various portions of the job. As I got into the project anything that looked tough I viewed as a challenge and couldn't let that defeat me by having someone else do it. This attitude gave me the personal satisfaction of knowing that I did the whole job myself, as well as some areas that may look less than professional specifically the mudding, yet overall I am statisfied. However, LOML always said that I am my own worst critic.

I wish you the best of luck and keep us posted with pics.

Dan

[Keith Starosta]

Keith,

Finishing the basement is quiet a project, believe me I am just about finished with mine. I started about the same point as you. the bathroom drain plumbing was roughed in by the previous owner of the house and a couple of walls along two sides of the foundation were framed, everything else I did. However, I wish I would have invested the time and effort into the CAD program like you are doing, great idea. SWMBO and I went to the basement with a piece of sidewalk chalk and two heads filled with ideas and started roughing the design on the floor, building around where the bathroom plumbing was already roughed.

I viewed the whole project as a learning experience and wanted the opportunity to do it all myself, including electrical, plumbing (save for the sewer drain rough-in), sheetrock (hang, mud and tape) as well as laying the tile. I told myself that if it ever became a hassle or I was up against the wall on time I would sub out various portions of the job. As I got into the project anything that looked tough I viewed as a challenge and couldn't let that defeat me by having someone else do it. This attitude gave me the personal satisfaction of knowing that I did the whole job myself, as well as some areas that may look less than professional specifically the mudding, yet overall I am statisfied. However, LOML always said that I am my own worst critic.

I wish you the best of luck and keep us posted with pics.

Dan

Yeah, Dan.....it really helps to have SketchUp when doing this kind of work. it really does allow us to visualize what something is going to look like before we spend any time, or more importantly money, on this project. I'm very much looking forward to moving forward in the process.

Keith

[Bob Yarbrough]

Did our basement last summer. 1898 house on a circa 1940 basement. The previous owner had glued lath to the walls and drywall to the lathe. When the old stuff came down, I found roots growing through the walls!! Clean up the joints, hydraulic cement, water vapor? paint, bunch of 2xS and drywall, had the walls done.

The floor had the classic 12X12 real "fake" wood imatation tiles in a very dark color that had been soaked from time to time from the basement leaking. Had to come up. Tons of fun LOL.

But now that it is done, it is one of the best places in the house.

Good luck.

[Keith Starosta]

So I was able to get some more framing done over the weekend, along with the installation of a last minute addition to the plan. Admittedly, the utility area is going to be pretty small, but that's the way it is. In order to save some space, I decided to use a pocket door for entry purposes. It's going to save approximately 8 sq. feet of space, which is pretty significant. I had never installed one of these, so I didn't know what to expect when I went looking for the components. At Home Depot, I found a pocket door kit made by a company called Johnson Industrys (or something like that). The kit itself was $55, and the jamb kit that went along with it was $35. We picked a pretty standard six-panel interior door, which brought the total to around $135.00. Like I said, I didn't have any idea going in what I would pay, so I'm not sure if that was a decent price. It doesn't really matter, though, because it's all installed and operational now. I have to stop and pick up some Tapcons on my way home to secure the vertical braces to the masonary floor. I was surprised at the ease of installation with this unit. It took about an hour from start to finish. It would have been shorter had I not fussed with it so much. :rolleyes:

Other than that, I finished framing out the entry to the office and one of the walls in the Rec Room. I am at the point where I need to move a bunch of stuff out of the basement in order to finish the four remaining walls. Hopefully that will happen this week.

Here are a couple of not-too-exciting pics...

Pic 1 is the pocket door closed
Pic 2 shows it open

...told ya they weren't exciting. ;)

Cheers!!

Keith

[Chris Padilla]

Steady as she goes, steady as she goes.... :)

You just gotta do a little bit at a time and eventually it gets done. :)

[Keith Starosta]

Steady as she goes, steady as she goes.... :)

You just gotta do a little bit at a time and eventually it gets done. :)

Yeah, I wish I had more time to get bigger chunks taken care of. It was good this past weekend, because my Mom was in town to help my wife with the kiddos, so I could play in the basement. That ends tomorrow, so I'm guessing my progress will slow even more. But, you're right......steady as she goes... :rolleyes:

Keith

[Chris Padilla]

Keith,

It took me 8 months to gut and fully finish the 1/2 bath on the main floor of my house. Weekends and afterwork were it. If the room being remodeled isn't heavily used or sorely missed, it isn't too bad if the job takes a long time. It was annoying to run upstairs to use a bathroom but it wasn't too bad overall.

This will be one reason why when we remodel the kitchen, I will hire someone to do it. While I'd love to do it, I honestly don't think my marriage would survive it. However, I wish I even HAD a basement to finish/remodel! I need to get one first! :(

[Keith Starosta]

At this point, the "Rec Room" in the basement is starting to become a necessity. With the twins turning two in September, their "stuff" is starting to spread out significantly. The extra room will definitely be nice.

Keith

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Keith...a couple of years ago I used one of those kits to install a pocket door and had the same experience! Works well. Hang in there! Your project will get done.

[Bob Mooney]

Keith,

Your basement looks somewhat similiar to mine...lots of new walls, insulation, etc. I'm finishing my basement now as well. One of these days, I'll post some pix. Ideas noted here in this thread have been helpful to me as well. Thanks everybody!

Bob

[Keith Starosta]

Well, here I am, some three weeks after starting this project, and it's moving along at pretty much the speed I was expecting. A couple of hours here, couple hours there.....doesn't make for very efficient framing. BUT...it's getting done. I only have two more walls to frame up, and then build the two soffits, which should be no problem. One of the things I'm running into right now is the clutter. The basement currently holds a bunch of straight-up crap that shouldn't be there, but since we don't have anything else to do with it, I'm having to work around it.

I'm not posting any progress shots yet, because how exciting if a framed wall, really? :p I am, however, going to post a couple of pictures in the hope that I might get some advice. As I stated earlier in the thread, I am hoping to open up the stair wall leading to the basement. The problem I am facing is that this is a load bearing wall, and I can't just go cutting out studs. I know that if I were to attempt this, I would need to install a new header along that wall to support the load of the living room floor joists just above that area. I want to make sure I do this correctly. I have a book with some pretty decent instructions, but now I am calling on the knowledge here. How do I go about this? The wall was originally framed using 2x6's, so I will continue that when builder the header. I know I'll need to frame with king and trimmer studs for the header supports. Anything tricky here, or am I making too much out of it?

Here are the pics:

Pic 1 shows the entire wall.
Pic 2 is a close-up behind the end of the ductwork.

Thanks guys!!

Keith

[Keith Starosta]

After doing some research this morning, I was able to find a span calculator at the website for the American Wood Council (http://www.awc.org/calculators/span/calc/timbercalcstyle.asp). It's pretty straight forward, asking basic questions about the type of wood being used and the the member type being supported. I'm not sure about the last two parameters, and how to determine the value I need. It asks for the Live Load (psf) and the Dead Load (psf). I'm assuming they want the pounds per square foot, but is there a standard for the live and dead loads?

I used the defaults values of 40 psf for the live load and 10 psf for the dead load. After entering all of the other variables, it determined that the maximum horizontal span I can have is 9ft. 4in., with a minimum bearing length of 0.49 in. required at each end of the member. Can anyone help me understand what they mean by "minimum bearing length"?

Keith

[Jim Becker]

Somehow I think you need to know what the load you will be supporting is...and that will likely require a consultation from a structural engineer. Bearing walls are too important to make a mistake on...

[Keith Starosta]

I agree, Jim. I've got a couple of calls in to a some guys in my area. Whatever their fee, it will be worth it NOT to have our living room come crashing down on us. :eek:

Keith

[Michael Gabbay]

Keith - you might try calling your local county inspection office. They usually have published requirements for header loads etc. You might want to leave the load bearing studs in place at the bottom of the stairs so you can attach your railing.

Also, when I finished my basement, I insulated the ceiling for sound reduction. It has been a great help when the kids are down playing we don't hear as much noise. The one thing I'd do over is have all the switches at the top and bottom of the stairs so you can turn on/off lights without always going down strairs.

Mike

[Chris Padilla]

The one thing I'd do over is have all the switches at the top and bottom of the stairs so you can turn on/off lights without always going down strairs.

Mike

Ah, yes, copious use of 3-way switches are a must around stairs and longish hallways!

Keep going, Keith, looks like you are thinking correctly thus far. Always best to get some pro advise for load-bearing walls if you are at all uncomfortable. Me, I always over-engineer the crap out of everything. If 2x8s are required, I'd probably find a way to use 2x10s....

[Steve Stube]

Keith, sizing the supporting beam/header to carry the load from above may be only 1/2 the total solution. You didn't show the floor plate (usually treated material for an interior supporting wall below grade) but I'm wondering if you can get by with less bearing support at the floor unless you have a foundation footing at this location. You might get all the support you need for the load above, rest it on a couple of post and watch them punch holes thru a typical (?) basement concrete floor. Oouch! Time to check the blue prints.

[Keith Starosta]

Keith - you might try calling your local county inspection office. They usually have published requirements for header loads etc. You might want to leave the load bearing studs in place at the bottom of the stairs so you can attach your railing.

Also, when I finished my basement, I insulated the ceiling for sound reduction. It has been a great help when the kids are down playing we don't hear as much noise. The one thing I'd do over is have all the switches at the top and bottom of the stairs so you can turn on/off lights without always going down strairs.

Mike

Mike, I've talked with the county inspection office about this, and surprisingly, they weren't very much help at all!! :eek: They told me they only do inspections, and don't offer any advice along the way. I guess that's for insurance purposes. I've got a really strong handle on what it is I have to do now, though......I think. :rolleyes: :D

I'll be using many three-way switches down there. I'm going to be posting my electrical plan pretty soon for feedback. Be sure to comment on it. :)

Keith

[Keith Starosta]

Keith, sizing the supporting beam/header to carry the load from above may be only 1/2 the total solution. You didn't show the floor plate (usually treated material for an interior supporting wall below grade) but I'm wondering if you can get by with less bearing support at the floor unless you have a foundation footing at this location. You might get all the support you need for the load above, rest it on a couple of post and watch them punch holes thru a typical (?) basement concrete floor. Oouch! Time to check the blue prints.

Steve, the builders only used a pressure treated 2x6 for a bottom plate. I would be very surprised if I had to install footers for this application. I've got a structural engineer coming out on Monday, so we'll see what he says. If a footer is needed, then this part of the basement project is gonna get forgotten about. I don't need to open up that wall enough to break up the concrete floor to dig some footers. :D

Keith

[Chris Padilla]

I'll be using many three-way switches down there. I'm going to be posting my electrical plan pretty soon for feedback. Be sure to comment on it. :)

Keith

Whoo-hoo!! 'Lectricity...my favorite subject!! Let's see, you'll need a whole new subpanel...200 A ought-a do it...yeah! Okay, then, snaking in the 4/0 (#0000) will be fun but it'll worth it, trust me! ;)

Seriously, though, how is your access to the main panel? Can you put a subpanel somewhere?

[Keith Starosta]

Chris, you're a funny man.....lol.

Some time ago, I had the bright idea of consulting with an electrician about what I was going to do. Out of that meeting came the idea that I would have him run a 60 amp line from the main panel in the attached garage up down to the basement. This way, I'll be able to run everything to one central area down there, instead of having to pull it all the way back up through the house to the garage. Money well spent, IMO... :D

Today was a very, very good day as far as progress goes. I'm too pooped right now to upload pics, so I'll do it in the morning. G'night, all!!

Keith

[Keith Starosta]

What a productiive weekend!!! I'm very pleased with the work I got doen this weekend, albeit on only one piece of the overall puzzle.

My in-laws were in town this weekend, which meant that my FIL could give me a serious hand in the basement. The task....open up that wall. After a bit of noodling, we devised a plan and made a trip to the Borg for some lumber. We were to construct the temporary support wall, and then begin the removal of the drywall and wall studs. It all went really smoothly, with no problems whatsoever. I tend to really over-think things, and it helps to have somebody there like my father-in-law, who isn't afraid to say, "Hey, dummy...just do it this way!" :D It turned out the the most difficult part of the whole piece of work was trimming the remaining wall studs at the same angle as the existing stairs. Instead of hand-cutting them with a circular saw, or...God forbid an actual handsaw ;) , we opted to mark the angle on the edge of the stud and then carefully pry the stud from the bottom plate and cut the angle on the mitre saw. This worked very, very well!! I forgot to take a picture after re-installing those mitred studs, but they matched perfectly. I still have to install the top plate on the angled stud wall, but other than that, the wall is open! :D

Here is the photographic evidence....

Pic 1: The temporary support wall. We had this thing wedged up so tight you could have strummed Stairway To Heaven on the studs. :D
Pic 2: The drywall was marked and removed at the appropriate height.
Pic 3: A picture of the new beam. We used three 2x6's, with 1/2" OSB as spacers to bring it to its full width. This thing was pretty heavy... :eek:
Pic 4: Because it was so heavy, we needed to employ a little assistance getting it in place behind the ductwork. It worked great.
Pic 5: The beam installed. It's sitting on a pair of laminated 2x6's at each end.

We paid veeeery close attention to the joists as we went through this process. I was assured by a neighbor of mine (who used to be a builder) that this solution would be more than effective. Let's hope so!! ;)

I'm really please that this portion of the project is behind me now. The rest should be a piece of cake......or not! :D

Keith

[Michael Gabbay]

Keith - Looks good. Framing is the fun part its the plumbing that's a pain. At least for me.

Mike

[Chris Padilla]

Sweet! Great job, Keith, ya done good!

[Bill Lewis]

Keith,

I was quite puzzled over why you would need to put a beam up in place of that wall. If the framing was done correctly in the first place, the the floor joists would have been properly "headered" to transfer the load around the stair opening. Then I realized, the original builder probably "cheated" by putting in a bearing wall instead of the correct framing. The only thing that is "wrong" with doing this is that the basement slab probably didn't have footings poured beneath it to support that wall, or now, your post. If I'm wrong, that's a good thing, but even if I'm right, don't worry, it ain't goin nowhere.

Of course, I just went back and read some of the prior posts. Sounds like you hashed through these concerns well enough.

[Keith Starosta]

Keith,

I was quite puzzled over why you would need to put a beam up in place of that wall. If the framing was done correctly in the first place, the the floor joists would have been properly "headered" to transfer the load around the stair opening. Then I realized, the original builder probably "cheated" by putting in a bearing wall instead of the correct framing. The only thing that is "wrong" with doing this is that the basement slab probably didn't have footings poured beneath it to support that wall, or now, your post. If I'm wrong, that's a good thing, but even if I'm right, don't worry, it ain't goin nowhere.

Of course, I just went back and read some of the prior posts. Sounds like you hashed through these concerns well enough.

Bill, from what my "uneducated" eye could tell, it definitely looks like the builder "cheated", as you say. The house is only four years old, but I am just now really starting to look at things like framing, etc, with a critical eye. There are a lot of areas where this type of thing took place, it seems. :(

Even if I am wrong, and they did frame it correctly in the first place, that extra piece of mind never hurts. ;)

Keith