Basement Finishing thread...

[Road Guy]

here are some early on pics, got the sub-panel put in wednesday, $500 bucks, probably well worth it. I ended up working out a decent deal to pay to have all the wiring, switching, can lights installed. HVAC is next week, then I hope to have the plumber come before christmas so I can start on the sheet rock...

(please make fun of the mess in the basement, beleive me this is after 10 trips to the dump, and 20 trips to goodwill.....)

previous owner put these windows in, I am to lazy to reframe but would prefer to have one big opening (wall not load bearing)

this is where the bar will go, as stated above the previous wall kind of restriced what I can do with the bar but I think i can make it work

looking back towards the stairs, you can tell the previous owner finished the recessed area to the left just before flat screen tv's became "economical" he built a recessed area for a 36" tv I think so now I just have to figure out how to hang the tv over this hole

this is going to be a workout room, may try and fit a foosball table, have to clean up the existing hvac and then build a closet around the inside of the room to hide all that crap which is going to reduce the room...

I have to cut a door into the left, behind this wall will be a full bath, still have to clean some junk out of that room, dont think the kids need that tricycle anymore..

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Lucky bastard. I don't consider it that much of a basement finishing process if you start with firred out walls and some drywall hung. A house that I'm looking at buying has the foundation walls and some metal columns holding up the first floor. That would be a pain in the ass to finish.

 

[Road Guy]

^-- dont forget the plumbing in the floor was stubbed out as well

I did frame out some of the walls, honestly I wish I could tear out the one wall (with the windows) and make the rooms much more open

I also get to frame out the ceiling which I think is going to be a pain, going to box out around the hvac to get as much height as I can

 

[nashbmattPE]

why not take the wall out? you will always wish you did and just a little more work and it could be done

 

[Dexman1349]

why not take the wall out? you will always wish you did and just a little more work and it could be done

Easier & much cheaper to do it now...

 

[mdipuma]

Looks, good so far! I wish I could have a basement, but it would just be a swimming pool here in New Orleans!

 

[EM_PS]

nice work so far, looks alot like the basement i finished in previous house, and at similar level of 'pre-finishing'. I would totally sledge hammer that wall out, its not load-bearing & the window openings look flat-out gay. my :2cents:

 

[Road Guy]

Damn ya'll are right, and I could reuse most all of the wood.

I have been sitting in the basement staring at it for an hour or so.

Should I case out a large opening or just take it out completely?

The wall is really cramping my ability to do a pool table. Both rooms are 19' x 14'.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Damn ya'll are right, and I could reuse most all of the wood.
I have been sitting in the basement staring at it for an hour or so.

Should I case out a large opening or just take it out completely?

The wall is really cramping my ability to do a pool table. Both rooms are 19' x 14'.

If it's only 14' wide, then you won't be able to get a pool table in there comfortably anyway. Pool tables need a surprising amount of space to use correctly.

 

[MA_PE]

Damn ya'll are right, and I could reuse most all of the wood.
I have been sitting in the basement staring at it for an hour or so.

Should I case out a large opening or just take it out completely?

The wall is really cramping my ability to do a pool table. Both rooms are 19' x 14'.

If it's only 14' wide, then you won't be able to get a pool table in there comfortably anyway. Pool tables need a surprising amount of space to use correctly.

14 ft wide is OK for a 4x8 table, tight for the typical tournament size 4.5 x 9. Rule of thumb is playing surface and 5 ft clear on either side.

IMHO you really don't want a smaller table than 4 x 8. 7 ft tables just aren't the same.

 

[EM_PS]

Damn ya'll are right, and I could reuse most all of the wood.
I have been sitting in the basement staring at it for an hour or so.

Should I case out a large opening or just take it out completely?

The wall is really cramping my ability to do a pool table. Both rooms are 19' x 14'.

No cased opening. Its pretty much impossible to avoid the 'shoebox' look of finished basements, but it affords the most usable space. Unless you're popping in bedrooms or a study or the like, go wide open w/ that part of basement.

14 ft wide is OK for a 4x8 table, tight for the typical tournament size 4.5 x 9. Rule of thumb is playing surface and 5 ft clear on either side.
IMHO you really don't want a smaller table than 4 x 8. 7 ft tables just aren't the same.

You'll have enough room for 4' pool table, and you got enough depth at 19' for whatever length. My basement is 14' wide, and here is pic of our 4 x 7 pool table - it has minimum of 4' clearance on any given side to closest obstruction - sometimes gets a little tight on the bar-rail side of the table, but i need some 4' cues anyways, for tight shots & the kiddos to take up the sport. I'm kinda liking the idea of a shuffle board table some day, when the kids are older and not using the other half of the rec-room - i'll be at the right age by then!

 

[Dexman1349]

Damn ya'll are right, and I could reuse most all of the wood.
I have been sitting in the basement staring at it for an hour or so.

Should I case out a large opening or just take it out completely?

The wall is really cramping my ability to do a pool table. Both rooms are 19' x 14'.

Take it completely out. If you feel there is a need for a partial wall there, it would be easier to rebuild once the original wall is out. Retro-fitting is such a pain in the ass.

 

[MA_PE]

Damn ya'll are right, and I could reuse most all of the wood.
I have been sitting in the basement staring at it for an hour or so.

Should I case out a large opening or just take it out completely?

The wall is really cramping my ability to do a pool table. Both rooms are 19' x 14'.

No cased opening. Its pretty much impossible to avoid the 'shoebox' look of finished basements, but it affords the most usable space. Unless you're popping in bedrooms or a study or the like, go wide open w/ that part of basement.

14 ft wide is OK for a 4x8 table, tight for the typical tournament size 4.5 x 9. Rule of thumb is playing surface and 5 ft clear on either side.
IMHO you really don't want a smaller table than 4 x 8. 7 ft tables just aren't the same.

You'll have enough room for 4' pool table, and you got enough depth at 19' for whatever length. My basement is 14' wide, and here is pic of our 4 x 7 pool table - it has minimum of 4' clearance on any given side to closest obstruction - sometimes gets a little tight on the bar-rail side of the table, but i need some 4' cues anyways, for tight shots & the kiddos to take up the sport. I'm kinda liking the idea of a shuffle board table some day, when the kids are older and not using the other half of the rec-room - i'll be at the right age by then!

nice looking game room and nice looking table.

Sorry, I'm just being picky, but I'm not aware of any 4x7 table, the dimensions are the playing surface and aspect ratio should always be 2:1. Standard cues are 57 in. if the playing surface is 4ft and you've got 5ft from the inside edge of the rail and the wall (not necessarily clear between the outside edge of the table and the wall) you should be ok.

For pure perpendicular shots, you need to go to a shorter cue but that's infrequent enough to not make it overly bothersome.

A 7 ft table should have a playing width of 3.5 ft where 14 ft between walls should be just fine.

 

[EM_PS]

yeah you're right, it is 3.5 x 7. Table's same size as my dad's, interestingly i shoot way better on his for some reason, so when you play the house here, the house is generous - though i will destroy all comers in darts (cricket) . This basement i did not finish, and the pool table we actually negotiated from seller to leave in house. Its a pretty good man-cave, though on other end of room is all the kids's stuff / toys / games, and the mandatory 36" HD tv - and our second christmas tree. A centrally located fireplace completes the room, so i really like being down there any time of year.

 

[Road Guy]

and the wall, came tumbling down... (well not completely, but its going to open up nicely I think)

of course wife is paranoid that I dont know what a load bearing wall is

 

[MA_PE]

Nice. IMHO, you'll be so much happier with that wall gone.

 

[Dexman1349]

and the wall, came tumbling down... (well not completely, but its going to open up nicely I think)
of course wife is paranoid that I dont know what a load bearing wall is

Load bearing wall? What is this crazy thing you speak of? The only "loads" that walls bear are the pictures and stuff you hang on them. Take the pictures off, done, not a load bearing wall anymore...

Nicely done. I agree with MA, you will appreciate it more with that wall gone.

 

[Santiagj]

I like how you have really high ceilings. Its going to be nice down there. The problem with my basement is the low ceiling. The headroom I have is 6'8".

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I like how you have really high ceilings. Its going to be nice down there. The problem with my basement is the low ceiling. The headroom I have is 6'8".

I'm not sure I even have that. Plus, during heavy rains, I take a little water on it a few spots.

But, it is great for storage, and the HVAC and plumbing guys love it when they have to wotk on those systems.

 

[Road Guy]

i should have close to 8' I was going to make soffits around the hvac ducts and try and try and have the 9' where I can get it (like a trey ceiling) but if I can get a uniform 8' in most places I may just do that..