The original Boston Line BACK on track!

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Sure, it is daniel_leavitt2004@yahoo.com.

Image posting here is a lot like the Atlas board. I used to use railimages.com (trainboard) to host them, but now am using flickr.com for most of my work.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Quick update:
Dumpster is in and I started to move debris out of the basement. The "finished" portion of the basement has been largly torn out and I am kind of amazed the place has not burned down. The previous owner ran wires BETWEEN the metal studs and the concrete, pinching them in place. There were outlets that had wires exposed with the junction just a twisted pair of wires with only one side insulated to avoid a short. Oh, and they CUT THROUGH A JOIST to install the drain for the tub. Yes, thats right. They put a metal tub resting on a disconected joist.

I noticed the areas where they laid the drainage gutter is damp/weeping in areas that were not damp before. I'm not sure if this is because the cement they used has not been sealed, the drainage is not flowing downhill into the the sump pump or some other problem. Worse, we have not had any rain in well over a week so I am very nervous what will happen when it does rain.

Its frustrating to think I just spent $8500 on waterproofing and the basement may still be too wet.
I am very tired and not looking forward to a fight with the contractor. At least there is a warentee in place.

[Kevin Yutz]

Do not get the Bagster from WM if you may be pondering one. Get a real dumpster. 15yd should do fine. We got a Bagster for the CRHS Camp Car last fall and I HATED that friggin thing.

You hated it....heck i didnt like it either.  I was expecting a tiny dumpster myself for that but oh wellllll

Anyways looks like your progressing well with the basement.  One i wish i had a basement and then on the other hand im happy i dont since i wont have flooding issues........Maybe i just need a 3 car garage at my next house....

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Well, its funny when manual labor is involved everyone gets busy, so I started the demo myself. I have been busy as well with extra shifts at work so it is very hard finding time to get anything done.

Here is where its at:


And the dumpster:

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I forgot to mention that the plumber came by today. The previous owners apparently used underground electrical conduit instead of PVC piping for the drains. And 20 feet of it are flat level. And the neglected to put traps in. So the water lines, sewer, gas and radiator pipes, and water heater will all need yo be scrapped and replaced. Total cost will be somewhere between $6000-9000.

On the plus side all the old plaster is asbestos free. Little miricles...

[Philip H]

It never ceases to amaze me what problems people create with home improvements that could have been avoided with a 5 minute conversation at Home Depot before they buy.

None the less, congrats on the demo - I find it therapeutic.

[MichaelWinicki]

The previous owners apparently used underground electrical conduit instead of PVC piping for the drains. And 20 feet of it are flat level. And the neglected to put traps in. So the water lines, sewer, gas and radiator pipes, and water heater will all need yo be scrapped and replaced. Total cost will be somewhere between $6000-9000.

Stunning the efforts people go to do things on the "cheap".  And now it's going to cost 6 to 9 LARGE to fix it.  You just shake your head.

[C855B]

Hmm. I dunno, Daniel... Sched 40 is Sched 40. The primary difference between plumbing- and electrical-grade PVC is the carbon black added to electrical-grade to make it UV-resistant. And traps? Unless we're talking about missing floor drain traps, every appliance will have the proper trap below it, and the only other trap will be the main building trap. The "20 feet of level"... that's typically easy to fix.

I do a fair bit of plumbing, so I will be blunt - reading through your $6-9K estimate and what is being proposed to be replaced is sounding to me like he's tapped you as a mark. I would call another plumber or even a home inspector to get a second opinion, somebody who you are clear with from the beginning that they are being hired to evaluate what is truly "wrong" and needs to be brought up to code, and who has no conflict of interest in the evaluation.

I could be wrong, but you definitely need an independent look-see before signing on the dotted line for that much work.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The problem isn't just what is wrong with the code, but what needs to be moved. For example, I need to move the radiator piping up into the joists in 2/3 of the house. There is nothing wrong with the current lines except I keep hitting my head on them and they would get in the way of the valence. Do they need to be replaced? Nope, but they should be for a proper finished basement.

The same thing goes with the water lines, which are connected with sections of garden hose. They leak a bit and to properly finish the basement, they should be run through the joists.

There are no traps or vent pipes to one bathroom, including the shower which is why sewer gas has been seeping in. The electrical conduit has pop-out plugs simply glued shut to prevent spillage and parts were curved by heating the pipe making it brittle. On top of that there are parts of the sewer  line that actually line bend up.

The plumber is the brother of a co-worker. He has done a few police officers houses and they were very satisfied with his work. He is licensed and union. That's  big plus for me.

[DKS]

That 6-9 figure sounds high to me, too. I would get a second (maybe even a third) estimate.

[Ian MacMillan]

...and union. That's  big plus for me.

Keeping up with good ol Mass ways! 

*ducks the man who used to be a union president*

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I got a second opinion for the plumming. Yes its that bad. Yes its that expensive. All plumbing needs to be redone from the main trap back.

I do like this plummer a bit better and he seems to know what I want. We'll see what the final proposals will be.

The "finished" portion is nearly gutted. I would have got it all done but I broke my pickaxe. Someone also turned on a few circut breakers that should have been off. Yeah that wasn't fun at all.

[Ian MacMillan]

Lockout! Tagout!

[jbcz]

I realize that you have bigger fish to fry right now with all of yiour home improvements.  I've been on several business trisp and will be going again.  Ihahven't had a chance to post photos of my city of Boston with BU, Citgo sign, behind Beacon Park.  Got to create acccounts, etc.   I will do so when I'm done traveling.  You've got plenty of more important things to do right now!!  Good luck.  We went through the dumpster thing on a house too last year!

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Well it has been over two months since posting. We are down two dispatchers at work and I have had to work a lot of overtime. That being said, I have made more progress in the last few weeks. So lets get to it!

Demolition:
The “finished” potion of the basement is long gone. I have kept one wall, as I am too lazy to build a wall if there is already one in place. It’s not built well, but it’s not going to be used for anything other than a divider to the unfinished portion of the basement.


The old plastered ceilings came down with the help of one of my wife’s coworkers. He was very pricy, but put off working on that ceiling for more than a month just because I have nil upper body strength. Damn skinny arms cost me $600.


With the ceiling in rubble on the floor, I had to call a new dumpster. I got a 15 yard deal from a co-worker in Natick.


Plumbing:
So with the ceilings down, I finally got a plumber. The whole house is being re-done; gas, water and sewer lines radiators, steam pipes and garden hose spigots . Total cost? $7500. Permits are also being pulled for this so we will finally have certified plumbing in the house! Yay.

(Sewer pipes now hug the wall, alowing me to build the studs in front and eliminating any overhead issues. Water lines are next!)

BTW, the guy is a real professional. He works hard, has everything he needs set up the day before and takes short lunches. When working some leftover demo, I try to keep pace with him. It’s very hard.

Electrical, and Oil:
With the plumbing done sometime next week, I need to get some cleanup work on the wiring before the plumbing inspector reviews the work. I figure I will take the opportunity and have an electrician pull all the wiring for the basement while he is at it. This will reduce clutter, and let me lay out my own wiring when I am ready.

Once the wiring is pulled, I will have the oil company move the tank. I am saving this almost for last because it is out of the way where it is, and they require permits as well, which means another inspection.  Once this is taken care of (mid October), I can get Basement Technologies back and finish up the French drain where the tank was.

And then it begins:
Mid October will be a huge time for the basement. This is when the floors get sealed and the waterproofing and insulation are added. I hope to start putting up studs by the winter.

Running Tally:
French Drain and Sump Pump:  $8200
Filling in Windows and Cement Work: $300
Ceiling Removal: $600
Plumbing Related Issues: $7500
Dumpsters: $550
--------------------------------------------------
$14450 out of a $22000 budget (for finished room only, not layout)