The original Boston Line BACK on track!

[LKOrailroad]

I think they have to be against the wall to be considered furring. Curious, why are you spacing them away from the wall? Seems like wasted space.

[Scottl]

I'm not sure how that would be classified, it depends on the building code in your area. 

BTW, that is a lot of space (4-6") between the studs and wall.  We left 1 inch when we framed our basement.  The space was meant to provide circulation.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I think they have to be against the wall to be considered furring. Curious, why are you spacing them away from the wall? Seems like wasted space.

This is why the walls have to be 4" from the concrete:


The new sewer line huggs two walls of the foundation and will require 4" of space between the studs and the concrete. I plan on using 2" foam board under the pipe that will act as both a vapor barier and insulation.

Anyway, the last of the cleanup is done and the plumber just has to hook up the new water heater tomorrow. We had a lot of delays, and I was afraid the work would not be ready for my trip to Asia starting Wed.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Well I am back from vacation and working on the basement again. Here is how it stands:

Plumbing:
All plumbing is complete and working. The radiators actually knock a lot less with the new configuration. Toilets flush without clogging and drains move much more quickly. The new water heater has been tucked behind the furnace, opening up the area around the chimney.

Electrical:
I have hired an electrician to clean up the panel and re-route the house wiring in a more professional manner. He will also be pulling all the current basement wiring and adding a ground to the house. Anticipated cost will be $400-600. Work starts this week.

Oil Tank:
The oil tank will be moved by my oil supplier on Monday. They anticipate the cost to be around $600-800 to pump the tank, reposition it, add the hardware to the house and refill it. This will put all my incoming utilities along one wall in the basement, allowing an unobstructed room of about 650 square feet.

French Drain:
Basement technologies will be in next Wed/Thurs to put in the last section that was blocked by the tank. This work was part of the contact and will be at no additional cost.

[davefoxx]

Seems like some reasonable numbers to me to fix the electrical and oil tank issues.  Someday, you will look back and see that the money you spent on the basement will seem like small potatoes for what you got out of it, not to mention any increased value in the home and the cure for electrical and plumbing gremlins.  Good to see you're not scrimping on the prep work for the layout space, which will be a much better end product and a safer and better house.

DFF

[DKS]

This is why the walls have to be 4" from the concrete:


The new sewer line huggs two walls of the foundation and will require 4" of space between the studs and the concrete. I plan on using 2" foam board under the pipe that will act as both a vapor barier and insulation.

I had the same arrangement in my first house. So that I didn't lose any floor space, I angled the wall at 45 degrees along the top. If you really wanted to get fancy, you could cove the wall for a seamless sky.

[wazzou]

@DKS...the bare wire reminds me of one those home inspection nightmare things on the "This Old House" home improvement section of Yahoo.   

Good advice to Daniel though.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Bryan, it really is starting to feel like This Old House. The project is more house and less trains than I had thought.

There are several reason why I have to bump the walls out. First, I am not that experienced laying studs and want to keep it as simple as possible. Second, I need room for insulation and to access the french drain plugs located about 2" from the wall. With the walls bumped out 4" I can just add small hidden access panels to get at the plugs where they would covered by the studs if layed against the wall. I could build in cut-outs in the studs and drywall to access them, but again, I want this simple.

Keep in mind that the layout is not going to use large peninsulas into the room. The 4" will not make a ton of diference in the open floorplan.

Finally, I am terrified that the cement walls may leak at some point. This basement was wet-wet-wet until the french drain. The walls the previous owner installed against the concrete was COVERED in mold. Open space, vapor barrior, waterproof insulation, the drain and good waterproofing are all tools in combatting water. I rather overengineer than take my chances.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Quick recap for today:

Old water heater next to chimey in August:


Water heater has been moved back. Wiring is being restrung.



Stairs, closet and "finished" basement in April


Stairway is intact, but the walls and closet have been removed, along with everything else.

[MVW]

Looks like model railroad heaven.

Jim

[Philip H]

Looking good Daniel.  When your electrical guy is done, I have a rewiring job for him here in MAryland . . . .

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Ha ha ha I was so worried about Sandy flooding my basement. It stayed dry as a bone and the pumps worked great.

Then my srewer line backed up. Water came pouring in from both bathrooms while I was at work and Joy and her mom were home. Joy cleaned the bathrooms while I worked on the basement when I got home. Roto-Rooter came in and cleared the backup. There was a slight misalignment with the 4" to 6" junction at the property line. The extended stay in Thailand may have let the sewage settle, clog and back up.

Roto-Rooter charged $377 to fix the clog, but if I want to fix the misalignment, I need to tear up the front yard and part of the street - $3000-8000. Thats not going to happen. We will just keep an eye on slow flowing toilets and the traps.

Anyway, I count myself lucky for two reasons:
1. This happened before I put up the studs and now know what to look for.
2. It was landry day and not Taco night.

Even so, not enough showers in the world...

[MVW]

We've had three "crap eruptions" in our basement in the 13 years we've been here. I told my wife if it happens again, we're just gonna burn the house down and walk away.

I feel your pain.

Jim

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The plumbing inspector signed off on the work. I'm clear to start construction!

Supplies get ordered Friday from Lowes.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Joy and I made a trip to Lowes yesterday. We purchased most of the project with a 10% off cupon. Items included:
135 2x4x8 pressure treated studs
52 sheets of 2" foam insulation
2 rolls of fiberglass insulation
31 sheets of greenboard
6 recessed light kits
275' of 16 gage electrical wire
8 1-gang electrical boxes
2 2-gang electrical boxes
4 ceiling electrical boxes
1 sliding miter saw
1 shop vac
60 pounds of basement sealer

This will all be drop shipped to my house so I don't have to worry about rening a truck. Total cost was $2060. I figure this will cover about 90% of what I need to get the walls and electrical up. I will worry about the ceiling in the spring, after everything else is in place.

One thing that is annoying the hell out of me is the need for a framing nailer. I could go with a pneumatic unit for about $200, but I would need to upgrade my air compressor, and the total would cost about $500. I could get a cordless gun for about $300, but I just don't see using it that often. I could rent one from Home Depot - for $30 bucks a day. I have to measure and cut each stud in place as the house is slightly uneven, which means I would need to use the nailer for a week or two - making the rental as expensive as buying one.