Anyone do any major basement remodels lately and have some advice for me??
Background...
As some of you know, I've relocated back to the east coast (NEPA to be specific). After spending 16 years in the desert southwest, it was time to "come home" so to speak. Although I will definitely miss crawling in the rocks (and that's now what summer trips are for!), it has been nice to be in a place where I can walk outside in the summer and not die within 15 minutes and where an 81º afternoon is considered "a bit warm".
The house we found had almost everything we were looking for. A lake property (one of the few in the area with deeded lake rights and not just "lake access" like most in the area), with a huge sunroom, cheap taxes (comparatively), a decent sized lot (0.55 acres and I'm looking to buy the two plots next to me, which would bring our plot to over 1.22 acres), that is close to where I spent my high school years and close to friends, and with plenty of hunting, fishing and golfing nearby.
Walking outside and casting a line in the mornings has been something I've definitely been needing in life
As much as we love the home, the house is a 1960-built "contemporary ranch", so it has all that you would expect of a house from this era: oak on oak, on oak, on oak, with 1/4 round oak trim to top it all off; pink tile bathroom (at least the main bath has been updated nicely); scalloped wood accents; and of course, so much gold and faceted glass lights that you think it was something out of a Miami Vice episode!
Much of it we are already addressing; I spent the better part of the first two weeks knocking out the old light boxes and replaced them with fan-rated boxes and installing matching ceiling fans. Also replaced the lights with matching fixtures - not a spec of gold in the house (except for the door hardware which I'm currently also replacing!). I spent most of the past two weeks removing unnecessary trim and prepping for paint, much to my wife's delight (she's excited to start decorating, especially with fall not too far away!).
All this work got me thinking about the basement. Although it's considered "finished", it's as badly dated as the rest of the house: wood paneling, light fixtures circa 1978, a massive brick fireplace with matching support-post brick facades, some weird compressed cardboard ceiling, and likely asbestos-containing "peel and stick" linoleum tiles...
Some pics as it stands now:
Wood fireplace, rusted shut, in the corner (behind boxes)...
Corner opposite the fireplace (fireplace is to the right, staircase is to the left - both out of view):
Closer shot of the same corner; if you look close, you can see an access panel with a simple latch in the paneling. This opening leads to the garage under BR#2 that was extended slightly to the garage. I think this was originally a wood and/or coal chute for the fireplace.
Down the length of the basement - which is 31' long and ~16' wide from staircase to wall (about 13' from brick posts to wall). Across the room there are two doors (the one on the left is partially blocked in view by the brick post). The room on the right is the mechanical room; the one on the left if the laundry room.
There are a few windows in the basement - all are below grade but have pop-outs so that they don't get filled with dirt. You can see the efflorescence crystals on the block here. Obviously someone tried dealing with the moisture in the past with a coating. From what I'm reading, this almost never works and any moisture issue needs to be handled from the outside (i.e. the source!).
I'm going to spend most of this winter pulling the ceiling down, scraping up the flooring, inspecting the joists, cleaning up some old mold stains and efflorescence (this house definitely had a moisture issue at one time but appears to be doing well now - I think the addition of the ridge vent and new roof in 2019 was what helped!) and inspecting all the piping/wiring as the ceiling is exposed.
The Mrs has asked me for a budget, so I'm trying to figure out what I want to do and that starts with what I intend to use this space for. In my head, I'm imagining it as a place to hang out for poker night with the guys and a place the kids can come down and hang out with their friends (the biggest issue with a ranch home is that everyone is on the same floor!). it would be a place where we could entertain guests but also just come down to relax ourselves. With that, a 1920's loft-style speakeasy is what came to mind for my "theme".
Here are some photos I've saved for inspiration:
Before I get too far into the decor planning and finishing stages, I need to do some mechanical things:
- extend some gutters on the north end of the house to make sure moisture is far away from the foundation (all other gutters go to a common drain system and is sent to the road ditch)
- add an attic vent fan - which apparently keeps the basement air moving and prevents condensation
- add a small ductless heat-pump unit, to add some heat in the winter and also to remove moisture
- install a radon mitigation system in the mechanical or laundry room (we had it tested before we moved in and it was just slightly above the 4.0 pcu limit so now's the time to implement).
- replace the rusted/painted-shut windows (there are 3 total) or maybe just seal them up?
- fix the doors down stairs to the mechanical and laundry room - as well as the crawlspace to the water well (I think Stevie wonder cut the door jambs in this house!)
- clean and seal the dryer vent piping (which can add a bunch of moisture downstairs).
I'm hoping to have all the mechanical work done by next summer, so then I can start with the updates. I'm thinking of the following:
- a small bar on end nearest the mechanical room
- small couch near the fireplace
- updating the fireplace to a direct-vent LPG or an electric fireplace (would depend on what a chimney guy says we can do to ours)
- 6-8 person poker/game table where the window currently stands now
- brick facade on the wall (long wall) with 20's era paint or wallpaper on the others (paneling to be replaced with mold-proof sheetrock)
- a nice TV on the brick wall, visible from poker table and from 1-2 era-appropriate chairs across from it
- exposed ceiling joists
- recessed general lighting (for cleaning and day use) and ample "mood lighting" to keep it bright enough to enjoy without having to use the general lighting
- some old school arcades mixed throughout (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc), including an authentic (if I can find one!) joker-poker or 5-cent slot machine
I would really like to put a small bathroom in the mechanical room or laundry room (or a new framed out section), but the ground is below the septic system, so I will need to do more research on pumper/grinder systems. Walking upstairs and all the way across the house to pee would be a PITA, especially during a card game with a bar/tap right next to the table.
Regarding the ceiling, most of the above have natural wood joists (or at least stained) and I'm leaning that direction. A thing I'm seeing lately is black or dark colored painted ceilings, which has a cool look and makes it appear taller. Haven't decided on this just yet, just something I've been seeing in my searches...
I'm not sure what to do on the floor - I really like some of the "stained concrete" styles I've seen, as well as some of the marbled "epoxy" finishes. It obviously makes clean up easy but can be quite cold underfoot. My current floor to ceiling joint measurement is 7'5", so I do have some wiggle room for a small subfloor or even just a small insulator pad with some laminate laid overtop.
Background...
As some of you know, I've relocated back to the east coast (NEPA to be specific). After spending 16 years in the desert southwest, it was time to "come home" so to speak. Although I will definitely miss crawling in the rocks (and that's now what summer trips are for!), it has been nice to be in a place where I can walk outside in the summer and not die within 15 minutes and where an 81º afternoon is considered "a bit warm".
The house we found had almost everything we were looking for. A lake property (one of the few in the area with deeded lake rights and not just "lake access" like most in the area), with a huge sunroom, cheap taxes (comparatively), a decent sized lot (0.55 acres and I'm looking to buy the two plots next to me, which would bring our plot to over 1.22 acres), that is close to where I spent my high school years and close to friends, and with plenty of hunting, fishing and golfing nearby.
Walking outside and casting a line in the mornings has been something I've definitely been needing in life
As much as we love the home, the house is a 1960-built "contemporary ranch", so it has all that you would expect of a house from this era: oak on oak, on oak, on oak, with 1/4 round oak trim to top it all off; pink tile bathroom (at least the main bath has been updated nicely); scalloped wood accents; and of course, so much gold and faceted glass lights that you think it was something out of a Miami Vice episode!
Much of it we are already addressing; I spent the better part of the first two weeks knocking out the old light boxes and replaced them with fan-rated boxes and installing matching ceiling fans. Also replaced the lights with matching fixtures - not a spec of gold in the house (except for the door hardware which I'm currently also replacing!). I spent most of the past two weeks removing unnecessary trim and prepping for paint, much to my wife's delight (she's excited to start decorating, especially with fall not too far away!).
All this work got me thinking about the basement. Although it's considered "finished", it's as badly dated as the rest of the house: wood paneling, light fixtures circa 1978, a massive brick fireplace with matching support-post brick facades, some weird compressed cardboard ceiling, and likely asbestos-containing "peel and stick" linoleum tiles...
Some pics as it stands now:
Wood fireplace, rusted shut, in the corner (behind boxes)...
Corner opposite the fireplace (fireplace is to the right, staircase is to the left - both out of view):
Closer shot of the same corner; if you look close, you can see an access panel with a simple latch in the paneling. This opening leads to the garage under BR#2 that was extended slightly to the garage. I think this was originally a wood and/or coal chute for the fireplace.
Down the length of the basement - which is 31' long and ~16' wide from staircase to wall (about 13' from brick posts to wall). Across the room there are two doors (the one on the left is partially blocked in view by the brick post). The room on the right is the mechanical room; the one on the left if the laundry room.
There are a few windows in the basement - all are below grade but have pop-outs so that they don't get filled with dirt. You can see the efflorescence crystals on the block here. Obviously someone tried dealing with the moisture in the past with a coating. From what I'm reading, this almost never works and any moisture issue needs to be handled from the outside (i.e. the source!).
I'm going to spend most of this winter pulling the ceiling down, scraping up the flooring, inspecting the joists, cleaning up some old mold stains and efflorescence (this house definitely had a moisture issue at one time but appears to be doing well now - I think the addition of the ridge vent and new roof in 2019 was what helped!) and inspecting all the piping/wiring as the ceiling is exposed.
The Mrs has asked me for a budget, so I'm trying to figure out what I want to do and that starts with what I intend to use this space for. In my head, I'm imagining it as a place to hang out for poker night with the guys and a place the kids can come down and hang out with their friends (the biggest issue with a ranch home is that everyone is on the same floor!). it would be a place where we could entertain guests but also just come down to relax ourselves. With that, a 1920's loft-style speakeasy is what came to mind for my "theme".
Here are some photos I've saved for inspiration:
Before I get too far into the decor planning and finishing stages, I need to do some mechanical things:
- extend some gutters on the north end of the house to make sure moisture is far away from the foundation (all other gutters go to a common drain system and is sent to the road ditch)
- add an attic vent fan - which apparently keeps the basement air moving and prevents condensation
- add a small ductless heat-pump unit, to add some heat in the winter and also to remove moisture
- install a radon mitigation system in the mechanical or laundry room (we had it tested before we moved in and it was just slightly above the 4.0 pcu limit so now's the time to implement).
- replace the rusted/painted-shut windows (there are 3 total) or maybe just seal them up?
- fix the doors down stairs to the mechanical and laundry room - as well as the crawlspace to the water well (I think Stevie wonder cut the door jambs in this house!)
- clean and seal the dryer vent piping (which can add a bunch of moisture downstairs).
I'm hoping to have all the mechanical work done by next summer, so then I can start with the updates. I'm thinking of the following:
- a small bar on end nearest the mechanical room
- small couch near the fireplace
- updating the fireplace to a direct-vent LPG or an electric fireplace (would depend on what a chimney guy says we can do to ours)
- 6-8 person poker/game table where the window currently stands now
- brick facade on the wall (long wall) with 20's era paint or wallpaper on the others (paneling to be replaced with mold-proof sheetrock)
- a nice TV on the brick wall, visible from poker table and from 1-2 era-appropriate chairs across from it
- exposed ceiling joists
- recessed general lighting (for cleaning and day use) and ample "mood lighting" to keep it bright enough to enjoy without having to use the general lighting
- some old school arcades mixed throughout (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc), including an authentic (if I can find one!) joker-poker or 5-cent slot machine
I would really like to put a small bathroom in the mechanical room or laundry room (or a new framed out section), but the ground is below the septic system, so I will need to do more research on pumper/grinder systems. Walking upstairs and all the way across the house to pee would be a PITA, especially during a card game with a bar/tap right next to the table.
Regarding the ceiling, most of the above have natural wood joists (or at least stained) and I'm leaning that direction. A thing I'm seeing lately is black or dark colored painted ceilings, which has a cool look and makes it appear taller. Haven't decided on this just yet, just something I've been seeing in my searches...
I'm not sure what to do on the floor - I really like some of the "stained concrete" styles I've seen, as well as some of the marbled "epoxy" finishes. It obviously makes clean up easy but can be quite cold underfoot. My current floor to ceiling joint measurement is 7'5", so I do have some wiggle room for a small subfloor or even just a small insulator pad with some laminate laid overtop.
