1920's Style Speakeasy Basement Remodel

[pc1p]

Don't be so sure about that. Those nutone clocks can fetch a pretty penny in certain areas of the country. Does the house have the full intercom system etc.?

No intercom - those were cool when I was a kid though!

I have been watching a few of these "atomic" versions listed on eBay for $100-200, but not too many have sold for anything above $40.

There is one on there now with 1 bid @ $110, but it includes the doorbell chime assembly (which mine works perfectly, after some cleaning and some 3-in-1 oil). For what people are getting for these, I'd much prefer to repurpose the movement (or perhaps add a battery-movement to it and sell to someone going with a "retro" theme).

Some good points from the OP. Myself, I either like something or I do not - I don't give a damn what's "in", "out", "dated" or whatever. I didn't particularly care for the "One RED wall" thing a few years back - but it certainly beats the damn "everything grey" (or grey tinted) thing that's going on now. 4 years ago, when we moved into this house, the VERY first thing that went was the grey painted hallway. I felt like I was onboard the "USS Merritt Island". Flippers down the block are currently trying to sell their overpriced flip. Exterior color? You guessed it! Grey. One of our tenants wanted to paint a room. Grey again. *blech*
And my wife and I both DETEST with a purple passion the HGTV mandated STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES. Now *THAT* is something that will look "dated" in time. I'll take black *or* white - wife likes black. Hell, I'd take "Harvest Gold" or "Avocado" or even "Copper Tone" over fookin' stainless - uh, I mean STAINLESS! Ugliest trend EVER in home design - I live in a house, not the local Taco Bell! Its even worse than the rack full of black stereo equipment nonsense that replaced woodgrain. Give me woodgrain please, its a living room, not MetalicA's recording studio!

For me, I like stainless appliances - I mean I always have, long before they were trendy. They remind me of true working kitchens in the restaurants and diners I grew up working in and of the pizzerias that I would visit when I was a kid.

I mean for me, all appliances are inherently pretty damn ugly looking - the modern appliance "texture white" is by far the worst IMO (though I do love the classic enameled white of 1950's era appliances). The newer "silvers" aren't bad options really and they can be a bit less "industrial" looking than some of the coarser "brushed" stainless versions. Still, anything overdone tends to be a bit, well, overdone - stainless appliances with stainless countertop appliances, huge stainless Kitchenaid mixer, hanging stainless pot rack, giant stainless exhaust hood, etc. can be remarkably cheesy looking and straight out of a HGTV advertisement.

Heck if they had copper-toned kitchen appliances, that be something I'd be interested in. Now that I think about it, I wonder if one of those modern vinyl "wraps" could be used to update/transform an appliance skin relatively easily.

I like grey too - but just like stainless (or any color really!), it must be done tastefully and compliment the room itself. Just because you like a particular color does not mean you should paint a room that color! "Grey" is a huge color palette and can warm or cool the color temperature of a room with just a slight change in hue. There is a lot that goes into picking a grey/greige that many people often overlook - they just go with "grey" (or what "grey" means in their head) and the results can be awful. The same can be said for "white". There is literally an entire book of "whites" at my local Benjamin Moore and picking the wrong hue for a room can make it look dirty - or at the opposite end of the spectrum, like an over-sanitized insane asylum.

Grey/greiges work well for us from a seasonal perspective too. My wife loves to decorate with the seasons: fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter, spring, Easter, summer, 4th of July, etc. - she very tastefully decorates and gets plenty of compliments - even from those who would not ordinarily make those compliments or appreciate decor.

I do like wood grain and appreciate the cases on my 1964 Marantz receiver, 1971 JVC record player, and 70's Fisher radio. These are accent pieces though and go well when paired with complementary patterns and colors. I most certainly do not want my house, kitchen or living room to look like a 1960's record player

Snort! True enough. I don't understand why people are oh-so-concerned about the actions of others. E-commerce sites must flourish on the phenomenon though, "Trending now...". *shrug* I don't get it...

Some "traditional" dancer in the distant past probably said the same thing the first time he saw a belly dancer...

I don't know as most people are "concerned" about the actions of others but fashion, style, music, etc. are very dynamic - and that's a good thing. Imagine if we were all wearing wool bathing suits still??? For us, we are far from "trendy" but we also accept the fact that any quest for "timelessness" is a fool's errand...

 

[Zorba]

...but we also accept the fact that any quest for "timelessness" is a fool's errand...

I don't care about "timelessness" either. I either like {whatever} or I do not. I dislike stainless for a variety of reasons, but the largest one is that I don't want my kitchen to look like a Taco Bell - or any other restaurant kitchen. Its industrial, and its ugly. But you know what they say about taste!

Nevermind that "they" put this fugly stuff all into one room so you can't get away from it.

 

[pc1p]

I either like {whatever} or I do not.

Same here - but I certainly will not pretend that my tastes/preferences don't change over time. Years ago, when we built our first house ~2007, I liked cherry cabinets, crown molding, ornate backsplashes, and decor with a Tuscan flare - very "traditional" by most standards.

This wasn't something I was persuaded into or something I thought was "trendy" (being new to home ownership at the time and coming from a relatively poor family, I had little experience with "trendy" kitchens).

Nowadays I'm more inclined to do something with a style more like this:

Functional with lots of practicality, naturally bright that takes advantage of the ambient lighting, simple/clutter-free countertop, a good mix of color, texture and design elements that blend and compliment each other well. My interior designer friend says I have what's known as a "transitional style" - essentially a blend of contemporary and traditional design elements.

Its industrial, and its ugly.

I certainly don't want my house to look like a refinery, but I love industrial elements.

I know you were speaking hyperbolically but even still, it's quite the exaggeration to say that stainless appliances themselves cannot be incorporated into either a contemporary or classical styled kitchen without it looking like a Taco Bell. Perhaps they are overly "trendy", which is what sounds like your main issue is with them. Again, I'll go back to what I said about moderation and incorporating design trends (vs being a poster child for them!!!).

But you know what they say about taste!

There are 28" tire Jeep guys, there are 40" tire Jeep guys, and everything in between

 

[pc1p]

As a designer I can offer a little here...

I too like the darker exposed joists. I wouldn't go black but a dark cool grey is best. You'll be amazed how much dust can accumulate on those and it really shows on black vs a few shades lighter.

If you expose the joists and stain the concrete keep in mind acoustics. A good rule of thumb is that you want at least 2 of the 6 sides to have some level of acoustic absorption... preferably at 90 degrees from each other. 3 is even better.

As for stained concrete. The look can be great. Layering the stains is the way to go but that takes some time and talent so if you have a small room for a furnace or similar i'd use it for practice.

Also getting the concrete clean (oil free is a key) is a key to making it easy to apply and getting it to last. Looks like you have some glued down vinyl (asbestos!) tile on that floor. Getting that up cleanly will be a key. Also a moisture test of the concrete will let you know if it needs to be sealed to get the stain to work properly.

If you do a bathroom there are systems that will pump the sewage/water up to your waste lines above. I would strongly suggest that you have an emergency power source connected to it (most of the more modern solutions come with batteries) so you won't have an issue in the event of a prolonged power outage. A backflow prevention system would also be something to look into. Not massively expensive but not a place I'd skimp.

Good luck!

Acoustics are a huge concern. Well, not a "concern", but definitely something I am paying attention to. I don't want it too noisy downstairs with people upstairs or vice versa. I saw a project where a guy glued ~3" foam block (black in color) to the bottom of the floor joists after he painted it black; he mentioned that it was a noticeable improvement. I see a lot of people use hanging tapestries for noise control as well. Do you have some other recommendations that tend to "blend" into a room like this?

For the basement tile, I was able to pull up 2 small pieces that are being sent out for asbestos testing. I hope that it won't be but I'm prepared for it if it is. I have a handful of experience dealing with ACM from an industrial perspective, so I feel like I can safely manage it with the guidance of a local asbestos contractor.

I've seen a handful of Saniflo/macerator style units but don't have much experience with them from an install/design standpoint. A friend of mine back in the day had a cabin with a water-pressure operated unit; I'm glad to see that they are now using more reliable electric pumps. My dad was a plumber for 20 years and I spent a lot of time helping him and his partner. We installed plenty of pumper systems (just pump systems, no macerator, for basement washing machine/sink applications). The Saniflo style systems seems to be very similar from what I've read so far. I haven't seen a battery-backup but that is genius!

We are looking at a propane back-up system after seeing a handful of folks that I know forced to go weeks without power some years. Up first is upgrading our current service panel and service drop. The house is still rocking the original 60-amp service line (albeit with a 100-amp meter). It's one of the first things we will be upgrading this spring (I'll get it scheduled with the electrician this winter so that once it warms up - and before the vegetation grows wild - we can get it done quickly).

 

[Rooscooter]

Acoustics are a huge concern. Well, not a "concern", but definitely something I am paying attention to. I don't want it too noisy downstairs with people upstairs or vice versa. I saw a project where a guy glued ~3" foam block (black in color) to the bottom of the floor joists after he painted it black; he mentioned that it was a noticeable improvement. I see a lot of people use hanging tapestries for noise control as well. Do you have some other recommendations that tend to "blend" into a room like this?

For the basement tile, I was able to pull up 2 small pieces that are being sent out for asbestos testing. I hope that it won't be but I'm prepared for it if it is. I have a handful of experience dealing with ACM from an industrial perspective, so I feel like I can safely manage it with the guidance of a local asbestos contractor.

I've seen a handful of Saniflo/macerator style units but don't have much experience with them from an install/design standpoint. A friend of mine back in the day had a cabin with a water-pressure operated unit; I'm glad to see that they are now using more reliable electric pumps. My dad was a plumber for 20 years and I spent a lot of time helping him and his partner. We installed plenty of pumper systems (just pump systems, no macerator, for basement washing machine/sink applications). The Saniflo style systems seems to be very similar from what I've read so far. I haven't seen a battery-backup but that is genius!

We are looking at a propane back-up system after seeing a handful of folks that I know forced to go weeks without power some years. Up first is upgrading our current service panel and service drop. The house is still rocking the original 60-amp service line (albeit with a 100-amp meter). It's one of the first things we will be upgrading this spring (I'll get it scheduled with the electrician this winter so that once it warms up - and before the vegetation grows wild - we can get it done quickly).

Acoustics is tricky. You can actually make it worse by just putting sheetrock on the bottom of the joists. You basically create a drum that transmits vibrations through the joists in both directions. They make resilient clips to mitigate that but if you treat the walls well enough you can leave it exposed and be OK.

When I lived in Spokane I had a transfer switch installed and a propane genset. It worked flawlessly when we had the typical day or two without power.

 

[Rooscooter]

Snort! True enough. I don't understand why people are oh-so-concerned about the actions of others. E-commerce sites must flourish on the phenomenon though, "Trending now...". *shrug* I don't get it...

Everyone wants to sit at the cool kids table.....

 

[Zorba]

Same here - but I certainly will not pretend that my tastes/preferences don't change over time. Years ago, when we built our first house ~2007, I liked cherry cabinets, crown molding, ornate backsplashes, and decor with a Tuscan flare - very "traditional" by most standards.

This wasn't something I was persuaded into or something I thought was "trendy" (being new to home ownership at the time and coming from a relatively poor family, I had little experience with "trendy" kitchens).

Nowadays I'm more inclined to do something with a style more like this:
View attachment 271660

View attachment 271661

Functional with lots of practicality, naturally bright that takes advantage of the ambient lighting, simple/clutter-free countertop, a good mix of color, texture and design elements that blend and compliment each other well. My interior designer friend says I have what's known as a "transitional style" - essentially a blend of contemporary and traditional design elements.


I certainly don't want my house to look like a refinery, but I love industrial elements.

I know you were speaking hyperbolically but even still, it's quite the exaggeration to say that stainless appliances themselves cannot be incorporated into either a contemporary or classical styled kitchen without it looking like a Taco Bell. Perhaps they are overly "trendy", which is what sounds like your main issue is with them. Again, I'll go back to what I said about moderation and incorporating design trends (vs being a poster child for them!!!).


There are 28" tire Jeep guys, there are 40" tire Jeep guys, and everything in between

Well - as they say, "no accounting for taste". And no offense intended. I don't like stainless - uh STAINLESS - because its ugly. Whether or not its "in" or "out" doesn't change that - its ugly. I don't like it. I'm finding a LOT of people don't like it - AND - a lot of people do. That's just how the world works!

But you picture above highlights another unfortunate design trend - the "stand alone" range hood. That looks ugly and restaurant-ish as well, and wastes valuable storage space. Unless the kitchen is HUGE - the microwave belongs above the stove and cabinets belong above the microwave. The kitchen in this 1963 house certainly isn't large - and not only did it have the requisite STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES, it also had the stupid stand alone range hood. This is also the first house we've owned with granite countertops. Now those I like - and they're even trendy. I wouldn't pay to install them but since they're here - they look nice and work well. HOWEVER - they're very expensive and are sold by the INCH. And I'm going to use 30 inches of this for the microwave? In a small kitchen with limited counter space to start with? Hell no! The stand alone range hood was removed, and a cabinet and over-range microwave was installed - within 2 months after we moved in! The stainless french door fridge was turfed to the kids who needed a new fridge, and a black side-by-side replaced it. Myself, I can take or leave the trendy french door fridge with bottom freezer. Didn't matter to me one way or another, but my wife DETESTED it - even after living with it for a year. So away with it, and I bought a new black doorskin to fix the stainless dishwasher. The stove is only partially stainless, but its going to get the same treatment in time.

And what's up with the kitchens with few or no upper cabinets or have open shelves instead? That's stupid too.

Oh, and we *LOVE* cherry wood cabinets - or Maple. Dunno if that's currently "in" or "out", but we love them!

 

[cliffish]

Well - as they say, "no accounting for taste". And no offense intended. I don't like stainless - uh STAINLESS - because its ugly. Whether or not its "in" or "out" doesn't change that - its ugly. I don't like it. I'm finding a LOT of people don't like it - AND - a lot of people do. That's just how the world works!

But you picture above highlights another unfortunate design trend - the "stand alone" range hood. That looks ugly and restaurant-ish as well, and wastes valuable storage space. Unless the kitchen is HUGE - the microwave belongs above the stove and cabinets belong above the microwave. The kitchen in this 1963 house certainly isn't large - and not only did it have the requisite STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES, it also had the stupid stand alone range hood. This is also the first house we've owned with granite countertops. Now those I like - and they're even trendy. I wouldn't pay to install them but since they're here - they look nice and work well. HOWEVER - they're very expensive and are sold by the INCH. And I'm going to use 30 inches of this for the microwave? In a small kitchen with limited counter space to start with? Hell no! The stand alone range hood was removed, and a cabinet and over-range microwave was installed - within 2 months after we moved in! The stainless french door fridge was turfed to the kids who needed a new fridge, and a black side-by-side replaced it. Myself, I can take or leave the trendy french door fridge with bottom freezer. Didn't matter to me one way or another, but my wife DETESTED it - even after living with it for a year. So away with it, and I bought a new black doorskin to fix the stainless dishwasher. The stove is only partially stainless, but its going to get the same treatment in time.

And what's up with the kitchens with few or no upper cabinets or have open shelves instead? That's stupid too.

Yes, I detest the bottom freezer, I let my wife win that argument and now after having it she agrees with me but we are stuck with it. I also don't understand the no upper cabinets.

 

[Zorba]

Acoustics are a huge concern...

Yep! I don't like floorplans with the MBR right off of the living room for that very reason. The post WW 2 "standard floorplan" was one of the very best - the MBR was at the end of a long hallway, away from the noise. The current craze of "split" floor plans usually makes for a noisy MBR. I think the best place for the MBR, is to locate the garage quasi-center in the house, with 2/3rds of the house on once side, and the MBR on the other, connected by a hallway across the backside of the garage! Said hallway could feature huge windows looking into the back yard as but one possibility. You wouldn't even necessarily need to heat/cool said hallway, depending on climate, construction chosen, and compass orientation.

 

[pc1p]

Myself, I can take or leave the trendy french door fridge with bottom freezer. Didn't matter to me one way or another, but my wife DETESTED it - even after living with it for a year.

Yes, I detest the bottom freezer, I let my wife win that argument and now after having it she agrees with me but we are stuck with it.

After spending 20 years using every single style of fridge imaginable, I absolutely LOVE the French-door version (with large freezer chest on bottom). Have been using one since we bought new appliances about 3 years ago and it's by far my favorite - to the point now that when I visit a friend or relative with freezer-top/fridge-bottom, I take a moment to note how bad it sucks and how I'm glad the wife talked me into checking them out.

Granted, I'm 6'3" so nothing sucks more for me than trying to look at or grab something from the top shelf of a fridge that is only 34" off the ground. Worse is having to squat down or take a knee while trying to reach behind a bunch of stuff to grab the milk for morning coffee (when your eyes are barely open!). The side by side style (fridge on the right side, freezer on the left) was by far the worst style ever. Absolutely awful. Although it made stuff a bit more "eye level" for me, the dimensions and proportions were ridiculous. It seems like you couldn't store anything upright or flat - everything always ended up at an angle just to get it to fit in there. Freezer was worse. The shelves were 2" wider than what you typically would store in there, so you had a bunch of dead-space that you eventually tried stuffing with products, only to have said products come crashing on your toes at a later point in time. Awful, awful design... I would literally resort to using coolers and ice chests if side-by-side fridges were the only option.

I'll take my bottom freezer to the grave!

And what's up with the kitchens with few or no upper cabinets or have open shelves instead? That's stupid too.

I also don't understand the no upper cabinets.

I think it depends on the setup. If you have the space, people seem to prefer a larger kitchen island and/or a decently large pantry. Most modern building plans accomodate a fairly large island and pantries are getting nicer and nicer from what I've seen. Again I'm sure it's all about preference but they do make up for the lack of wall cabinets with plenty of (larger) under-island cabinets. My wife appreciates cabinets below the counter - she can easily store her baking stuff and mixer down there, plus the "not so often used" appliances like the waffle iron.

For the large range fan, I was originally skeptical about their applicability, but after using one a few times, I will say that those things have their place. They move A LOT of air, so depending on the style of cooking you do, it may be a necessity more than anything else. The baby exhaust fans in a OTR microwave just don't cut it if you do lots of grilling, wok work, or have a large gas grille. Personally, I've never found the cabinets above the OTR microwave to be helpful for anything but the appliance owners manuals and cookbooks I don't care to use, so that's not loss there.

A friend just had her house finished and we went to check it out. Her microwave is in the center island, below the counter top. Originally, I thought that was a silly spot but after seeing her using it, it makes a ton of sense. Not only was it much larger than most OTR microwaves on the inside (because there doesn't need to be space for a lackluster exhaust fan in the case!), the kids could use it easily (so could she as she's a bit "vertically challenged" like my wife). They could also use it without reaching over a potentially hot stove (or worse, dropping an unexpectedly hot plate onto a brand-new glass top stove like another friend of mine did).

I'm with you on the "open shelves" thing - makes no sense to me from a functionality standpoint. From a visual one, if doing a very minimalist look is your thing, then I can see where that would fit into it. But from a pure day-to-day use, especially with kids in the house, that seems like a really dumb option (that is WAAAAAAY overused on HGTV renovations!).

 

[Zorba]

@pc1p I agree about the old style top freezer, bottom fridge setup. Sucks. But in the same breathe, you want all your storage cabinets down low! Side-by-side works fine for us - but again, I was OK with the bottom freezer french door as well. Didn't make any difference to me. Wife did NOT like. I told her to try living with it for a bit. A year later, it was gone! Maybe it would still be here if it hadn't been STAINLESS - but since she wanted that gone, she wanted the SxS. I *think* her main problem with the french door was the freezer section that was more like a chest freezer instead of shelves. She'd bitch about having to dig for things.

As for the open shelves, who wants to look at all the crap one stores in the kitchen?

 

[pc1p]

@pc1p I agree about the old style top freezer, bottom fridge setup. Sucks. But in the same breathe, you want all your storage cabinets down low!

I don’t go into the lower cabinets often. They’re “storage” in the truest sense. With the exception of the one next to the stove where I keep pots and pans (which are all within relatively easy reach), I go into lower cabinets maybe twice a week across all of them.

The fridge on the other hand, well I’m in that many times a day

 

[pc1p]

As for the open shelves, who wants to look at all the crap one stores in the kitchen?

For sure no one needs to see how much mismatched Tupperware and Gladware containers I have

I've been told that the "open" cabinets (aka floating shelves) are good at making people maintain their cabinet storage to just what they need and not collect "junk". I suppose it's like having your junk drawers open all the time - you'll quickly throw out what you don't need rather than tucking it next to the 37 outdated soy sauce packets you have.

Definitely not my cup of tea though. Maybe it's from spending 16 years in the desert southwest, but I don't want to have to wash my clean dishes so that I'm not eating a plateful of dust at every meal. I don't mind a few cabinets with glass panels so that guests can see where the cups are being stored.

 

[williambmac]

I love the first picture in post#1. All brick with the open ceiling.

 

[Jeffreybomb]

I haven't had a chance to read through everything in this thread, but I thought I'd share the thread I started last year while I was doing my basement project.

I stopped updating the post during a lull in progress, but I've been able to get a lot done since (drop ceiling, drywall mudding and painting, home theater riser, etc.). It looks a LOT different now than it did during the last update in the thread. If I'm feeling especially proactive, I'll update that thread with the progress I've made since the last update.

I referenced Basement Finishing Man's YouTube channel quite a bit. It was incredibly helpful!

One last thing: the ceiling in my old basement was only about 7'. I removed the crappy drop ceiling, sanded down the really rough spots on the joists, primed, and used a grey-brown color paint with the help of a paint sprayer rented from Home Depot. Though the "true" height of the basement hadn't been modified, having the open joists definitely helped make it feel taller than it was.

 

[pc1p]

I love the first picture in post#1. All brick with the open ceiling.

Same here - definitely will be using that as a style and design "guide". The Mrs can't wait for me to get started!

I haven't had a chance to read through everything in this thread, but I thought I'd share the thread I started last year while I was doing my basement project.

I stopped updating the post during a lull in progress, but I've been able to get a lot done since (drop ceiling, drywall mudding and painting, home theater riser, etc.). It looks a LOT different now than it did during the last update in the thread. If I'm feeling especially proactive, I'll update that thread with the progress I've made since the last update.

I referenced Basement Finishing Man's YouTube channel quite a bit. It was incredibly helpful!

One last thing: the ceiling in my old basement was only about 7'. I removed the crappy drop ceiling, sanded down the really rough spots on the joists, primed, and used a grey-brown color paint with the help of a paint sprayer rented from Home Depot. Though the "true" height of the basement hadn't been modified, having the open joists definitely helped make it feel taller than it was.

I'll be checking that out next!

Glad to hear you liked the "open top" look and feel. My joists from the only spot I've been able to see so far, look to be in good shape, tight-grained and not too rough. I will likely do similar and sand where needed before some protective coat or paint. In the first room I posted, it looks dark stained and is sharp looking. The dark color ones also look great. I'll just need to experiment some and see how it all looks. I think I'll upgrade and do some in-joist lighting in some areas (for general lighting) and see how bright it gets.

On a somewhat related note, thanks to Hurricane Henri this weekend, we got >4" of rain in some spots up here, on an already saturated ground. Luckily, no major moisture issues came up, just some dampness in the known spots (where the efflorescence is highest) by the west wall (there are no gutters above and it's where the corner of the house and the corner of the sunroom meet, directing water straight into the ground!) and the northwestern edge (where the gutter may be blocked some or is just too small and the downspout isn't run far enough from the foundation). These are relatively easy "fixed" that I'll address before winter (if I can!) or early spring. I also called this weekend about a 3-cubic yard dumpster so I can start the process of pulling stuff down and disposing of it...

 

[Jeffreybomb]

On a somewhat related note, thanks to Hurricane Henri this weekend, we got >4" of rain in some spots up here, on an already saturated ground. Luckily, no major moisture issues came up, just some dampness in the known spots (where the efflorescence is highest) by the west wall (there are no gutters above and it's where the corner of the house and the corner of the sunroom meet, directing water straight into the ground!) and the northwestern edge (where the gutter may be blocked some or is just too small and the downspout isn't run far enough from the foundation). These are relatively easy "fixed" that I'll address before winter (if I can!) or early spring. I also called this weekend about a 3-cubic yard dumpster so I can start the process of pulling stuff down and disposing of it...

I may have missed it: do you have a sump and/or ejector pit? My first house didn't have one. Luckily, the local municipality offered a rebate program that paid for some of the bill.

 

[pc1p]

I may have missed it: do you have a sump and/or ejector pit? My first house didn't have one. Luckily, the local municipality offered a rebate program that paid for some of the bill.

We do not.

When I lived in PA previously, we had what is commonly called a "wet" basement, with a trough going around the inside-perimeter, directing the water to a pit with a sump. The sump pipe went out through the foundation to a clay drain pipe out the front. When it rained hard, it was like a waterscape fountain in the basement, with LOTS of water flowing through the walls. That house was built in 1898 and was common for the time.

This house is a "dry" basement with no trough and is designed to keep water out. As you know, that isn't always done and many folk have water intrusion and moisture issues. With all the rain we've had over the last few days, many of my neighbors and people in the township have many inches of water in the basement. With the exception of the one small section of wall, nothing was even damp and there was no "flowing" water, even during the most aggressive of rain-rates (Weather Channel said +1/hr for a 2 hour stretch).

I think that some basic repairs and updates to the outside drainage will completely keep the basement dry. I will still do a waterproof coating before running the cement-board and sheet-rock but that is mainly to keep hydrostatic pressure intrusion to a minimum. With that, plus a split-unit HVAC w/heat pump, it should be able to deal with any issue even in 100-year flood events.

 

[pc1p]

I may have missed it: do you have a sump and/or ejector pit? My first house didn't have one. Luckily, the local municipality offered a rebate program that paid for some of the bill.

Oh BTW - I checked out your basement thread, super nice work!!

Any "final" pics?

 

[pc1p]

Got some measurements and put them on some graph paper so I can start visually planning and arranging things. The three dark squares in the center are the brick posts (which I think are actually steel posts with brick around them). The laundry room and mechanical room are not to scale. These are about 12' x 10' in size each, so plenty of space.

I've started looking and thinking about the future of the Laundry Room. Oddly enough, the room is the only room in the basement with a sheetrock finished ceiling - it even has crown moulding for some reason, as well as this awful neon-lime green paint.

The Laundry Room has an old shower in it (behind the table in the pic above), a laundry sink, and the washer and dryer (not pictured here though). The water well is located in a small crawl space in the laundry room as well (you can see the "door" in the image above).

The drain lines for the shower, sink and washer standpipe for the washer are below that of the septic tank, so I'm not 100% sure where they go to. You can see above that they just go straight into the ground.

Cisterns and dry-wells are common around here, especially during the time frame that this house was built. I am thinking of abandoning those drains, since they are in all likelihood draining somewhere under the house and possibly adding to moisture under the slab. I would like to remodel the laundry room and after doing some investigating and researching, I may have to do that first (as part of my "moisture control" work). This wouldn't need much work since the main 3" house drain is just on the other side of the wall in the basement (about 6' away).

My plan for this room would include removing the ceiling panels, moulding and pop-out around the perimeter of the room (which I think is hiding some utilities). This is one of the few rooms I would consider doing a drop ceiling, mainly for aesthetic reasons but also to help keep it warmer in the colder months. I'm not sure how or where I would put the toilet - possibly repurpose the shower area and turn it into a 'water closet" for when we are downstairs.