My Man Cave Remodel (2 Viewers)

[Tommy]

Walls are up!!







Water meter hidden in small closet.



Sill gasket on slab, treated base plate attached with tapcons, then a second base plate attached to the treated plate with coated deck screws.

 

[Tommy]

Some pics from this past weekend. All the framing is finally done. One area was extended to make a larger office and TV area. Now the wiring starts.

 

[Tommy]

Wiring the office today.

 

[BUBBLE]

Got to love the folding rolling scaffold I have one very handy

Keep up the good work can't wait to see it finished

 

[Tommy]

Got to love the folding rolling scaffold I have one very handy

Keep up the good work can't wait to see it finished

It has many uses. Thanks.

I am going to be doing something really neat with the steel I beam on the poker table area side. The other side will have a soffit built around the duct work and will come flush with the bottom of the beam. Since the beam is lower than the ductwork, this will save headroom under the beam.

 

[ReeseChip]

Quite the project you guys have there. Looking good. Can't wait to see when it's all finished. Do you have a table already?

 

[Tommy]

Quite the project you guys have there. Looking good. Can't wait to see when it's all finished. Do you have a table already?

Picking the table up on Wed.

 

[ReeseChip]

Oh man, you must be pumped! I'd probably have trouble sleeping the next few nights. That seems to happen to me when I'm waiting to pick up new toys. Be sure to post pics.

 

[Tommy]

The office receptacles and lighting are done. 20A dedicated for the office. Lights are on a separate 15A circuit. (will be putting the laundry room lights on that lighting circuit too. I first installed 4 recessed lights but it didn't seem like enough light so I added two more. With 6 3500k LED lights, the office is nice and bright.

I also ran a HVAC supply and return to the office. I finished sealing all the leaky duct work. All the takeoffs were leaking lots of air. What a PITA getting in the joist bays sealing them up. I also cleaned all the suppy and return ducts. 40 years of dirt and dust inside and outside on top.

I noticed a huge increase in the airflow upstairs and downstairs after sealing up all the leaks.
Couple of pics from the last few days.


(return)


(return)


(return)


(supply)


(supply)
(The piece of drywall is to make sure the boot is recessed a bit)





I'm going to be putting furring strips up on the ceiling before drywall so that is why you see pieces of furring strips around the light and vent.

 

[ReeseChip]

Looks good. Was bout to ask what was up with the yellow romex.

 

[Tommy]

Looks good. Was bout to ask what was up with the yellow romex.

What about it? :

All the receptacles in the office are on 12-2 wire which has a yellow jacket. There is a knot in the wood right in front of where I drilled the hole to bring the wire through that stud. So that may look weird in the pic if you are referring to that.

 

[ReeseChip]

No I was just gonna ask why until I read you were putting your outlets on a 20 amp circuit.

 

[Tommy]

Ahhhh... ok.

 

[ReeseChip]

I used to do electrical work but had enough of it lol

 

[Tommy]

Gotcha. I did some more wiring today. Started running the 12/3 wire for the 3 ways. I used a piece of conduit in the joist bay gping over the ductwork. I just easier to run the wires.

Normally I would of use 14/3 for the lighting in the TV and Poker rooms but I already have a few unused 20a circuits/breakers in the panel and I already had the wire. I am planning on putting 16 x 6" cans (each can is rated up to a 75w bulb) and 3 sconce lights on one 20a circuit. The cans will be on 3 different zones.

 

[Tommy]

Replaced the light at the bottom of the basement stairs with 6" can. This light for some reason had 10/2 wire feeding it. I never saw such a thing before. The only thing I can think of is when the previous homeowner (who also works for the local power comapny) re-modeled his kitchen, he used whatever wire he had, which was probably free.

I had to draw a diagram of how this 3 way circuit with 2 lights was wired so I could put it back the way it was. There are a few ways to wire a 3 way switch, this is definitely not the way I would of done it. I had to pigtail the 10/2 wire with 14/2 so I could use the push in connectors that came with the light.

 

[ReeseChip]

Man that wiring the previous owned did would have me pretty worried. What size circuit does he have that 10 wire on?

 

[Tommy]

Man that wiring the previous owned did would have me pretty worried. What size circuit does he have that 10 wire on?

I agree. The stair 3way light is on a 15a breaker. This circuit was overloaded and I realized it about a month after I bought the house. She had the vacuum going and I had the microwave going. Guess what... the breaker tripped!

There were a few receptacles in the living room, the garage door opener, kitchen lights (5 x 50 watt max cans), outside front and back lights, and the microwave was all on this 15a circuit.

Since then I went over the entire house, check all the wiring, and made the necessary corrections. I ran a dedicated 20a line for the microwave and put the garage door on its own 15a line to the sub-panel in the garage.

My kitchen has 3 dedicated 20a counter receptacles.
Frig and dishwasher are on their own circuits.
Whole house fan is on its own circuit.
Bathroom light/fan/heater/ combo is on its own circuit.

Here is my 30 slot 200a panel after I cleaned it up.
(some of that white romex is older 12-2 wire)



My plans down the line is to upgrade to a 40 slot 200a service panel, and use copper from the power company bugs, into the meter box and meter box to the panel. I already have the copper SE cable.

 

[ReeseChip]

Oh man, kinda reminds me of my apartment. Even though I have my own panel for the apartment it seems my living room, kitchen, and bedroom are all on the same circuit. Old house with knob and tube wiring I have no plans of touching. Clean panel, looks like you do neat work.

 

[Tommy]

Thanks...I wouldn't want to touch that either. That is right up there with having aluminum branch wiring. UGH. When we were shopping for houses I was in this one house where the lights kept flickering. The real estate person said it's probably a bad light fixture. I went down to the basement and looked at the panel... 60a glass fuse panel with aluminum wiring. LOL

 

[ReeseChip]

I did mostly commercial work but last year I was working with a master getting some residential experience. It's really crazy the stuff you see in some houses. You see stuff and wonder how the house hasn't gone up in flames yet. Doing residential work made me realize how much I disliked doing electrical work.

 

[Irish]

Awesome thread, I registered for the site primarily to see the pictures in this thread. I have plans to eventually finish off a portion of my basement, a lot of what you have posted/pictured here has been very helpful, thanks for taking the time to chronicle your build.

 

[Tommy]

No problem. It helps me see the progress and all the changes that I have made from the original plan/layout along the way.

I did a lot of research on certain critical areas before I got started. (basement insulating, building on the slab, etc). Info from Building Science really helped as did some experts on a DIY site. Finishing the basement correctly to avoid mold and mildew was my main concern. How you insulate is based on what zone you live in.

Moving forward, I plan on getting all of the basement electrical wiring done this weekend. (my weekends are normally Mon and Tues), then I plan on doing a few things for the rooms above before I rock the ceiling.

After that comes all the home theater wiring, network, cable, and phone. Fun fun fun! LOL

 

[Irish]

I've read through the basement insulation articles from Building Science - being an engineer, it was nice to see someone actually think through and explain the rational behind their methodologies. You see so many poor construction methods online (like fiberglass insulation on the wet side or on bare concrete), it can be tough to discern good techniques/ideas from those that will land you with mold or heightened water problems. This thread was the first detailed & pictured example I've seen using both the rigid foam board / 2x4 wall and the rigid foam with furring strips, and each in the right applications (space issue vs. extra insulation & benefits of a full structural wall). It hammered home some of the design aspects I've been planning for my own remodel. I'll be coming back to this thread quite a bit for ideas and to make sure I'm doing it right, lol.

 

[Tommy]

I was asked why I mixed metal with wood framing. A buddy from work gave me a few bundles of metal studs and some track. (can't beat free) I didn't use the metal on the exterior walls for fear of thermal bridging so I used it on the interior back wall that separates the finished from the unfinished area. I probably would of been OK with using the metal on the exterior with the 2" XPS in behind it. Better safe then sorry.

I did a double bottom plate for two reasons.

1) To avoid using trim screws into the metal track.
2) To have more of a nailer for the baseboard since I will be using the Delta-FL and either 1/2" OSB or plywood before the finish flooring.

The 1.5" furring lap pink XPS was really my only option due to the clearance with the steps. The R-7.5 rating of it still works for my area.

My house is 43 years old. Over time floor joists bow a little (have some shims on hand) and the slab wasn't perfect. I can say though that the poured concrete walls were pretty much as straight and flat as they could be.

Sounds like you are ready to get that basement finishing underway! I hope you post a thread documenting it as well.
If you have any questions along the way, please ask and I will try to help. Do you plan on conditioning the space as well?

I am still trying to figure out what kind of light I want to put above my poker table. If anyone has suggestions, please tell!

 

[MikeNV79]

Look forward to more updates and pics.

 

[ReeseChip]

Tommy good job doing your research. I've been in so many finished basements with mold problems it's really sad. If my old man doesn't run a dehumidifier in his basement the place would turn into mold city. Some already started to pop up.

 

[Tommy]

Thanks. I didn't do any work today. Was down in the basement this morning looking around and figuring out my agenda for tomorrow. I found a few misc pics that I haven't posted yet.


Office 3500k LEDs (3500k are special order)


Office light sw (installed temporarily, will have to unscrew it when we rock)


Switch box before the tiny hallway to the bathroom and office.


Some poker room cans wired up.


A pile of rock waiting to be installed.


A second pile of rock waiting to be installed. There is a 3rd pile in the basement and a 4th still in the garage. 80 sheets of 1/2" mold resistant sheet rock in total. It was a fun day when it was delivered and dropped in my driveway. It took my buddy and I about 90 minutes to get 66 sheets down to the basement on one of the hottest days of the year.


A section of the couch and tv hiding from the dust.

BTW scrap pieces of the 2" rigid foam has many uses. Save it! You can see that I am supporting my tv with it in the pic above. I also use it to kneel on, as a screwdriver holder, etc. This stuff is about $25 a sheet, so make good use of it.

I forgot to post what I was using to cut the 2" XPS....Just this with a metal straight edge.

 

[Tommy]

Was in the garage and figured I would snap a pic of the bathroom vanity top.

I got this granite top, with the bowl, vanity and matching mirror for $300 with discounts. I was surprised that it also came with a side splash and back splash.

 

[BUBBLE]

Very nice