Are You Handy? 2

[SPOCKED]

Well, it's been awhile since the last Handy thread and instead of bumping it I thought I'd link to the old and begin anew. We've moved on to our next project which is to build a family room in our basement. It will first become a bedroom for my 16 year old son, Alex. It's half the basement, and will be 2/3s carpeted, 1/3 tiled (for a future bar area). With school ending next week, my youngest daughter is soon to move in with us and so we really need to get moving. Of course, we can only go as fast as our funds will allow us (we're still facing lawyers fees from our recent custody battle.)

So if you have any advice on basement renovation, I'm listening Or if you want to show off a current or past project, post here.

Here are the "before" pictures at the time of the house inspection. While it revealed no major problems (thankfully) the prior owner created a huge mess by placing a vapor barrier below joist insulation (see image below). It. Was. Gross. When I pulled it all down last December, it just rained down rodent urine/droppings... But I plugged away and managed to pull it all down, bag it all up, and get it into the dumpster.

The whole basement was studded and covered with plywood and pegboard. It was a pretty bleak room ALL of that came down too.

This image is in the raised "unfinished" side. The hot water heater was dead the day we moved in, and the new one we replaced it with today sits in the finished half, and will be closeted from view.

But those were taken half a year ago. We've cleaned it up pretty well since then and sealed the walls prior to framing...

Kneewalls span the entire basement and are a challenge to work around.

^window boxes are cool We've got a vapor barrier on the floor. Over it will go a very thick underpad and berber carpet. The floor is not very level so we need a lot of spongy thickness to even things out.

^ The junk pile behind the broom is where a large closet is now framed as seen in the next picture...

^ This is the tiled end where the bar will eventually go. It's the only side where we will use the kneewall for shelving, (you can see the shelf we built on the back wall above) and you can see the basic outline of the hot water heater closet where it's duct taped.

By the way, last weekend a major hurdle was overome when we sistered two crap joists which were causing a sag in the middle of the upstairs floor. Now we can finally level that area whenever we get around to re-flooring the living room.

Sadly, Elmo (who directs me with all her fancy book-learnin') will be away for most of the next 3 weeks so progress will slow. Hope to get the drywall up during that period. But we're doing our best to make it a livable space by mid-August. I hope to keep this thread updated with before/afters as we go along

 

[RoJoHen]

I built a table out of PVC pipe a couple weeks ago. It's pretty sweet.

 

[Trekker4747]

I think I am handy enough.

I can get by quite a bit on general handy knowledge and fix things fairly well. And it doesn't, exactly, always involve duct-tape and/or WD-40.

 

[FrontLine]

Im not as handy as I used to be. I know what to do, but physically my body has had the ever living crap beat out of it and now things like a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder prevent me from doing a lot.

First bits of advice I have for remodeling a basement..get a radon test done and then have it inspected for mold and mildew and what ever you do, dont put carpeting down there. 'Cause when it floods (and it will, it will) you dont want to deal with soggy carpeting.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I am definitely not handy. I pat myself on the back when I can successfully assemble the desk chair I bought a month ago. Pathetic, innit?

and what ever you do, dont put carpeting down there. 'Cause when it floods (and it will, it will) you dont want to deal with soggy carpeting.

That's where you really need a sump pump. With all the rain and flooding we have gotten in the last two weeks, mine has been in overdrive. If I didn't have that, I'd be swimming right about now.

 

[Mitty]

Well, as some of you know I built a Tin Dog. So I guess I'm somewhat handy.

I also built my own PC's and do plenty of home maintenance. I've fixed the dishwasher on a few different occasions when it broke down for different reasons.

 

[auntiehill]

^ very cool! Great picture; I love how your cat seems totally unimpressed.

I'm not handy at all. Hubby is somewhat handy--not as handy as he *thinks* he is, though. It took him 2 days to put up three shelves.

 

[JonathonWally]

Holy shit Spocked, I'm doing the exact same thing, redoing my basement family room. It's almost exactly like yours, the set up of the windows and pain in the ass beams.

I don't have pictures at this point because, well, right now it's a shitpit. The walls are already framed and built with wood paneling from years ago. So I don't have to redo that, i'm just going to prime and paint. But, what I am doing is replacing every piece of molding, the floor, and the drop ceiling.

As of now, it's carpeted, but the carpet is probably 30 years old, so I'll be masked up when I remove it along with it's 30 years of mold mildew and crap, like Frontline said, carpet down there was a terrible idea. That's the one part of the project I'm fearing most, taking out that carpet and all that padding.

While I have no flooding issues down there, I do have a retrofitted central air system in the house that goes through the low mounted heat vents and no air handler in the attic to act as a return, so all the cold air sinks to the basement, it can get very cold down there, so when it comes to flooring, I really don't know what to do.

I really don't want to tile it, it's a lot of floor to tile, plus, I don't much like tile floors. Not up on linoleum, but I will if I have to I suppose. I really would love to lay a pergo style floor down with rugs laid out.

But, I'm afraid all the moisture from the cold air condensation would warp the shit out of it, no matter how much I lay down padding and insulation.

The big problem is, underneath all the carpet and padding, is asbestos tiling and there is no way I'm going to break that up and remove it.

While I have all the flooring exposed, I'll probably redo the stairs since I'm more than sure that carpet and padding took their toll on that wood. That's the least of my worries though since I don't have to re-configure the rise and run.

I'm jealous of you bro, you've already down the hard and shitty parts. Keep us updated on your progress, you give me hope!

 

[RJDiogenes]

I have no capacity for handiness at all.

Those pictures look great. The place is really coming along. I can't wait to see the finished result.

 

[SPOCKED]

Holy shit Spocked, I'm doing the exact same thing, redoing my basement family room. It's almost exactly like yours, the set up of the windows and pain in the ass beams.

Nice to know someone else is in the hotseat with me

I don't have pictures at this point because, well, right now it's a shitpit. The walls are already framed and built with wood paneling from years ago. So I don't have to redo that, i'm just going to prime and paint. But, what I am doing is replacing every piece of molding, the floor, and the drop ceiling.

Don't care!! Get pictures and post them Documenting the job from the bleakest moments is what makes progress so much fun. And watching it come together over time makes all the sweat worth it.

As of now, it's carpeted, but the carpet is probably 30 years old, so I'll be masked up when I remove it along with it's 30 years of mold mildew and crap, like Frontline said, carpet down there was a terrible idea. That's the one part of the project I'm fearing most, taking out that carpet and all that padding.

Ugh -- that does NOT sound like fun. In addition to the mask, I'd try and seal the upstairs as best I could from exposure to that atmosphere. It's going to be gross but you'll be glad you finally did it. And hey, it can't be worse than pulling down and bagging up an entire ceiliing's worth of disgusting 30 year old, mouse-shit insulation while wrapped in coveralls, respirator, and goggles But yeah... I hear ya on this one, JW.

While I have no flooding issues down there, I do have a retrofitted central air system in the house that goes through the low mounted heat vents and no air handler in the attic to act as a return, so all the cold air sinks to the basement, it can get very cold down there, so when it comes to flooring, I really don't know what to do.

We're reasonably comfortable carpeting the floor. We're really high up (our livingroom window looks out onto treetops) and not in a flood zone. There was very little evidence of moisture during the inspection (house is 50 years old) and I've done a lot of sealing in the basement with dry-crete and just regular caulking in addition to the sealer. Have you considered raising the floor for whatever covering you want in the future? We thought about that, but we'd lose a bit of headroom which I'm not in favor of.

I really don't want to tile it, it's a lot of floor to tile, plus, I don't much like tile floors. Not up on linoleum, but I will if I have to I suppose. I really would love to lay a pergo style floor down with rugs laid out.

Tiling would be way too time consuming for me. We have to use 6x6 tiles due to the uneven-ness of that area so we're talking DAYS of work just on the tiling job. The carpet will go faster, but we'll have to seam in extra carpet due to the width of the room - and I'm not looking forward to that.

But, I'm afraid all the moisture from the cold air condensation would warp the shit out of it, no matter how much I lay down padding and insulation.

As you can see in the pictures, I've got a nice de-humidifier down there. Would that help your situation?

The big problem is, underneath all the carpet and padding, is asbestos tiling and there is no way I'm going to break that up and remove it.

No point in tearing that out, I'm sure. I imagine it would be a very costly enterprise.

While I have all the flooring exposed, I'll probably redo the stairs since I'm more than sure that carpet and padding took their toll on that wood. That's the least of my worries though since I don't have to re-configure the rise and run.

We have no access to the basement (until we build the addition) from the upstairs, so I have no stairs to worry about right now.

I'm jealous of you bro, you've already down the hard and shitty parts. Keep us updated on your progress, you give me hope!

Thanks, JW

 

[Gertch]

I really don't want to tile it, it's a lot of floor to tile, plus, I don't much like tile floors. Not up on linoleum, but I will if I have to I suppose. I really would love to lay a pergo style floor down with rugs laid out.

But, I'm afraid all the moisture from the cold air condensation would warp the shit out of it, no matter how much I lay down padding and insulation.

I put down laminate (tile look) in the bath/laundry a year and a half ago. No problems at all. Love the look and how tight they fit. But if one does warp, it should auto-correct once it dries or worse case you can disconnect the pieces until you reach and replace the bad one.

I did run a dehumidifier last summer but mainly because I had an unprimed door that expanded. DOH!

 

[SPOCKED]

Im not as handy as I used to be. I know what to do, but physically my body has had the ever living crap beat out of it and now things like a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder prevent me from doing a lot.

Sorry, Fronty. While it's nothing similar, I can't imagine the kind of work-halting setback my old tennis elbow would be causing if I had it right now. It would be impossible to do anything like home renovation and I'd be very upset, obviously.

First bits of advice I have for remodeling a basement..get a radon test done and then have it inspected for mold and mildew and what ever you do, dont put carpeting down there. 'Cause when it floods (and it will, it will) you dont want to deal with soggy carpeting.

We've had those tests. But we've taken precautions and have done things by the book thus far concerning the moisture issue. And while we feel confident... nothing is really a guarantee, I agree.

 

[John Picard]

I'm doing my kitchen right now on a serious budget. I will post up some pics shortly.

FWIW - if anyone else takes on a remodeling task like Spocked, look into using steel rather than wood 2"x4". Steel is straight and true and not prone to shrinking, warping, and you don't have to dig through a pile to find one that's reasonable straight.

 

[Gertch]

FWIW - if anyone else takes on a remodeling task like Spocked, look into using steel rather than wood 2"x4". Steel is straight and true and not prone to shrinking, warping, and you don't have to dig through a pile to find one that's reasonable straight.

Good tip. My neighbor is a contractor and after showing him what I did in my basement he showed me his in progress. He was using steel. Wish I had known that before I picked through all that lumber... He's also using the new Green board - sheetrock that is mold and moisture resistant.

 

[TerriO]

I would love to tackle a project like that, actually. We have an amusing as hell role reversal in KRAD's and my relationship. I'm the one who fixes things, because it'll usually take me 10 minutes and it'll take him 2 hours and a lot of frustration.

I inherited the "gadget" gene. My biological father was a race car driver. I was also on my own for almost a decade. You learn how to be handy damned fast that way.

 

[SPOCKED]

FWIW - if anyone else takes on a remodeling task like Spocked, look into using steel rather than wood 2"x4". Steel is straight and true and not prone to shrinking, warping, and you don't have to dig through a pile to find one that's reasonable straight.

Good tip. My neighbor is a contractor and after showing him what I did in my basement he showed me his in progress. He was using steel. Wish I had known that before I picked through all that lumber... He's also using the new Green board - sheetrock that is mold and moisture resistant.

I knew about the steel as an option, but just went for the wood. And while I am not looking forward to all the dusty, time consuming work that goes along with cutting and sanding and painting drywall , the moisture-resistant stuff is really the only option down there (as opposed to paneling which I've seen really go 'bad' in basements).

J_P,we're looking forward to some pics of your kitchen

 

[John Picard]

FWIW - if anyone else takes on a remodeling task like Spocked, look into using steel rather than wood 2"x4". Steel is straight and true and not prone to shrinking, warping, and you don't have to dig through a pile to find one that's reasonable straight.

Good tip. My neighbor is a contractor and after showing him what I did in my basement he showed me his in progress. He was using steel. Wish I had known that before I picked through all that lumber... He's also using the new Green board - sheetrock that is mold and moisture resistant.

I've learned that you never, ever use greenboard for a tub surround and then tile over it. Not my work, but whoever built my house did that (back in 1983). By the time I moved into the house (13 years ago), the tile started separating from the board, and in one of the bath surrounds I lightly picked at the tile and a large chunk (about 24"x16") crashed into the tub.

Use concrete Hardibacker board for surrounds!

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I think I'm pretty handy for a girl. I have assembled things like a barrister's bookcase (with slide-down glass doors), a large DVD case with 4 hinged doors and glass panes, and another shelving unit with a drawer at the bottom. Also, countless basic bookcases, chairs, coffee tables (one of which was fairly complicated), end tables, and other misc items like that. I also put a queen sized bed together once.

I can also do basic computer stuff - open up the casing and change out a disk drive, etc.

I'm no Bob Villa or anything...but for a girl I think I do better than most.

 

[Scout101]

I've learned that you never, ever use greenboard for a tub surround and then tile over it. Not my work, but whoever built my house did that (back in 1983). By the time I moved into the house (13 years ago), the tile started separating from the board, and in one of the bath surrounds I lightly picked at the tile and a large chunk (about 24"x16") crashed into the tub.

Use concrete Hardibacker board for surrounds!

I had to do that for my tub when I redid the bathroom last summer (see the link to the old thread at the top of this one for pics). After I pulled the tile off of the wall, the bottom 3' of the wall just started coming away in moldy chunks and disintegrating. Either regular sheetrock or shitty other material, but the moisture had long since gotten behind the tiles and destroyed it. It's now got the concrete backing board (don't remember which brand, there were 2 there), so shouldn't go anywhere for a while...

 

[FrontLine]

I would love to tackle a project like that, actually. We have an amusing as hell role reversal in KRAD's and my relationship. I'm the one who fixes things, because it'll usually take me 10 minutes and it'll take him 2 hours and a lot of frustration.

You two sound like my us. Im usually a PITA cause I want to plan and prep everything. She just tears at it.

FWIW - if anyone else takes on a remodeling task like Spocked, look into using steel rather than wood 2"x4". Steel is straight and true and not prone to shrinking, warping, and you don't have to dig through a pile to find one that's reasonable straight.

Good tip. My neighbor is a contractor and after showing him what I did in my basement he showed me his in progress. He was using steel. Wish I had known that before I picked through all that lumber... He's also using the new Green board - sheetrock that is mold and moisture resistant.

I've learned that you never, ever use greenboard for a tub surround and then tile over it. Not my work, but whoever built my house did that (back in 1983). By the time I moved into the house (13 years ago), the tile started separating from the board, and in one of the bath surrounds I lightly picked at the tile and a large chunk (about 24"x16") crashed into the tub.

Use concrete Hardibacker board for surrounds!

I gues this is a case of ymmv cause down here its greenbaord for the surrounds of showers and tubs with nary a problem.