Something I've been working on for 2 years now
Jstas
Posts: 14,842
Thanksgiving break of 2011, I started working on fixing the problems with my basement.
I had water problems from an improperly removed tree on the side of my house. That in turn cause mold problems. So the first weekend of November 2011, I regraded my yard. I pulled 800 pounds of rotten tree stump out of the ground and pitched my yard about 4 degrees away from my house. That solved the majority of my water problems. Then I had to get about cleaning up some foundation damage and mold problems in my basement.
It's a LONG friggin' story. I'm sure I will tell it several times during Polkfest. Hope I can get the bar done by then!
Anyway, some pictures of before and after shots.
I took my basement down to the masonry and replaced virtually all of it. My father and I replaced everything including the stairs. I even gutted the bathroom and replaced everything except the toilet. I even replaced the wax ring. It's taken a long time and I'm not done yet but I'm pretty proud of it. I had a vision in my head the entire time but it came out better than my brain could have imagined.
Attached pictures are as follows:
- The picture with the saw is where I was at after demolition. I had to replace the center wall completely because of a structural problem so that got done first. It's just to give an idea of how much work I had to do. But it includes a shot of how bad the stairs were.
- The pictures with the paneling and furring strip on the pink wall are what was all over the basement. I had a TON of demo to do.
- The last picture is an idea of what it looks like finished.
I am putting in a wet bar and eventually a home theater with in-wall speakers. I still have some doors to replace and some finishing up of trim after laying the carpet but otherwise, this is "finished" in the sense that whatever I have left to do is now "new" work and not fixing/replacing the hack-job that was there.
I had water problems from an improperly removed tree on the side of my house. That in turn cause mold problems. So the first weekend of November 2011, I regraded my yard. I pulled 800 pounds of rotten tree stump out of the ground and pitched my yard about 4 degrees away from my house. That solved the majority of my water problems. Then I had to get about cleaning up some foundation damage and mold problems in my basement.
It's a LONG friggin' story. I'm sure I will tell it several times during Polkfest. Hope I can get the bar done by then!
Anyway, some pictures of before and after shots.
I took my basement down to the masonry and replaced virtually all of it. My father and I replaced everything including the stairs. I even gutted the bathroom and replaced everything except the toilet. I even replaced the wax ring. It's taken a long time and I'm not done yet but I'm pretty proud of it. I had a vision in my head the entire time but it came out better than my brain could have imagined.
Attached pictures are as follows:
- The picture with the saw is where I was at after demolition. I had to replace the center wall completely because of a structural problem so that got done first. It's just to give an idea of how much work I had to do. But it includes a shot of how bad the stairs were.
- The pictures with the paneling and furring strip on the pink wall are what was all over the basement. I had a TON of demo to do.
- The last picture is an idea of what it looks like finished.
I am putting in a wet bar and eventually a home theater with in-wall speakers. I still have some doors to replace and some finishing up of trim after laying the carpet but otherwise, this is "finished" in the sense that whatever I have left to do is now "new" work and not fixing/replacing the hack-job that was there.
Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
Post edited by Jstas on
Comments
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Nice job. I know exactly how you feel when water is the issue. Fortunately for me, it was just adding gutters to the house. Still have to run the dehu but otherwise dry. It took me 2 years to completely gut and reno my basement by myself. Lots of fun!
Post some finished pictures when fully furnished......then we'll know if there is anything worth stealing.Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!! -
Holy moldy bat thermal underwear!
you're hired!!
Beautiful.
My house was built in 1896. My basement will never look like that.
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Nice real nice Pride of accomplishment is a awesome feeling.
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Good work that really paid off!
Well done, Jstas!Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.
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Nice job. I know exactly how you feel when water is the issue. Fortunately for me, it was just adding gutters to the house. Still have to run the dehu but otherwise dry. It took me 2 years to completely gut and reno my basement by myself. Lots of fun!
Post some finished pictures when fully furnished......then we'll know if there is anything worth stealing.
Oh, I had to replace gutters too.
So I got the ones that they guarantee to not clog! no moar teetering on a ladder with a garden trowel and a leaf blower for me!Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Looks good! Where you live?HT/2Channel: Emotiva MMC-1, Adcom GFA-555II, Polk SDA 3.1's, Teac TN-300 TT, Polk Center and Sub.
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Additional projects: RTA 12c's -
Looks good John. Have to ask the million dollar question though.
Did you cure the water problem ?
Even after the tree roots are removed, the water had to be coming in from a crack in the foundation somewhere. If you haven't fixed that crack, water will still come in.HT SYSTEM-
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lsi 9's -
[Cliff Clavin]The whole problem with water is that it's not compressible. This is due to the vast network of hydrogen bonds between water molecules. It's also why ice is less dense than liquid water (i.e., why ice floats, instead of sinks). Thus water can build up tremendous pressure. When it's building up outside a foundation... it's gotta go somewhere... and it'll find the path of least resistance. Fix one, it'll find another.[/Cliff Clavin]
The most important thing is to get the water away from the foundation. Proper grading and draining systems (e.g., French drains) are critical. Hope that the site work done will let you enjoy the fruits of your labors for a long time! It looks great! -
I wouldn't have refinished anything if the water problem wasn't fixed.
There wasn't water gushing in and not cracks in the foundation. At least not any that didn't follow block joint lines. But those are to be expected in a 60+ year old house. Nothing is leaning and nothing is getting kicked out of shape. The walls aren't exactly straight but they were built that way because the house was built before building code enforcement became a thing.
The water problem I had was just excessive moisture that caused mold growth. It was happening because the tree stump created a mound in my side yard. When the tree was there, no big deal, it soaked up all the water. No tree though, it all runs off right towards my foundation. So the water was sitting right against the block and it made the basement musty and felt like a morgue. When I pulled the paneling down and pulled the tile up, you could smell it. There was also effluence coming out of the wall and in some spots near the bottom of the wall, it damaged stuff. It was only the one end of the house though. The other end is bone dry except for a corner. I'll get to that in a minute.
I regraded to get the water running away from the house again. I did that in November because I was busy cleaning up the mess from hurricane Irene earlier. When hurricane Sandy came though, everyone around me had sump pumps running like Jesse Owens. I did not hear mine turn on once. I had the walls down and the ceiling down and was busy fixing the problems I found before I started doing the rebuilding. The center wall was a problem so we fixed that and rebuilt that book case. Then I fixed electrical, plumbing and HVAC issues. Then I ended up pulling the bathroom down there apart. But after Sandy, I had no water, anywhere except the one far corner. So I sealed the foundation walls and built new 2x3 walls to screw into the existing furring strip. There are 4 inch stainless steel screws holding the walls up.
Anyhoo...if I didn't get any water from Sandy I figured I was ok.
The other corner had a water problem because of how the yard is. I also had a leaking gutter right above it. So I replaced the gutters and I have to fix a retaining wall. I still have a slight problem there but after fixing the gutters, I have drastically reduced the water problem on that corner.
So yes, the water problems are fixed and my french drain is in good shape it seems. I'm on the highest ground on my block too all the water runs away from me anyway. The people behind me, sucks to be them. Thy are a good 10 feet below my grade. So all the water from side of the block run right down to their side. Then again, that was one of the reasons I was ok with this house.
But all the new stuff was chosen and built in a way that any water problems will be repairable. Everything behind the walls is coasted in Drylock. The walls themselves are treated sheetrock that is mold and moisture resistant. I even used KILZ as the primer and primed BOTH sides of the sheet rock. The baseboard is completely coated in polyurethane all the way around. The circuits are all GFI'ed too. Even the carpet is carpet tile from Milikken. It's designed to be easily removed, cleaned and replaced. It's all synthetic so no stains, no mold growth no rotting. Even comes with like a 30 year warranty.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Cool John, looks like you had a handle on it. I only asked because I know way too many who slap a half **** fix on a crack and finish a basement....only to have water soak the carpet and walls again.
Btw...is this going to be the new man-cave ? Bar-stereo-naked pics ?HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Excellent. It's always best to be the highest one on the block.
Below grade ventilation can be a big challenge - although it looks like you've got a fair amount of above-grade basement wall (if I interpreted one of the photos correctly?). -
Nice job.Oh, I had to replace gutters too.
So I got the ones that they guarantee to not clog! no moar teetering on a ladder with a garden trowel and a leaf blower for me!
did you buy the gutter helmet gutters?
I always advised my landscaping clients to use them to get control of their runoff, they are very good.humpty dumpty was pushed -
Cool John, looks like you had a handle on it. I only asked because I know way too many who slap a half **** fix on a crack and finish a basement....only to have water soak the carpet and walls again.
Btw...is this going to be the new man-cave ? Bar-stereo-naked pics ?
My whole house is a "man-cave" since I'm by myself again. But the plan is a wet bar and an HT...hopefully with in-walls...eventually. Both add value, the wet bar moreso. Mainly because any putz can put in a counter and call it a bar. But add power, a sink and water/sewer and it's no longer just a counter for drinking your face off. It can be an ice cream parlor, a soda fountain, a buffet table...whatever. It's "family friendly" and makes it an entertaining place instead of just a home "bar".
I'm probably going to move the "Little **** Speakers" and the rest of the He-Man rig down there though. That was one of the reasons to fix the water problems. Amazings in any flavor don't like humidity.
There is a stereo is almost every room of my house though. All 3 bedrooms (one is an office for now), the living room, the workshop, the "home gym" and the garage all have some level of stereo amplification.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
mhardy6647 wrote: »Excellent. It's always best to be the highest one on the block.
Below grade ventilation can be a big challenge - although it looks like you've got a fair amount of above-grade basement wall (if I interpreted one of the photos correctly?).
I have foundation windows with about 14-26 inches of above grade exposure depending on which side of the house you are looking at. There are 5 foundation windows. None in the front because the 14" of exposure isn't big enough to have windows without unsightly culverts.
None of the HVAC is below the ceiling though. I have a forced air system and I put in a bunch of dampers in various places so I can control airflow for the various seasons. Works out peachy keen. Since the house is just a rancher, it's easy to manage. If I expend at any point then I'll have to do some redesigning.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
scottyboy76 wrote: »Nice job.
did you buy the gutter helmet gutters?
I always advised my landscaping clients to use them to get control of their runoff, they are very good.
Yep, gutter helmet.
The guys were pretty awesome. They replaced rotted fascia boards too.
I waited to get the gutters though because the oak tree in the back needed to be pruned. I had a tree company come out and do that. Th forestry guy from the NJ Forestry Service said it's one of the largest pin oaks he's seen. It's over 90 ft which is apparently rare. The branch they pulled down that was worrying me was over 3,000 pounds. I got that trimmed about 3 weeks before hurricane Sandy plowed through. If I didn't, I'd probably be talking about the sound the tree made when it crashed through my bedroom instead of what the basement looks like after 2 years of work.
Hurricane Sandy also delayed me a bit because after that happened, I spent a bunch of my free time for the next 5 months afterwards helping on recovery efforts down the shore. Alot of my "fix the basement" time got lost on that. I probably would have been done to this point last fall if it wasn't for that. But people needed help and my basement wasn't going anywhere. So every weekend, I loaded up one of my vehicles with tools, cases of water and stuff like toilet paper and plastic plates and cups and such and went down to the back bay towns to help the people I knew and anyone else I could.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Looks really nice John, can't wait to see it in person.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Good job.
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John, I think I liked it with the fiberglass/furring strips exposed, and maybe should've finished off the floor with more fiberglass & furring strips. Don't get me wrong, it looks good this way too.
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Super Job John...we have the same exact house. The downstairs is one great room to turn into a "Mancave". Your hard work really paid off."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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Great looking job John! You put a lot of hard work into that project and it shows. I can't wait to see it come time for Polkfest!Carl
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George Grand wrote: »John, I think I liked it with the fiberglass/furring strips exposed, and maybe should've finished off the floor with more fiberglass & furring strips. Don't get me wrong, it looks good this way too.
That pink was the color the foundation was painted. Musta been extra from when they were building the development.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
pearsall001 wrote: »Super Job John...we have the same exact house. The downstairs is one great room to turn into a "Mancave". Your hard work really paid off.
Still not done yet.
Got some more stuff to do but I gotta go get permits for the work I have to do now.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Looks great. Can't wait to see it in personVideo: LG 55LN5100/Samsung LNT4065F
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Your hard work has paid off in dividends, looks great enjoy yourself, especially when you host the next Polk Fest! I had a total basement renovation I took in water after a large snow melt and a bunch of rain it's been expensive, had to gut the basement have drain tile installed A triple sump pump system installed replaced the walls as high as the electrical outlets. I have installed new carpet and tiles, and just finished up putting the rest of the trim up.
The best part is when I'm done my main HT Will be located down there, still some work to do but the end is near so I feel for you, but looks like you did a fantastic job. I can't wait to share some pics when my project is complete its been a little over a year and think in a few more months my project will be finished. Once again you did good wish I could hang out with you all at Polk Fest.Home Theater
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Nice job! Nice miter saw too!DKG999
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