Basement illuminated

Well the basement is getting there, and this weekend so a lot of spit and polish.  We finished the second coat of paint, and there is a little bit of touch up to do, but we will wait until the end to do that.  We also finally wired up all the wall sconces.  Those have been a long time coming, and they fill the room with light (okay, it might be a bit too much light, but one of the principle goals of the room is a games room, and for that we need light.

From this point there is a couple plugs left to wire, and none of the plugs are hooked up to breakers yet.  That takes care of electrical, short of the light fixtures that don't exist yet. 

Next step is floor and trim, we have a bunch of carpet samples, and I think we've settled on one, we are just waiting on a price and setting up the install.  After carpet is trim, and I'm having a devil of a time with a contractor, so I'm looking for a second or third quote, because the first guy has fallen off the face off there earth.  I'm hoping that ~3 weeks and we done.  So yeah!

Maybe when I'm not spending every free moment in the basement, I'll get back to being more social :)

As you enter from the foyer

What Erin likes to call the Under Kitchen, I hate to quibble, but it is more a kitchenette.

Looking back at the entrance, and the pocket door

Main room, debris strewn

"hallway" to bathroom

Art niche, and horrifying tangle of wires which belong to the three-way

Looking back at the other half of the main room and the under kitchen

Basement Slowgress

Since going back to work, everything has slowed down a bit.  In part for lack of time, and in part because it is getting down to the hard bits that just take time, and thought.  All of the macro framing is complete, so that leaves the duct bulkheads you can see starting to take shape here:

We are actually going to do a drop ceiling, but you still need dry wall on all the vertical surfaces, even the stupid ones.

To go with the odd framing, is the electrical, this stuff is mostly slow because of thought, we keep having to check code books, and double check each others work (Erin is doing most of the box wiring, while I'm framing.)  We are trying to keep our options open with respect to the basement as a future mini-appartment, so we are wiring the "bar" as more of a kitchenette, so everything to code with respect to the number and wiring of junction boxes near the sink, and for the future fridge.  So that means 12 gage conductor for 20 amp boxes, and two full circuits of it.  Everyone you ask when it comes to code has a different answer, and it isn't because any of them are strictly wrong, but because code seems to shift every three  to five years.  Especially where it comes to water and electricity being close to one another.

Some good examples of receptacle and sconce junction boxes.

Our dead line is fast approaching, Monday the 18th is when I've self reported to the ESA that we will be ready for inspection.  The inspection hasn't actually been booked, but I figure I have a window of about a week from that day in which the inspection will be done.  I'm optimistic we can nail this on the first inspection and avoid any delays in getting the insulation done.

Speaking of insulation, I now have two more companies coming to quote, so I think I'll have some leverage and a good price.  This is probably going to be the single largest expense in the basement, so I figure doing my research is time well spent.

Anyways, all things go according to plan I'm thinking we will have unfinished drywall in place by Christmas.

Erin Electrifying the Basement

Drilling holes and taking names