Geof's Waste of Bandwidth Blog: Basement Project Archives

December 3, 2005

Grand Opening of the Basement

Tonight is the grand opening of the basement. Should be a great time. Here are the final photos. A few items remain - installation of the 26" LCD TV on the poker side and reorganization of the soda fountain system. But those are minor items that will be completed over christmas.

Here are the photos:

Geof's iTunes currently playing Beautiful Day from the album "The Complete U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind" by U2

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October 25, 2005

Making the final connections

Well, the basement is about finished - about a week ago the audio-video system was installed. Yesterday and today is the final plumbing and electrical connections. Final inspection should be later this week with all that really remains is delivery of furniture.

Here are the latest photos:

The bar in place, one pendant installed, countertop and faucet installed

another view

The silstone countertop and faucet - looking sharp. New Uniden phone system installed as well.

Christmas has arrived!!! 100" Stewart screen - simply amazing.

The media center - the trim was just installed today (after these pictures) - They look great.

The Sony Cineza HS-51 Projector mounted and ready for action.

Bathroom fixtures finally installed

Jack Daniel's Barrel getting ready for final positioning.

Just another look - WOW!!

Geof's iTunes currently playing All I Want Is You from the album "The Complete U2 - The Best Of 1980-1990" by U2

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October 15, 2005

Refrigerator and Bar get delivered

On Wednesday the bar from Watson's and the Whirlpool refrigerator were deliver. The bar was easy as it came in pieces. The refrigerator however was a different story. It eventually made it down, but the 90 degree turn on the stairs takes some careful guiding.

I ordered the furniture for the media room yesterday. I ended up going with a leather reclining sofa and two leather reclining chairs. The color of the leather is called durango strawberry. It basically looks like a bright ohio state scarlet! Going to look awesome in a room with grey walls.

Tomorrow is the screen install. Thursday the countertop is delivered and soon after the bathroom fixtures will be installed. The media room furniture will take about 20-30 days but for most purposes - the basement project could be finished in about a week. Once we have passed all inspections and construction is done, I am going to install the upgraded soda fountain bar gun system.

Here are a few pictures of the bar and refrigerator.

Geof's iTunes currently playing Giving It All to You from the album "Somebody's Miracle (Bonus Track)" by Liz Phair

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October 9, 2005

The Theater Room Setup for the basement

One of the main reasons for finishing the basement was to install a home theater. Next weekend, this portion of the basement project should be finished with the installation of the projector and screen and final wiring connections. Many people have asked me what equipment I am using in the basement. So this post will detail what I will have:

Projector

Sony VPL-HS51 Cineza Widescreen WXGA (1280 x 720) Hometheater LCD Projector, 1200 ANSI Lumens, 12 lb 6 oz

Projector

A next generation Cineza home theater projector equipped with the latest 3-LCD panel, the Sony VPL-HS51 is a powerful projector that will accurately reproduce DVD and high definition sources with high brightness and full contrast.
Equipped with an advanced iris function, enabling the projector to dynamically adjust the video image according to the level of the input signal, provides a high contrast ratio of up to 6000:1, along with reproduction of the most subtle details. It also incorporates three proprietary 720p LCD panels that provide 1280 x 720 pixel resolution optimized for HD video input.

Screen
Stewart Film Luxus Deluxe ScreenWall 100" 16x9

Luxus Deluxe Screenwall

DVD Player

Samsung DVD-HD950 DVD-Video, Video CD, DVD Audio, SACD, SVCD, DVD-R/W, DVD+R/W and CD-R/RW Player, Progressive Scan with 1080i/720p HDMI and DVI Outputs

Dvd

Receiver

Denon AVR-3806

7-channel home theater receiver with HDMI digital video switching

L033Av3806B-F Ld R

Directv

Header

Once its installed, I'll post some more pictures.

Geof's iTunes currently playing Lazy Dreamer from the album "Somebody's Miracle (Bonus Track)" by Liz Phair

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The Theater Room Setup for the basement

Projector

Sony VPL-HS51 Cineza Widescreen WXGA (1280 x 720) Hometheater LCD Projector, 1200 ANSI Lumens, 12 lb 6 oz

Projector

Luxus Deluxe Screenwall

DVD Player

Samsung DVD-HD950 DVD-Video, Video CD, DVD Audio, SACD, SVCD, DVD-R/W, DVD+R/W and CD-R/RW Player, Progressive Scan with 1080i/720p HDMI and DVI Outputs

Dvd

Receiver

Denon AVR-3806

7-channel home theater receiver with HDMI digital video switching

L033Av3806B-F Ld R

Directv

Header

Once its installed, I'll post some more pictures.

Geof's iTunes currently playing Lazy Dreamer from the album "Somebody's Miracle (Bonus Track)" by Liz Phair

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October 7, 2005

Things are starting to look really great

The carpet was installed Wednesday and looks great. The color scheme is awesome. Thanks to Ro at McSwain for the suggestions on paint color, tile and carpet choices. As can be seen from the pictures below, the basement is very near completion. The lighting is installed, electrical outlets are now powered. All that really remains is the plumbing in the bathroom and installation of the countertop. The plumber is waiting until the countertop comes in - hopefully this next week. In a week the screen and projector get mounted. I purchased my receiver yesterday. I ended up choosing the Denon 3806 - just came on the market - HDMI switching and lots of other bells and whistles. I really wanted the HDMI switching - that was the key motivation. I am also going to buy some type of power protection device for the system - either Belkin, Monster Cable or APC. Now I need to purchase furniture and buy the whirlpool refrigerator at Lowe's. My hope is that by October 22 - the entire basement will be finished - possibly even the new soda fountain system. Time will tell, time will tell....

Here are the latest pictures

The railing was redone again - much nicer this time and it meets code - last time the spaces were too big - a child could get trapped and choke on the spindles.

A view towards the cabinets - the shelves should look very nice holding my Jack Daniels and Bourbon collection.

This is the other end of the poker/bar area. The enclosure over the sump pump looks great. The other enclosure covers the water supply valve and meter.

This is a view of the front corner of the home theater area. A subwoofer will be placed in this corner. Hopefully the grey paint color will be good for movie viewing.

Here is a view of the hallway and it shows some of the great angles included in the basement. Looks like the bathroom door needs painted as it isn't the same color. Another item for the growing punch list.

Here is a view down the back of the basement connecting the bar/poker area to the home theater. the divide includes the media center cabinets

The shadowbox is now finished. All that remains is the hanging of the Jack Daniels Barrel and some OSU stuff.

Thats it for now - next pictures when the bathroom is finished or the screen installed - whichever is first.

Take care!! Go Bucks!!

Geof's iTunes currently playing Homeward Bound from the album "The Essential Simon & Garfunkel" by Simon & Garfunkel

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October 2, 2005

Final week of construction?

This could be the last week of construction for the basement project. Tiling is finishing up, painting should be done in a day or so. Plumbing and electrical by mid-week. The carpet is getting installed on Wednesday and we should have the final inspection by the end of the week.
Last Friday had the walk through with my A/V experts who are doing the screen install, projector mounts and speaker mounts.

Here are the latest pictures:

Ceiling is installed and the upper cabinets have been mounted.

Rails on stairway are corrected and trim is being painted

Trim is finished, windows painted

The long awaited tile job in the bathroom. It will be grouted this monday.

Another view of the cabinets and ceiling, This hallway connects the bar/poker area to the movie theater area

A view of the poker area and the bar area.

I should have more photos later this week with the carpet installed.

Geof's iTunes currently playing Wake Me Up When September Ends from the album "American Idiot" by Green Day

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September 21, 2005

Trim work nearly complete - lower cabinets mounted

The trim work is the basement is nearly finished. The bathroom tile has yet to be finished as not enough decorative tiles were ordered for the design in the floor. So the bathroom floor is on hold until the additional tiles arrive - hopefully next week sometime. In the meantime, the lower cabinets have been set. The entertainment center cabinets are set and holes were drilled in the top of each cabinet as well as a connector hole between the two cabinets to allow for wire passage. Each shelf was also modified by drilling a 2.5 " hole in the shelf to allow for wire and cabling.

The fusebox and water meter area have been trimmed out with nice doors. The shadow box trim area was completed. Finally the railing for the lower stairs was added.

This weekend the acoustical ceiling is being installed. Then the upper cabinets can be mounted. Carpeting has been delayed until Oct. 5th to hopefully allow the bathroom floor and plumbing to be completed before the carpet arrives. Painting should start sometime next week as well.

The screen will be installed October 15th and by that date everything should be up and running - Hopefully!!

Here are some pictures of the latest improvements.

Entertainment cabinets mounted and the lower cabinets mounted in the wet bar area.

Another view of the entertainment center cabinets and the tile. (Note: The green extension cord is powering the Directv Multi-switch until the electricians install the electrical outlets in the back of each cabinet

View of the shadowbox area and the small hall closet door on the left. I am not sure I am crazy by the railing on the stairs - maybe it will grow on me?

Another view of the stairs railing and the shadowbox. The trimmed door in the background covers the water meter and main shutoff valve

The trim work on the shadowbox

The windows have been trimmed out and the fusebox covered. The cabinets on the floor are the upper cabinets that will be mounted once the acoustical ceiling is installed. The box to the left covers the sump pump and provides an access panel to it.

The mounted lower cabinets. The countertop will be measured this Thursday. It will be Silstone Mahogany. The whirlpool refrigerator will be installed to the right of the cabinets.

The view from the bar area. Water meter and shut-off valve access area and the sump-pump cover.

Geof's iTunes currently playing The World Turned Upside Down from the album "Fix You - EP" by Coldplay

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September 15, 2005

Tile installed and the cabinets are about done

The project continues. The tile floor has been installed. They started installing the cabinets today. Tomorrow they will finish the cabinets and tile the bathroom. We had been waiting for some decorative tiles to come in and we now have them.

According to the contractor - 2 weeks and it should be done. The acoustical ceiling is being installed next weekend. The carpet installation is scheduled in 2 weeks. Tonight I ordered the Stewart projection screen. 100" inches of pure beauty. It will be installed on October 15th. I need to purchase furniture in the next week or so. As well as schedule delivery of the bar and Purchase the Whirlpool refrigerator. Hoping that JVC starts selling their new receivers in the next couple of weeks so I can get the one I want.

So basically it looks like 4 weeks until everything is ready - but only 2-3 weeks until mainly ready (with the final AV install being on Oct. 15th).

Here are a few more pictures

Here the lower cabinets have been set and the upper cabinets are on the lower cabinets. The whirlpool refrigerator will go to the right of the cabinets.

This tile should look awesome once everything is installed.

This is the door into the utilities area (AC, furnace, hot water heater etc.).

The entertainment center cabinets are being installed. Lots of holes to be drilled in the the cabinets for wiring runs.
Its amazing that they are called entertainment center cabinets and yet have no pre-intalled option for running wiring,
Its almost a shame these cabinets are being recessed into the wall. The cherry cabinets are very nice.

A few more doors installed. The door to the right is the closet in which the water softener is contained. The dehumidifier may end up in this closet.

Geof's iTunes currently playing Landed from the album "iTunes Originals - Ben Folds" by Ben Folds

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August 30, 2005

Drywall almost completed

I apologize for the large gap in entries. I think the last entry has the framing completed. A great deal of work has taken place in the last 4-6 weeks. The plumbing was roughed in (including jack hammering concrete floor to install the toilet's drain). The electrical was then completed. Then came the dry-walling. As you can see by the photos below - the drywall is hung and the sanding and mudding is just about finish.

This is where the screen will be. 100" Stewart screen. The projector will be mounted near the top right of this photo

This is a view of the screen wall from the bar area. The entertainment center cabinets are on the left

This is a view of the poker room / bar side of the basement. This is the view from the bar. The flooring will be ceramic tile on this side.

Closet enclosing the utilities.

View facing the bar area. Cherry Kraftmaid Cabinets. Quartz countertops - Big money!! There will also be a Whirlpool Stainless Steel fridge to the right with a LCD TV on top of the fridge.

View of the stairs, shadowbox area and bathroom entrance. The shadowbox will contain my Jack Daniel's barrel and some OSU memorabilia.

Hallway from the stair towards theater area and bathroom

Bathroom and closet entrances

Entertainment center area - Two 80" cherry cabinet units

Paint has been selected along with tile and carpeting. The painting should start later this week, hopefully tile next week and carpeting and installation of the cabinets the week after.

The whole project is probably about 4 weeks from completion.

Stay tuned!

Geof's iTunes currently playing Philosophy (iTunes Originals Version) from the album "iTunes Originals - Ben Folds" by Ben Folds

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July 13, 2005

Update on the basement project

Things are starting to shape up in the basement. The framing is nearing completion. Then plumbing and electrical before the drywall goes up.

On Monday, DirecTV installed the new 3 LNB Dish for HD and an over the air (OTA) antenna to receive local HD channels. They also ran they satellite cables to the entertainment cabinet center area. I have set up the Sony projector temporarily in the family room and it looks great on just a white wall.

On Saturday I went to see the cabinet designer and should hopefully have the cabinets and countertops ordered in the next couple of days.

Here is the bathroom rough-in

The wet bar area gets framed

The media cabinet area starts to take shape

The area opposite the wet bar area - sump pump and water line gets framed.
The poker table will be placed between the wet bar and the wall near the sump pump.

A look towards the wet bar area with the framing around the ductwork and furnace area shaping up.

This is a view from the wet bar towards where the screen. Media cabinets on left

Another view of the media cabinets area

The other side of the furnace framing. Sure would have been nice for these utilities to be all in a corner.

Its getting there.

Geof's iTunes currently playing If You Leave from the album "The OMD Singles" by OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)

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July 6, 2005

Materials delivered and the walls start going up

Things are definitely moving now on the basement project. Materials were delivered late last week and already some of the wall framing is starting to go up. The projector and new DVD player have arrived. I haven't yet tried them out - but that may be on this weekend's agenda.

The walls start to take shape

Geof's iTunes currently playing Kate from the album "Whatever & Ever Amen" by Ben Folds Five

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June 25, 2005

Relocation of water softener

As part of the basement finishing project, the water softener needed to be relocated. It only needed to be moved about two feet, but the moved required some extensive piping changes. Luckily, I lease my water softener and the relocation is included in the normal lease fee.
Here is a picture of the water softener in the old location

Here is the water softener in the new location. This will eventually be a closet.

Geof's iTunes currently playing A Whisper from the album "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" by Coldplay

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Basement Project Begins

This week the basement project began. First step was application of DryLok masonry paint to the walls. This also included removal of the old insulation from the walls.