Ottawa Basement Finish

[hebdo27]

Oh yeah, I guess I should of started with this post to give you some context of the layout. I asked for a large open area, a bar area (recommended by my contractor during the intial estimate), one large storage room, one bedroom with a closet, one bathroom and storage underneath the stairs. I am soooo glad the contractor talked me into putting a bar in the lower ceiling area. I had initially planned on making it another storage room but now that everything is done a bar was the thing to do. He only charged me an extra $1K to put in the bar instead of a storage area. I realize this is pretty cheap as the bar was alot more work than a walled off storage area with a door.

As you can see from the picture the bathroom is actually an ensuite to the bedroom. I initially wanted another door from the hallway to access the bathroom but that would have really cut into my main storage area and also make the bathroom very ackward as the entrance would be directly in line with the shower. I know it is not ideal that to get to the washroom we have to enter the bedroom but in the end I am glad I took the contractors recommendations.

[hebdo27]

Here are some pics of his framing work. As you can see the electrical wiring was all put in at this point also. The stairs was also opened up by cutting a way a large portion of the walls on both sides. This was one of the biggest factors that made my basement feel so much bigger and more inviting.

He also framed all the separation walls 24" OC instead of the standard 16 OC. I had some concerns that my walls would not be as strong but after closer inspection and talking with the city inspectors that came during the construction, its all ok and to code.

[hebdo27]

Originally Posted by jeffjc

is there any plastic between the 2x4 on the floor and actual floor?

jeffjc

Yes he used that pink foam rolls you get at HomeDepot for ~$10/Roll. Sill plate gasket or something like that on the 2X4's touching the concrete. I did that moisture test by taping some plastic to my basement floor for a few days. There is no moisture at all in my basement, it has always been very very dry in my basement. But yes the added protection there is good to know. I was talking with the city inspector on this and it is actually NOT a bylaw requirement, just good framing practice.

[hebdo27]

More progress. The big board he put on one of the walls is where I indicated I was going to possible put a wall mounted TV in the future, thus he reinforced the area with 3/4 inch plywood and cross member frames between the vertical studs. I can pretty much hang a small elephant off that area!

My electrical box getting some new double breakers to accommodate the added electrical load. I wished the original builder would have used a larger amp box, but too late for that now.

[hebdo27]

Framing the entrance to the mechanical room.

You can see the area for the main entertainment room TV mount. He reinforced it similar to the bedroom but with the plywood running over 3 wall studs. It can accommodate a very very large TV.... The white wires coming out of the wall near the TV are my fire rated CL3 speakers wires which I have running to the ceiling for in-ceiling speakers. In total 6 in-ceiling speakers and 3 in-wall speakers. The setup will be a 7.1 for the main Home Theatre area and a Zone 2 area with 2 speakers.

The white tube beside the drain stack is for one of the 3 central vac hookup sites.

[kalW]

Originally Posted by hebdo27

My electrical box getting some new double breakers to accommodate the added electrical load. I wished the original builder would have used a larger amp box, but too late for that now.

It's never too late... It's actually quite straightforward work if your meter's on the opposite side of the wall from the panel and up/outside.

If not, you can make the basement 100A panel a sub-panel to a larger 200A panel that you place near the service entrance. This is what we actually did because it worked out better and resulted in shorter runs to some of the higher power items (sauna, brewery, pool, etc).

Thanks for posting the pics!
Kal

[hebdo27]

Originally Posted by kalW

It's never too late... It's actually quite straightforward work if your meter's on the opposite side of the wall from the panel and up/outside.

If not, you can make the basement 100A panel a sub-panel to a larger 200A panel that you place near the service entrance. This is what we actually did because it worked out better and resulted in shorter runs to some of the higher power items (sauna, brewery, pool, etc).

Thanks for posting the pics!
Kal

Yes the meter is on the other side of the panel. The electrician said it was no problem to add more later or make the panel bigger. But I guess I do it when I actually really need to as any electrical work is $$$$!!!!

[hebdo27]

More progress.

[hebdo27]

Fire place getting framed in. Hook up for the shower fixtures. The last pictures shows the horrendous piping and ducting (done by the original home builder) that had to be rerouted by my contractor to reduce bulkheads and have a nicer finish for the front of the bar.

[hebdo27]

Plumbing passed city inspection so drain pipes for bathroom closed up in the floor. Strapping for ceiling and more bulkhead action.