The UN-Theater Build - Page 8

There you go talking ill of the dead again! The execution post and photos are just above, if you missed them.

If it wasn't for bad plumbing, I'd have no plumbing at all ...

Sure did! With the benefit of the input and advice I got from folks here I had enough of a clue as to what I was dealing with to trace the extension in question back to the rats nest and figure out that it only had the blues connected. Once I connected the oranges to the other arrestor (first time I ever used that word in a sentence! ) I was good to go!

Proof that the phone line issue has been solved:



Now I just have to figure out how to install the Cone of Silence next to my PJ!

Someone asked in a PM for more details about the industrial strength dehumidifier I mentioned in an earlier post, so I thought I'd just answer here.

Because of our well documented moisture/mold issues we had previously killed a couple of big dehumidifiers we bought from Sears from running them so much in the summer, but this unit we bought from the contractor who did the drain tile system in our basement, and it is HUGE. Not sure you can tell from this photo, but this sucker is about 3' high and about 2' square, heavy, and solid as a rock. That level on top of it is 2' long for perspective.

It isn't silent, but it is powerful. I just hope it also lasts a lot longer than other ones we bought at retail.

It makes about as much noise as the other smaller dehumidifier units we've had in the past, which isn't bad considering how much more power this has. Still, it's loud enough that I would turn it off when we want to watch a movie, and just turn it back on afterwards (it isn't located in the main room anyway). And in the winter we don't need to run it at all, although my wife seems to have a hard time remembering that, so as a result I have several times found it running at the same time our built-in furnace humidifier is also running.

Warning: following is a pathetic attempt to rationalize a lack of progress in the HT by shamelessly blaming my wife.

Do NOT attempt this at home - I am a professional!!

Priorities are funny things. I look at my very large list of existing and potential projects that need doing around the house, and I prioritize using guy logic. In other words, the right way - what makes sense? Then I go ahead and just do what I want to do, with extra credit awarded to anything that involves technology and/or power tools, or that can be done while sipping a beer.

My dear bride, on the other hand, apparently lives in a parallel universe where things like bathrooms and closets and bedroom furniture and bedding mysteriously and unaccountably take precedence over obviously more important stuff like the basements and technology and power tools and home theaters.

Crazy, I know, and we mere guys can never really hope to actually understand life in this parallel universe, even if we wanted to. And let's face it, who wants to?! Still, as a veteran husband of some considerable years I've learned (usually through trial and error, with an emphasis on error) that sometimes you just have to humor her and dispense with her pet projects so that you can get back to the fun - I mean important - projects as soon as possible.

Which is a very long way of explaining how I found myself recently redoing our bedroom closets instead of working on the HT. The befuddling thing, though, was that at the outset this had nothing whatever to do with closets - it was about a bed.

Yeah, I know I'm going to have to 'splain that one, because even after living through it personally I'm still not sure I even understand it. But I'll try, for the sake of the team.

Hand me a beer, will ya?



Where do I begin? OK, remember the whole mold allergy thing that triggered this entire bloody project? Well that same concern over mold led to a number of other preventative measures, one of which involved getting rid of what can only be described as the most comfortable bed in the entire universe - my beloved water bed, because part of it also showed signs of mold.

Man, that hurt! I loved that bed, but it was either the bed or the bride that had to go, and ... well, it turns out beds are much easier to sell on Craigslist than wives. Who knew?

So we found ourselves in need of a new bed. Remember the good old days when buying a bed pretty much involved choosing what size mattress you wanted? Well, now of course you have to decide between an ever-expanding universe of mattress types: traditional spring mattresses, water beds, airbeds, memory foam beds, latex beds, etc. etc. etc! After much ado, we eventually settled on a nice traditional mattress. Mission accomplished, right? HA!

Wrong. Then the next domino fell, and even my small, pitiful brain grasped that there were more dominoes quietly lining themselves up, because then we had to buy decide on a bed frame, since we got rid of the entire water bed, lock stock and moldy barrel. The missus liked the idea of a platform style bed simply because we could have drawers for storage underneath, since the reach-in closets in these old houses are very small. As in tiny. Problem was the bed platforms with any amount of built in storage were expensive and, frankly, not very attractive IMHO. I lived through the 60's, ba-bay, and it was NOT pretty!

Well, to spare you the ugly details, since I know you wise guys probably saw this coming long before I did, the upshot was we got a regular (not too expensive) bed frame, only because in desperation I agreed to add "storage systems" to our closets to compensate for the storage space we didn't get when we didn't get a platform bed with storage built in to replace the most comfortable bed in the universe that I didn't want to get rid of in the first place!

Are you still with me?

I know, there's no way to win these things, so now after a weekend dedicated to beds and frames and a second one dedicated to closets - and neglecting my basement - we have new "closet systems" in both our closets, a new bed frame and mattress, and a still unfinished basement and HT!

"Oh! somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty hanesian has “Struck Out.”

Sometimes when you're in the middle of the battle - or a build project - it can seem like you're making no progress at all, yet when you take a moment to step back and take a broader perspective you suddenly realize you've really accomplished much more than you had thought. At least that's the theory.

So I thought I'd try that. Here's the pile of basic building materials last fall, at the beginning of the construction phase:



Here's the same pile now:



Crap. That's pathetic!!

So much for that theory!

My next priority obviously needs to be doing whatever it takes to learn how to use Photoshop so I can alter the after photo so that it at least appears like I am making progress!

I'd say you're a minority of one!


Whose closet isn't a mess? I just said I installed a closet system - I never said our closets were organized!! You're projecting, my friend!


Even if I wanted to it would be pretty worthless to try and get photos that show anything because the closets have sliding doors which means the widest view I could get is still half closed, if that makes any sense, since in this old house they are just reach in closets, not walk ins.

If you're really curious here's a stock photo from the ClosetMaid website of the type of sytem I installed. It's nothing fancy by any means, but it was a very reasonable cost for something that just needs to be functional and is behind closed doors most of the time anyway. Our closets are a bit narrower and covered by two sliding doors. And they're much more crowded and less organized, and more colorful. What kind of family has only white clothes, and so little crap in their closets?!? Nudists?!?



Plus, truth to tell, I still harbor barely contained but misdirected resentment towards the closet system. I think subconsciously I blame it for me having to get rid of my bed! Did I mention often enough that it was the most comfortable bed ever created on the face of the Earth?

Giddy with success from my recent phone wiring project, and inspired by the Get Smart Cone of Silence, I decided to turn my genius to solving the annoying problem of being subjected to other people's loud cell phone conversations in public. Witness the power of this fully operational Death Star Cell Phone Booth!



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Contemplating whether to go with soffits in the HT or not, but I'm concerned that my ceiling is too low to mess with them. I'd appreciate feedback/opinions.

What is the lowest head clearance from floor to bottom of a soffit that you would suggest?

Now the details.

I have been planning a small soffit in order to hide some ductwork and to balance the room, but am concerned my ceiling may be too low to accommodate that. To cover the ducts I'd need to go down about 10" from the joists. The ceiling height is 7' 5". So even just a 10" soffit and drywall I figure I would only have final clearance of about 6' 6'' or so. I suppose it's do-able, but that seems pretty low to me, maybe too low to bother with.

I've searched a bit but am having a hard time finding specific information on the height issue. What do you guys think?

How low can you go?

The possible soffits would be approximately 10-12" square, around the perimeter of the main part of the room. You can get an idea from the below photos of the ductwork I am working with. I would use the minimum soffit height needed to enclose that duct, and then make the depth into the room (off the walls) a similar size:

This first shot shows the main duct that runs across the room about 3/4rds of the way back from the screen wall. I plan on building a soffit for that no matter what, with the PJ being mounted just in front of that, aiming back towards the camera to the screen wall.



As you turn to the right a bit, I have a bit more ductwork, which I would like to put in a soffit to hide it better as well.



Turning right a bit more you see the duct work only runs part way along the wall. I am thinking I would just continue the soffit all the way along that wall, above the entrance door all the way to the front screen wall.



The opposite wall - turning left - has no ductwork so needs no soffit, but I am thinking of putting one here as well to balance the room. As you see, this wall has the fireplace and also a door just to the left out of the picture, as it meets the screen wall.



I thought it would look nice to go with a soffit essentially around the main portion of the room (back to the huge duct that cuts across the room), with crown molding and rope lights about 6" down from the ceiling. So the low points would be against the walls. I'm mainly concerned about where they span the two doorways. 6' 6" or so for an entry way/door seems low to me, even though I'm only 6' tall, and the rest of the family is shorter.

Alternatively, I could just run the ducts up to the doorways and end them there, somehow. Not quite sure how. Anybody seen any photos of soffits ending in the middle of a wall?

Finally, I could just soffit the huge cross room duct and nothing else, in which case I could just go with crown molding with rope lights around the perimeter instead of soffits.

Hope that clarifies. So what do you think?

1. Too low for a soffit?
2. OK for a soffit - go for it?
3. Stop it about the soffit!! Who cares?

I hear ya. Fortunately for me all of my boards are still still absolutely, perfectly straight as a ... well, a board.



Not that it matters much to me. If the results of a project are only as good as the weakest link, my boards (and other materials) are safe from blame. Kind of like my golf clubs.

Thanks for all the feedback on my soffit question. Well, except for bwca's suggestion to get rid of the hvac & heating all together! Maybe Sasquatches don't need heat in northern winters, but the rest of us sure do!!

Anyway, I think I'll stick with the plan of doing soffits all around, just keeping them as small as possible. I also like pennektj's idea of trying to fashion a cardboard template to eyeball it. Not sure if I have enough cardboard (or creativity) to pull that off, but I can try!