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The Super Cheap Super Fast Baby on the Way Basement Build

post #1 of 49
1/17/11 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 
Well, after stumbling upon the AVS forum several years ago, I am finally at the point where I can add my own build.

The plan:
Get the basement to a usable state within the next couple of months. The plan is 2 bedrooms (actually, they won't be called bedrooms because I am not putting closets because (a) we don't need them at the moment, and (b) I prefer wardrobes), washroom, laundry room, + large rec room with wet bar + HOME THEATRE!!!

Bought the house about 2 years ago and it's finally time to get the ball rolling since my wife and I are expecting our first child in mid-June 2011.

The Gear:
Amp:
Thinking of a HK AVR 3600 or something along those lines. (suggestions are welcome!)

Speakers:
RTi A3 (front) - got it
FXi A4 (2 pairs for surrounds) - got it
CSi A6 (centre) - got it
PSW 10 (2 subs) - got it

Projector:
Epson 8350 - need it

Screen:
Planning on making one following screen recipe from AVS forum.

Cabling from Monoprice:
In-Wall 12 AWG speaker wire, HDMI + wall plates, etc. - got it

That's about it for now I guess. Man oh man I hope this goes alright!!!

Gotta figure out how to post pics.
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post #2 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:15am
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Messy basement facing SW

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post #3 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:18am
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Facing SE



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post #4 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:18am
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Facing NE



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post #5 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:19am
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Future site of 92" DIY screen



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post #6 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:22am
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Current basement entertainment system. Taped to support post so the cats won't knock everything down.



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post #7 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:23am
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Loading in the lumber through the window.



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post #8 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:24am
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Same thing, but from the outside.



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post #9 of 49
1/18/11 at 7:27am
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So. Got the lumber Monday morning, and after a day and a half to acclimatize I am going to get to work with a friend of mine on the framing Wednesday morning. Hope it goes alright, I haven't really done anything like this before. Thankfully my buddy is an experienced framer and figures we can knock it out in two days. I am taking his word for it. More pics to follow. Hopefully not of a horrible mess!
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post #10 of 49
1/18/11 at 9:02am
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Pic of lumber. I had better get this basement cleared out this evening or I am going to have some dusty stuff.



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post #11 of 49
1/18/11 at 9:19am
With a little one on the way, I would suggest you look at the Wilsonart countertop laminate DIY screen.

Very robust and easy to clean.

Oh, and if you hurry up, you can get that theater done by June and then get some free time to actually use it around the following June

-Suntan
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post #12 of 49
1/19/11 at 5:23am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the tip Suntan. I was thinking about doing a paint option, but the Wilsonart option looks a little less time consuming and a lot more durable.
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post #13 of 49
1/19/11 at 6:38am
Just a FYI, a forced air heated basement in the winter tends to be very dry and your lumber will start to warp/bend/twist as it dries. I found covering in a waterproof tarp helped as does piling it in tight piles (yours are not). The PT stuff is the worst. Also running a humidifier will slow the process. Once you lock it into a wall it has resistance to the process but still some pieces will have a mind of their own. And why are you running those fans? You may be making the problem worse.

Look at the PT when you get home from work, it may already be too late.
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post #14 of 49
1/19/11 at 2:51pm
THis has the potential to be a really nice space.

One question regarding your insulation. Is any of that insulation in direct contact with the concrete foundation? I would also consider removing the plastic vapor barrier. You do not want to trap moisture (condensation from a cool foundation trapped behind the plastic).
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post #15 of 49
1/20/11 at 8:29am
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Well, I'm tired today. And I have blisters. And my body hurts. My basement is framed. Started Wed morning at 8:30, finished up at 11pm, had time for 2 beer before calling it a day. Only a few hiccups. First was immediately when I realized that I had purchased stud length (92 5/8") 2x4s, and the next was when I decided after the fact that I wanted the bathroom door to be on a different wall and we had to re-frame a section of it. The re-framing ended up blowing through a bunch of extra lumber so I ran to Home Depot to replace what I'd wasted. I will never buy lumber from Home Depot ever again. Live and learn I guess.
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post #16 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:07am
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The first wall of my soon to be framed basement has been born. Too bad I had to double up the plating scheme to make up for buying studs that were too short!!!



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post #17 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:23am
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Facing SW after a few walls have been assembled.



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post #18 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:24am
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Facing NE. Pic of 2 framed rooms.



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post #19 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:26am
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End of the day. Facing SW.



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post #20 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:27am
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End of the day facing East into laundry room.



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post #21 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:30am
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Facing East into the washroom. It will be entered via a door in the North wall. The bulkhead looks crooked, but everything is almost perfectly level. Thank God!



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post #22 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:31am
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Facing SE.



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post #23 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:34am
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Facing North to wall where screen will be mounted. I did a quick measurement last night and I believe it's just shy of 13'. Viewing will be from about 13' as well.



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post #24 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGmouthinDC View Post

Just a FYI, a forced air heated basement in the winter tends to be very dry and your lumber will start to warp/bend/twist as it dries. I found covering in a waterproof tarp helped as does piling it in tight piles (yours are not). The PT stuff is the worst. Also running a humidifier will slow the process. Once you lock it into a wall it has resistance to the process but still some pieces will have a mind of their own. And why are you running those fans? You may be making the problem worse.

Look at the PT when you get home from work, it may already be too late.

Yeah, live and learn. I had heard about the importance of your wood acclimatizing to the basement, plus a lot of it was all wet from laying in the snow, so I thought if I stacked it loose it would be a good plan. Luckily they were all really straight still when we went to use them yesterday.
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post #25 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cuzed2 View Post

THis has the potential to be a really nice space.

One question regarding your insulation. Is any of that insulation in direct contact with the concrete foundation? I would also consider removing the plastic vapor barrier. You do not want to trap moisture (condensation from a cool foundation trapped behind the plastic).

I have wondered quite a bit about the insulation/vapor barrier situation. I hate to say that I'm going to throw caution to the wind and just follow the status quo with vapor barrier over insulation over concrete, but that's what I'm going to do. I don't have the time, money or energy to tear it all out and redo it. Also, I'm done framing now. Hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass!
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post #26 of 49
1/20/11 at 9:44am
Thread Starter 
All framed up, now clean up and prep for plumbing this weekend (hopefully Saturday), and then electrical on Sunday + Monday. I wish I had placed my order with monoprice earlier as I think it's going to probably hold me up. Probably won't be here for at least another week. Oh well, I suppose I have enough to keep me busy until it gets here anyway. I was just hoping to get it done at the same time as the electrical. I also need to get my butt in gear and fetch a few quotes for the drywall. I have a buddy at Consolidated Gypsum I'm hoping I can get a deal from. Total cost for the framing was under $450 (That's the cheap part though!).
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post #27 of 49
1/27/11 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 
Well, it has been a long week. As of yesterday all of the electrical has been run (minus a crawl space light and an exhaust fan for the furnace room which is where the kitty litter will be housed in the future). I went a little light crazy. 22 4" potlights in the rec room/media room area, 3 pendant lights above the future bar area, and a ceiling fan that may or may not have lighting too, depending on what we find. Totem had pot lights on sale. 6 insulation safe kits including the bulbs for $100. I bought 4. The theatre area is in three rows, each with it's own dimmer. All the rest are on dimmers, but in larger sections. I'm pretty excited to get drywall up! I will post some pics later.

For now though, I am wondering about a receiver selection. Crutchfield has the Onkyo TX-NR1007 for $1100 CDN including free delivery. Very good sale price, 135W per channel, lots of features, but I am wondering if the HDMI 1.3a is going to be something I end up kicking myself over in the future. Is there any reason to be concerned about 1.4 outside of 3D (which I have no interest in)?

All the wiring I've ordered is the top of the line from monoprice, so it should be 1.4 compatible. Damn. I wish there was a standard!
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post #28 of 49
1/27/11 at 11:07am
Personally I wouldn't devote much of your time just yet to a/v specific equipment questions, unless you're certain you've adequately planned out the myriad of issues that are easy to deal with until the drywall goes up.

I may have missed your addressing this, but have you determined:

* are you going to do anything to help with sound proofing, such as DD/GG?
* where you are planning on putting your a/v equipment - up front or in an out-of-the-way central closet? Have you allowed for adequate electric power to this location?
*how are you going to bring internet access to the area? I didn't see anything about CAT 5e or 6.
* are you going to put all your can lights on a single switch?
* are you going to install extra wood support where ever you think you might hang the PJ to make hanging it easier?
* are you going to install any conduit so that down the road you can get replace the HDMI once the 1.3 (or 1.4) is rendered obsolete.

Not trying to be a PITA, but just want to make sure you decide on stuff like that now, when it's cheap & easy to address it. Plenty of time for researching equipment later!

Good luck.
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post #29 of 49
1/27/11 at 11:31am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hanesian View Post

Personally I wouldn't devote much of your time just yet to a/v specific equipment questions, unless you're certain you've adequately planned out the myriad of issues that are easy to deal with until the drywall goes up.

I may have missed your addressing this, but have you determined:

* are you going to do anything to help with sound proofing, such as DD/GG?
* where you are planning on putting your a/v equipment - up front or in an out-of-the-way central closet? Have you allowed for adequate electric power to this location?
*how are you going to bring internet access to the area? I didn't see anything about CAT 5e or 6.
* are you going to put all your can lights on a single switch?
* are you going to install extra wood support where ever you think you might hang the PJ to make hanging it easier?
* are you going to install any conduit so that down the road you can get replace the HDMI once the 1.3 (or 1.4) is rendered obsolete.

Not trying to be a PITA, but just want to make sure you decide on stuff like that now, when it's cheap & easy to address it. Plenty of time for researching equipment later!

Good luck.

Thanks for the response!

Soundproofing: I'm planning on putting Roxul Safe n Sound in the ceiling between the floor joists as well as in the interior walls. Looks like I'm going to have to get 24" stuff and cut it down to floor joist spacing, which is kind of a pain.

AV Placement: Initially I was going to have everything on a rack at the back of the room, but my wife has reminded me that it's probably not a good idea to have all my gear exposed with a new baby on the way. So, all will be in a 60" or so wide cabinet under the screen. I have run a dedicated 20amp line for all the audio, as well as a separate dedicated 20amp to the back of the room to where the projector will be wall mounted above the couch.

Net: I have run a coax connection to where the av components will sit. I will connect my modem and wireless router at this point. I ran coax around the basement, but didn't bother with ethernet as I figure everything is wireless now anyway.

*sidenote* I have learned that you can get RG6 for really cheap from the cable company. I got 1000' from Shaw for $50.

Can Lights: In the theatre area I have three rows of pot lights (4, 3 and 4), each on it's own dimmer. In the centre of the room there are 4 pot lights with space for a fan. The 4 pots are on a dimmer, and there will be a separate control for the fan. On the other side of the room from the theatre area are another 7 pot lights that are all on one dimmer. On either side of the doorway entering the rec room there is a 3 gang box for the switches. The pendant lights for above the bar have their own switch at the bar.

Blocking for projector: Yes. I have blocked out a support for the projector shelf in between two separate gang boxes (one power, one hdmi).

Conduit: No. I have not run any, but that is a very good point and something I have been pondering. What would be a good diameter for that? 1"? I am planning on running a conduit for power as well in case I come down with a case of "INeedAGarage-itis" in the future.
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post #30 of 49
1/27/11 at 12:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cool_like_fresh View Post

Thanks for the response!

Soundproofing: I'm planning on putting Roxul Safe n Sound in the ceiling between the floor joists as well as in the interior walls. Looks like I'm going to have to get 24" stuff and cut it down to floor joist spacing, which is kind of a pain.

AV Placement: Initially I was going to have everything on a rack at the back of the room, but my wife has reminded me that it's probably not a good idea to have all my gear exposed with a new baby on the way. So, all will be in a 60" or so wide cabinet under the screen. I have run a dedicated 20amp line for all the audio, as well as a separate dedicated 20amp to the back of the room to where the projector will be wall mounted above the couch.

Net: I have run a coax connection to where the av components will sit. I will connect my modem and wireless router at this point. I ran coax around the basement, but didn't bother with ethernet as I figure everything is wireless now anyway.

*sidenote* I have learned that you can get RG6 for really cheap from the cable company. I got 1000' from Shaw for $50.

Can Lights: In the theatre area I have three rows of pot lights (4, 3 and 4), each on it's own dimmer. In the centre of the room there are 4 pot lights with space for a fan. The 4 pots are on a dimmer, and there will be a separate control for the fan. On the other side of the room from the theatre area are another 7 pot lights that are all on one dimmer. On either side of the doorway entering the rec room there is a 3 gang box for the switches. The pendant lights for above the bar have their own switch at the bar.

Blocking for projector: Yes. I have blocked out a support for the projector shelf in between two separate gang boxes (one power, one hdmi).

Conduit: No. I have not run any, but that is a very good point and something I have been pondering. What would be a good diameter for that? 1"? I am planning on running a conduit for power as well in case I come down with a case of "INeedAGarage-itis" in the future.

A heads up on "everything is wireless," a lot of TVs and bluray players that say they are wireless, are usually only wireless ready, which means you have to buy an $80 adapter for each unit to make it wireless(Some of them you can other usb wireless adapters, but check on that before purchase).

I ran into the problem with conduit, that anything over ".75 had to be special ordered or ordered online. Some of the online places I looked at, would have taken over a week to get here, which when your building that feels like a life time when you have dead lines. And to just give you an idea I could fit 4 cat6 cables with connectors(pulling one at a time) into a .75" conduit.
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