Lake house basement - need fresh ideas

I just found this forum and enjoyed reading some of the design threads that I found here. Many seem to be asking about the same issues I am contemplating at my current stage of our remodel and I thought I would see if I might be able to get some new perspectives on our project.

We are just starting the remodel of the basement at our log cabin at the lake. Our kids our older now so we are taking out the air hockey, expanding the bar and trying to fit in a nice large TV/sitting area. I want the bar to include a sink and ice machine so I may be limited to keeping the bar in the general area it currently sits but I am open to new ideas if they are buildable.

As you can see in the pictures, we have just finished the drop ceiling rip out and had an HVAC company come in to redo the duct work which will give us a lot more options compared to the big soffet that ran through the middle of the room previously (new ductwork goes in next week).

I'm looking for any ideas you may have around bar layout (my plan at the moment is to have an L shaped bar built where the existing bar sits today, back cabinets along the wall that wrap around toward the HVAC unit ending at a full size fridge next to the HVAC unit (the fridge could be rolled out of the way for HVAC service if/when service is required). The small window will be covered by the back cabinets and a bar size 32" TV will be built into the design. Right now the tan cabinets look like they are in a closet but it should be fairly easy to tear out the framing for the closet so it will flow with the rest of the area. The only dsign issue is the fuse box - I think I will just have to be creative with the cabinet maker to make an access door to match the cabinets.

Here are pictures of the current basement layout floorplan, a few pictures of the basement as it existed prior to the ceiling tear out, some general pictures of the cabin including the new walkout doorway we just installed in the basement, and then pictures of the new deck and stonework the new doorway leads out to toward the lake.







Doorway at bottom of stairs will be closed off to provide more privacy for the bedroom and there will be a door installed as you go down the hallway behind the stairs to allow access to the bedroom.



The ductwork shown here is coming out next week and will replaced with wider ductwork but saving 6" in headroom. I am still trying to determine the ceiling design we will use for the entire basement but raising this ductwork provides a much nicer finished area no matter what we do with soffets and ceiling design. my current thought is drywall ceiling with exposed beams (maybe logs to keep the log cabin feel) and a coiffered ceiling above the bar with wood that matches the bar.

I agree with the comment about the full size fridge - that is actually the current plan with the full size fridge with ice maker to be installed next to the HVAC unit (near the water supply lines) and it also provides for the service space required for HVAC repair. I will though have a space built into the bar for an under-counter ice machine since we do use a lot of ice at the lake. Where would you put the TV and seating?

This is at Lake Gaston on the NC/VA border.

Hockeypuck - the boat will splash this weekend for St. Patty's day. Kids don't usually get the jetskis out until end of April. Our rule when they were younger was no jetskis until I see you in the water swimming . . . .

Here was a decent balance between commerical quality and price that you may want to consider. I don't know anyone that has this unit so further investigation may be required - I have seen them on a scratch and dent sale for very reasonable $. . . . . just FYI, not an endorsement as I don't own the machine (but would be interested in feedback if anyone else does have an edgestar). http://www.compactappliance.com/IB45...efault,pd.html

I had some time the last couple days to play with Sketchup and look through some online pictures from this site on others I could find on line. One picture had a similar layout to mine with theater seats and then a sitting bar behind the theater seats with some high bar stools. I think that would work real well in our space. My thoughts are to cover the walls in a knotty pine tongue and groove wood and then use log covers to hide the support beams. I'm not sure if you can open the attached sketchup drawing, but here is my basic rendition of what I am planning for our layout. Suggestions and criticism welcomed.

Refined the model a little further and began actually laying it out at the lake yesterday. People on the couch will be about 9 feet from the TV and the people at the bar behind the coach would be about 12 feet.

My wife still does not love the idea of having the fridge in the 'closet' but when we remove the wall that makes it a closet, I think it will work out fine. We will just need to have work in a custom cover for the fuse box to make everything look like it is part of the cabinetry.

Any comments on this layout?

Jeff -

I just read through your home theater build thread. What a great project and beautiful end product. Awesome design and build. I love it.

Jeff -

My wife and I looked at your bar pictures last night. We considered the same stone for the backsplash on our kitchen remodel we did last year. We ended up going with a slate stone just for easier cleaning in the kitchen but we did like the stone look. We used Alder wood for the cabinets and may use something similar for our bar in the basement.

Before:


After:

New HVAC main trunk duct work started installing today. Raising the roof was the goal but the added benefit was we removed some older fiber duct board that was filled with mold we didn't even know about. All the soft duct work was fine but the old fiber board they used in the 80's and 90's is junk that breeds mold. Glad that is gone for good.

Now beginning the process for getting quotes on the bar and cabinets although wondering if I could build them myself. I'm confident I could do the woodworking but don't have the spray facilities to do this large a job and question where I'll get the time to build it all. Hopefully there are some local cabinet makers that are hungry enough to get aggressive with the pricing and I can find something else to build instead.

Thanks for the comment Chris - as soon as the duct work is finished (should be tomorrow) in the basement we'll be marking off the shape/size of the bar and chairs. We do have almost 13 feet from the lake side wall to the poles so there is plenty of room for the bar from the column to the end wall. The problem comes in when you start adding in chairs behind the bar and that where I just need to be physically in the room with a pool cue and bar stool to see how is is in real life.

I did meet with a cabinet guy at the lake today and he is trying to come up with a bar design based on the criteria we discussed. I'm hoping he has some good ideas.

Well life got in the way for us and slowed our project considerably. Found out a lot of the construction that was done in our basement by the previous owners was really not done right, not square and not plumb. So, although it looks like I have gone backwards in the construction process, the end result will hopefully be a much better product. We've ripped out all the drywall, some of the wall studs, re-doing the stairs, and installed some new doors so we are now back to building new rather than still tearing out old stuff. If you looked at my original pictures from the bar area, this is now the new version of what is in that space. Everything old has been ripped out including the all the ceiling, drywall and old cabinets. The only new thing in the picture is the beginning of the bar area (the soffett is starting to be framed with the metal studs).

As of 9/5/2012 1198k .jpg file

The electrician will be back this week working on the lighting plan and the remaining wiring that needs to be done. New insulation will go in the following week and then we will be ready for the wall treatments that will be drywall above tongue and groove wood below. He is my latest picture that I am using as inspiration for the bar to be built. I have narrowed it down to two cabinet builders that are working with me on an actual plan now that we can start taking final dimensions with old stuff removed.

Bar idea - general look we want.jpg 183k .jpg file

Right now I am trying to research the best wiring to be installed prior to the drywall being installed. Anyone have a good source for information related to the wiring requirements for a media center, speakers and two televisions? Any good links would be helpful.

I'm working with a local Audio/Video company and here are the basics of the proposal they provided to me based on my room configuration described above. I'm planning on a 60 or 65" plasma and was looking for a 5.1 system. Here are the basics of the propsal - what do you think on the spread of the money? I thought I would spend more on the speakers and less on the receiver and then the installation costs seemed very high to me.

Thoughts?

Integra DTR 50.4 $1,595
New PSB - W3 Soundbar $1,200
PSB CW26 rear $450/pair
Goldenear Forcefield 3 Sub $499
Power conditioner MR4300 $299
TV Mount $299
Inwall surge protector for TV $85
installation and setup $1870
wiring $1000 (my electrician is going to physically wire - this was just thier estimate for supplying the speaker wires and cables. Speaker wire will be charged based on actual amount used)

I have no idea where the sales person came up with the soundbar option as that was never discussed until it showed up in the proposal. I can say, as someone brand new to home theater, selecting a system is very difficult when the dealer doesn't carry the components they are recommending.

Based on some reviews I've read on this forum, I was thinking of potentially comparing this proposal with Triad Bronze/4 inwalls for LCR and Triad Bronze/4 surround in-ceiling for the rear as it would be nice for our application to keep the speakers inwall.
Edited by Rick S5 - 10/29/12 at 10:31am

Thanks Ack_bk - I think I am going with the Triad Inwall Bronze/4 for the LRC speakers. For the rears, I am looking at the Inceiling Bronze but wondered if you have thoughts on the open or the enclosed version of that speaker? Is there considerations for each type of speaker based on the construction and insulation in the ceiling they will be placed in or are there other reasons to consider an open vs. enclosed design? I also want a good sub to go along with the system, do you have a model you'd recommend from the brands you listed? I appreciate your input.
Rick

Well if this project was going any slower, I think we would be moving backwards. It has been fun though and we are still excited about completing the project - the execution has just been so slow since the property is about an hour away from where we live. Where we are making progress, the results have been just as we had envisioned.

Here are the big things that have been done since the last update (not that many people will care about some of these details but it will be interesting for me to look back at the timeline).

One issue we had with the original layout was the electrical supply panel had been mounted about 4" away from the main studs of the basement wall. The green electrical panel can been see in the picture below but was in the 'closet area' in the originial pictures. The closet has been completely removed now and will be where the fridge is installed and cabinetry. We had our electrician, since he had to relocate a number of wires so we could remove the drop ceiling, move the entire electrical box to inset it in the wall. This will make the back bar much cleaner in appearance . . .


The old stairs were ripped out and we closed off a pass through door that led to the bedroom, installed a landing at the base of the stairs and then added a wider entrance stair into the basement. Still needs the woodworking and railing completed but the framing is complete and just waiting on us to install the stairs. We decided on wrought iron ballusters and wooden newell post and hand rail.


Next we ripped up the old vinyl tiles on the floor - what a job that turned out to be as the glue/epoxy used on the tiles was very difficult to neutralize and remove. Finally used sand and large floor sanders to cut through the glue and remove it down to the concrete for polishing. Although it took a few days longer than expected, the end result of the polishing and staining were very good. I have learned that not all stained concrete comes out as good as others. The color of the natural concrete dictates much of what can be done with the final color - we wanted browns/tans in our floor with an 'old world' look. We were very happy with the final result and hope we can find a nice complement for the finish on the bar.


Finally, last week they started building the bar ceiling. We are going with a coiffered ceiling with removable copper panels. We finally feel like with are on the home stretch in getting the bar done.



Can't say it has been all work up at the lake. We do have a small portable bar we use on the back deck outside of the construction area once the day is done. We usually have very nice sunsets to sit back and enjoy the water and the progress.


Edited by Rick S5 - 5/20/13 at 1:58pm

Thanks for the reply Chris. We definately are using wood for the 'drinking' side of the bar as I want to keep with a pub type theme with the wood and bar rail. For the finish on the wood of the bar, I'm looking for something on the darker brown side but I don't want it to really match the floor colors. Hoping to find something that goes well and complements the floor.

We are considering concrete for the lower part of the front bar, the back bar, and for the viewing bar but I was surprised to find out it is more expensive than granite when we had a company come out and show us some samples. It was very cool what they can do as far as incorporating broken glass, coins, shell, etc into the concrete but I'm not sure I would spend the extra money for the concrete instead of granite. I'll do a search and see if I can see some examples on the site. thanks.
Rick