Key posts: BF’s Basement Studio Build Journal

Substantial posts by BF, who started the thread, and by the forum’s most active contributors. 46 of 86 posts are listed.

Page 1

BF, 14 August 2007Well, here we are. Design turns into reality Monday morning (this should have been posted Sunday). I’m intending to take pics along the way to document the fun, but…
BF, 14 August 2007Day 1, Monday: Bring the funk, bring the noise… or, where we going to put all this stuff? Monday begins with a 3 egg omelet in trimester 3 with salsa, cheese and…
BF, 14 August 2007Day 1, Monday, continued: HVAC Armed with marzetti and cornbread cobbler we wander back down to find the victor. The sketch is a guesstimate on location / dimensions.…
BF, 14 August 2007Day 1, Monday, continued: The build begins After clearing the carnage of the HVAC Highlander episode, we begin applying the FRK 703 to the portion of the block that will…
BF, 15 August 2007Day 2, Tuesday: I love it when a plan comes together An early start again today, and another big omelet to kick it off. I re-route some wires and clear up the cable…
BF, 16 August 2007Day 3, Wednesday: Four walls makes a room Hit the snooze a few times, but managed to be up and mostly awake when Rory arrived. Threw us some eats on the stove and headed…
BF, 16 August 2007Day 4, Thursday: HVAC Tom and Bob got here around 8 this morning. These guys were fun. Got to love a couple of guys a bit rough around the edges that make the day go by…
sharward, 16 August 2007:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: That's classic!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I love your writing style, BF! 8) And I love seeing all the pictures. Now, I…
rod gervais, 17 August 2007Yes, I too have some concerns....... As Keith noted - although he wasn't quite this positive - Your ceiling joist are now 2x2's.......... There is no way that what you…
BF, 17 August 2007Thanks Keith, I'm trying to keep it interesting, thus get people to continue reading and give feedback exactly like this. Should be cut down an inch and a half, which…
BF, 17 August 2007Sorry Rod, seems I'm green and using the wrong terms. The trusses have been in no way tampered with, it was this cross member shown in the pic below. This ceiling has me…
sharward, 17 August 2007I'm so glad we have Rod's attention here. 8) I'm going to defer to his expertise on the code and structural issues. As far as the ideas clearing the design area but not…
sharward, 17 August 2007That's a good idea, Tom, and a great illustration (you're too modest)! :-) I might be more comfortable if some Simpson Strong Tie H1 Seismic Ties were used in addition…
BF, 17 August 2007Thanks, I'm happy to see ideas that doesn't require the walls coming down. I'll await to see what Rod has to say before holding my breath though. If the cross member…
rod gervais, 17 August 2007Actually - I like the idea of the ledger board.......... it even makes up for another mistake (i.e.: read "code violation") and that is that the bearing walls do not…
sharward, 17 August 2007Yeah, the only thing that ledger board will do that is kind of uncool is that it will create an odd protrusion along the length of those walls when everything is…
rod gervais, 17 August 2007NoI don't see that (making more cuts into that brace) as being an answer to your problem - one cut like I see in your pic is one thing - multiple cuts are another - that…

Page 2

rod gervais, 18 August 2007Keith - typically it would only be a 2nd means of egress from the floor - and gererally you would have a bilco and a stair to the upstairs....... BTW - you actually…
BF, 18 August 2007Ok, because it looks as though the floor above is doing the same job as this brace, if not a better job of keeping them immobile and in place. This is exactly the plan.…
sharward, 19 August 2007There is a lot of very useful information on the forum regarding fresh air ventilation in air-tight spaces without operable windows and doors to the outside world.…
BF, 20 August 2007Thanks, Ill check into those links. I appreciate you keeping up on this thread. Keith, I had a few HVAC companies (I think detailed or perhaps more dramatized in the…
sharward, 20 August 2007Ah, yes, I do recall reading that in your thread now. Sorry -- lots going on with me these days... ;-) As far as my friend's equipment closet is concerned, it's…
BF, 20 August 2007Thanks Rod. The trusses are braced at the bottom at either end of their 17 foot run (sown in red below). I was thinking perhaps some type of X bracing running from the…
BF, 20 August 2007Yes, this is exactly what I was referring to on the X bracing (lower portion on the pic below). Rod, if a design like this would / could stabilize roll on the trusses…
BF, 21 August 2007Thanks Rod. The idea was more like the picture below with 2x4 supports running from the top of one truss to the bottom of next creating right triangles. But I agree,…
sharward, 21 August 2007I still think you ought to visit your local building department to determine what model codes they have adopted, and thus, what your minimum floor-to-height clearance…
BF, 22 August 2007Keith, we were planning on simply using the concrete floor and maybe applying a concrete stain. An engineered hardwood would be nice on the eyes, but I am not aware of…
BF, 28 August 2007Week 2: On the road again. Got the go ahead from the engineer. The memorable phrase being, “Short of a heard of horny hermaphroditic hippos humping in the room above…

Page 3

BF, 29 August 2007Code states that the separate grounds be run in proximity with the conductors, and that the wires need to be protected. All the code states is that they will be…
rod gervais, 29 August 2007I believe he has as well - but i don't recall him coming to the same conclusion as you - Forgetting the protection issue for a moment - the code specifically requires…
BF, 29 August 2007I must have interpreted this incorrectly. As the plates were applied I thought we were covered. I can see how lacking the outer sleeve of the romex on the extra grounds…
BF, 31 August 2007Not a problem as this has been corrected Keith. Clearly I should not assume that your lack of comment should be taken as approval. I see how HD's post could have been…
sharward, 31 August 2007Cool - how'd you fix it, given it looks like you covered everything up with drywall? Also, I can't remember whether or not I mentioned this already on your thread (I…
BF, 1 September 2007The right wall was still exposed on the back as the outer wall hadn't gone up yet. The left side didn't have layer 2 applied yet, so the 2ft strip of drywall came off…
BF, 7 September 2007I have a few questions and could use some input, one on sealing around obstructions, and a second on building isolated monitor stands. At the top of the outer front wall…
sharward, 8 September 2007Ick. Those are ugly obstructions. I don't know how to advise you there. This might be one of those cases where three leaves may be necessary. Can you take more photos…
xSpace, 8 September 2007If it has not been taken in to account already, the water used to activate the pre-mixed concrete will gravitate towards the bottom of the sauna tube. For that reason…
sharward, 8 September 2007232 pounds of compression will yield 10% deflection for a single puck, or a combination of all three? If it's a single puck, there won't be enough compression unless the…
BF, 9 September 2007I'm not sure what angles will provide the best information. We can start with these and I can take more if I have a better idea of what you are looking for. Image not…
sharward, 9 September 2007Wow... :roll: ...That's quite a rat's nest of cabling, plumbing, and ducting you've got going there. You're really in a pickle because it seems you approached these…
BF, 9 September 2007These obstructions run over the inner room, through the top of the (outer) wall of the machine room that is adjacent to the control room. These will have to pierce the…
BF, 9 September 2007Yes for all three. My Mason rep and I researched this quite thoroughly. We have tested the weight on the pucks and I am confident in the pucks performing as expected. I…
sharward, 10 September 2007The point of building it upside down is that you'd be able to set J-bolts instead instead using the lag bolts. You're hoping that the threads of the lag bolts will be…
BF, 20 September 2007Rod, in your book you mention in regards to room testing and treatment that you wouldn't bother testing the room when you know 22-25% of the surface area will need to be…

Page 4

BF, 30 December 2007A few updates. I have been slacking. Pillars placed. A layer of closed cell foam lines the bottom between the concrete and wood base, bottom lip calked to prevent…
BF, 31 December 2007Thank you for the kind comments. Initial testing for final placement of the B&W 602s does sound quite nice, although I'm sure things will change a bit as I begin to…