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Basement Planning

Original Layout

I have been always wanted the opportunity to build a room of my own exactly how I envisioned it. Here are my plans for the basement project. I want something that is a little different than the norm. The two focal points of the basement will be the home theater area and the bar. I also want to leave a little extra room to be able to add in a poker table later. Here are the original plans that I have put together. These are very preliminary and I’m sure by the time the basement is complete it will probably not even resemble the original plans.
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Original Plans 2-15-2007

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Original Plans 2-15-2007

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Basement Project Build List

1. Build and frame walls.
2. Move various plumbing and ductwork. (ex. main water shutoff & hot water tank)
3. Run electric, cable, speaker wires, and network.
4. Run electric for lighting in ceiling.
5. Build soffits around protruding furnace ducts and plumbing.
6. Finish windows.
7. Add insulation to walls.
8. Install and mud drywall.
9. Install electrical outlets and lighting fixtures.
10. Install  doors.
11. Paint walls.
12. Build riser box for back row of seating.
13. Install and paint cabinets.
14. Carpet theater floor, riser box, and walk-in closet.
15. Add tile to hallway and bar area.

Problem Areas

Here are some of the problem areas in the basement that I will have to design around or modify to make sure everything will fit properly and still be functional.

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Main Water Shutoff Valve & Water Filter

The main water shutoff valve and the water filter are both located along the wall that will have the movie screen across it. Luckily they are on the far left side of the wall and well out of the way of the screen. I plan to build the water valve into the wall and build a little door on the wall to give access to it. The water filter will be a little trickier. I will be installing wall cabinets that hang from the ceiling so I think my best bet would be to hide the water filter inside one of the cabinets. This will save me the time of having to do any plumbing work and it will still be reasonably accessible.

A new plan has been set into motion for the water filter and the main water shutoff valve. The plumbing along this wall is not in the best of spots to begin with so the the water valve will be moved into the ceiling and the water filter will be removed altogether. It will be a little extra work but I think it will be worth it in the end.

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Clean-out Drains

There are 2 clean-out drains in the basement. One is located about 2 feet from the wall the projector screen will be located on. The other is located near the hot water tank. The drain near the hot water tank will be left alone and will be accessible from the door that will be built to allow access to the hot water tank. The drain by the projector screen will have to be fit with a new cap and a piece of matching carpet will be placed over it to allow access but keep it from being an eye sore.

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Furnace Duct

One of the furnace ducts is currently running under the main support in the ceiling. I could build a soffit around it and drywall around it. This would cause a stretch of the ceiling to be very low for about 1′ x 4′. I have decided to elbow it around and run it under the main beam inside of the wall that will be built to accommodate the hot water tank and the furnace. The duct will still have to have a soffit built around it, but the area that it will stick out in the room will only be about 1′ x 1′.

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Hot Water Tank and Furnace Access

The hot water tank and the furnace will be built into a closet where the hot water tank can be accessed from a doorway in the front of the room and the furnace will be accessible thought the walk in closet. Also, the hot water tank will have to be rotated 90 degrees to allow access to service it.

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