Crown Heights Reno

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December 3, 2006

down under: the basement

having a really usable basement is actually a big deal for us
and in the course of looking at houses,
i had more than one realtor look at me askance as a result of my unbridled enthusiasm on finding a good one.

For me it means painting storage,
i make a lot of work and this is ALWAYS an issue.
high ceilings and dry were a must.
of course the painting racks will be raised and it will need some dehumidification as well.
(my mantra as i am biking the last 15 uphill minutes home is:
"but i can store my work in the basement,
but i can store my work in the basement,
but i can...)
g/ will also need part of the space for his work
and we can't wait to have a little "shop",
a work bench with a table vice figures largely in our dreams

currently the basement is a little chopped up,
this view is at the bottom of the steps looking towards the back of the house

there is a large room that seems to have had clothing closets
but also looks like it was used as a work space

in the back are steps leading up to the garden,
actually right into the space where my studio will be, which will make moving work around much easier than if i had to use the internal stairs.

looking towards the front of the house:

to the left is the boiler room,
the boiler is 50 years old and a monster: probably 6x4x5',
but it works (haven't gotten a gas bill yet)
we replaced the filters but its humidifier is completely gone,
the hot water heater is fairly new.

sidebar
does anyone else ever get a metallic taste in their mouth from forced air ?
i had never been aware of this before,
but as soon as we turned the heat on, it hit me
then i also noticed the same thing while visiting my mom over thanksgiving

to the right is a (rather gnarly) bathroom,
3 fixtures (toilet, sink & stall shower), no not legal,
clearly someone was living down here

and straight ahead are the meters
(and the door to the coal chute)

we have started some excavation demolition
while we haven't found any doors in the pockets upstairs,
we did find a mirror down here:

until we decide if we are going to put walls back up, the studs are staying,
they seem to have been reasonably well executed

but the ceiling was a real patchwork job,
2 great discoveries here however:
the basement is about 8' high and
the beams are thick and in very good condition,
including where they go into the side walls

all in all no surprises so far, with the exception of the floor
it is not a real slab, the concrete was poured over dirt and is about 1" thick,
so we will be pouring a new floor:

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Comments

The floor was probably originally just dirt. That was very common and even better news for you. If you get ambitious you can gain even more height in the basement if you dig down before pouring the new floor!
Lots of PVC plumbing there, looks like a no permit do-it-yourself landlord had that place. Are you leaving the walls you took down open? I know you want to use that space for your materials and work, but maybe the walls will help control the moisture in the basement. Although it may be very dry right now, my basement in the summer gets to almost 90 per cent humidity at times. I don't know if that is because i am the last house in the row or not. But invest in a dehumidifier for the summer. You can get a nice big one that will drain directly to the waste line, then you don't have to keep dumping the water.

Posted by: Tom at December 5, 2006 8:25 AM

Since you're going to be using this for storage of your artwork and from what I understand your husband will be using part of the space for work, I urge you to educate yourself as to what is required to acheive a dry and healthy basement environment. I am no professional but there can be more to this than meets the eye. Here is a link with a good overview.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK7051.html

Posted by: doitright at December 15, 2006 8:54 PM

@ doitright
wow, thanks for that link

Posted by: ms. crown heights reno at December 15, 2006 11:01 PM