You know, these are the types of projects that really need to be appreciated. Forget the fact that the styling and taste, IMO, is spot on. But, the fact that you walk through the processes and show the do’s and dont’s really add to the finess and ora. In addtion, trying something new just gives it that extra push that leaves nothing but stunned faces. Most people argue that cited quotes are used because “If someone already said it why improve upon it.” That’s bullshit. This is a prime example of breaking from the norm. There are quite a few members on here that do this time and time again rather than just copy what someone else thought of.
I have a list a mile long of ‘finishing details’ for the house projects I did this past fall/winter. Gonna be a lot of watching football and doing annoying finish work this winter.
It has already been covered in previous pages…this isn’t technically a “bedroom” and can’t be advertised as so in selling the house. It’s just a finished basement. BTW, this was an investment move which i plan to keep long term, despite my short term plans of living there. However, there is a reality of spending a fair amount of time in this area while i live there. That being said i already dug the storm sill out and buried it deeper into the ground to allow more clearance to get out and the storm window itself is completely removable (Just open and pull out). In addition to the placement of the sump pump box which can be used to step on and pull oneself out, I have an classified emergency ladder (galvanized steel rungs w/ chain) to be mounted that stays concealed within the sill and can be pulled out in an emergency once the window has been opened. I have already done a test run to get out and didn’t have any problems. Im sure with a fire on somebody’s ass for motivation, neither will they.
EDIT: did you see the shower?.. i’ll just take a shower to put any fire out.
Thanks luke…though i have failed to write up many of the tips that i learned during construction out of a severe lack of time to get into details. I would like to spend some time to go back and review and summarize all the work in an effort to save somebody else some time and money with helpful tips. In the mean time, i’ll just keep some notes and answer questions when they are asked.
This is the first construction project i have ever taken on outside of car mods…so i’m nowhere close to knowing everything. The only thing i have going for me is an end result in my head and what it may take to get there, whether it’s the shortest route or not.
Experience is the teacher that gives the test BEFORE the lesson.
Well, the point of the code isn’t for you to be able to get out it’s for a fireman in full gear to be able to get in and drag your passed-out-from-smoke-inhalation ass out.
But I’ll stop criticizing. You obviously know what you’re doing. I just wanted anyone watching this who isn’t as diligent as you to understand the thought that you’ve put in behind the concept.
Location aside, the design you’ve come up with is gorgeous. :tup:
I was aware of technicalities and requirements to be a “legal” escape prior to starting the work, but still decided to go this route. For renting purposes, this could be a theater room w/bath and closet or a 2nd living room. It’s no secret people use basements for bedrooms, but with renting or selling, it comes down to the creativity of using the space and labeling it as such… then letting the people who rent decide how to use the space.
btw, i’m okay with criticizing. I just like to make those aware of my reasoning and decisions whether it be neglect, stupidity, or stubborn-ness. I don’t know everything and that stuff is good to bring up in a thread meant to help people learn.
work in the bathroom has ground to a halt for the last couple weeks because i’m prioritizing other areas of the house for a party we have this upcoming weekend…so progress has been slow.
I did get chance to finally grout the tile this weekend and, to me, it completely changes the look of the tilework. I used a ready-mixed sand based grout with the color already added (grey). It went fairly smoothly as grouting is pretty straight forward.
Right now, I’m focusing on putting flooring in my kitchen/dining room while i wait for my concrete polisher to be shipped so i can get the shower pan polished and the glass installed.
just a small update, the last week was spent on getting things done outside of the basement, including a new kitchen floor. So i haven’t had much time as of late for the bathroom.
I started polishing the concrete a couple days ago and will update details later, once i finish it. But it’s pretty cool to see a reflection on concrete.
SO FINALLY installed the shower glass lastnight:
I ordered custom glass from a place in pittsburgh called Rex Glass (www.rexglass.com) and they specialize in custom glass. Their kit provided everything needed to do the install (minus silicon) i just needed to provide the dimensions.
I had planned in advance when I first started the layout on this project, the standard door size is 28"x78". To save a bit of money, I made sure i could utilize this standard size. The return needed to be custom cut and that turned out to be 42 1/8" x 78". The door and return ended up costing about $860 including shipping, while local buffalo companies wanted $1200+ for the same sizes. Decent savings. PLUS i thought the hardware quality was awesome. The hinges are solid stainless and very beefy. The hinges are also pined to automatically return to fixed posistion once they are within 15° of the closed posistion.
Setting the track for the return, which requires just anchoring screws into the concrete and wall. A little bit of measuring is required to get the posistioning correct so that it’s a tight fit with the door, but it’s all pretty straight forward.
still need to re-install the shower panel and do a final install on all the shower hardware:
i wanted enough room to be able to curl up in the fetal posistion and cry. In hindsight… i probably could have gotten away with it being a bit smaller, but this was to make up for my theater room being overtaken by the wife’s closet.
