Basement Build Log - Part 2

First real update. The pic at the top is the current state of the basement. Mostly it's just some stud walls put in. I backed off my original plans for the media cabinet. Originally I was going to have another small (4' x 4') square room by the stairs (where the angled wall is above) and the components would be open to the back of the house, and a door would be on the right side for access to the back of the components. Would also have been putting the circuit breaker for the basement there, that will be in the closet by the bar now.

The Media Cabinet Plans:

The plan is to have a 24" rough opening, which will be about 22" once finished. There should be room for at least 17" of depth as well. Not sure whether I will leave the back open or not. If I leave it open, I'll put a line of outlets on the existing stud wall directly behind the opening. If I close it off, I'll have to put the outlets IN the cabinet somewhere. I really think I'd rather have it closed, but not sure I'll be able to squeeze so many outlets in there andstill have the shelves be adjustable. Will have to ponder that some.

The Wet Bar:
And here are the bar plans. The yellow represents granite counter tops. The ice and sink are as close to the water heater as possible. I still need to get a plumber out here to make sure everything that's needed is nearby, I think it is. There appears to be a drain going down into the concrete on the other side of the HVAC.

The wall around the back of the bar and going halfway out the side will only be a half wall. It's necessary to cover the ~3' tall concrete wall there. It may also have to be extended to about a foot from the door, to cover the ~2' tall wall. In fact, that's likely. I'm hoping 36" or 32" is plenty of walking space around the bar itself. I think it will be.

The wall through the middle of the front countertops will obviously be the backer for the cabinetry in the front, and the support for the bar-height area on the outside. (Left side countertop will be counter-height, right side will be bar-height.) I may well end up making this wall out of 2"x6"s so it's more stable. It will definitely be attached to the concrete with 2 concrete screws per stud opening instead of 1 nail per opening. May also cover the front of the wall in 0.5" plywood to help it not wobble. Very worried about this wall being stable if you can't tell. ;-)

I'm still pondering whether to make the door to the HVAC/water heater area a pocket door. It'd be nice, but it'd also be a PITA and possibly unnecessary.

You'll also notice a small closet just to the right of the HVAC/water heater area. It'll be a low ceiling closet. And I may well put a large access panel in the back to help in removing the HVAC, if that ever needs to happen. Again, that may be unnecessary.

Some actual pics:
- 2nd picture is the media cabinet, I think maybe I didn't make the opening go up high enough, thoughts?
- 6th picture i sthe main water valve for the house. I took this picture to illustrate how I offset the stud wall from the concrete wall, so that the valve would be completely inside the wall. Thus, I can avoid building a complex buttress-like structure around it like I did at the old house.