Finish a Basement: A DIY remodeling adventure!
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Visit our project planning page to learn how to prepare to finish your basement whether you're remodeling your basement by yourself, or hiring a contractor to finish your basement
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Check here for information on the tasks you'll need to complete to finish your basement. Complete with the lessons we learned as we remodeled our basement, and tips to help you avoid some of the mistakes we made.
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>Home >Our progress >Five short walls

Basement framing: Five short walls

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...and a Pile of Pipes!

As I moved to the other side of the stairwell, the next thing for me to do was frame in several short walls on the way to the office. For the most part this went smoothly, albeit a little tedious. Below is a look at the area in the blueprint view, and also the 3D view.

blueprint view created with Better Homes & Gardens' Interior Design software. [Click to enlarge]3-D view of the treadmill and exercise area in my basement remodeling design. [Click to enlarge]

Click the pictures above to see a larger view.

Long straight walls would have been much easier. I realized the importance of the 3-4-5 rule when I noticed my foundation walls were not nearly as square as I thought! Merely following the walls would have given me some very strange angles in the corners.

Framing wall sections: a tight fit

One of the wall sections proved to be a challenge due to the water meter and pipes (water supply and sprinkler lines) that were in the way. They will be enclosed in a small closet in the office.

I measured the section of wall (about 3 ½ feet long) and built the frame. However due to the rigidity of the construction, I couldn't maneuver the wall around the pipes. At one point, I hit the pipe so hard I was worried I would rupture it! The solution turned out to be rather simple.

I laid the section back down and removed the top plate. Then, I put the wall back in place- carefully wiggling the individual studs around the pipes. Once that was done I was able to nail the top plate back onto the section using the same nail holes and the extra space between the joists. With the wall back together, I secured it to the concrete foundation (bottom) and the floor joists (top).

Basement remodeling resources:



Progress Topics

Getting started

Down come the walls

1st mishap

Basement wall cracks

Lumber and tools

Starting construction - Hammer time!

Moving ductwork

Finishing the 1st wall

Around the corner

Five short walls

The big wall

Repairing cracks again!

Framing around windows

Framing the office

Finishing the office

Design decision

Framing support poles

Framing the last wall

See also...
Phase 2: Electrical and Drywall

Phase 3: Priming, painting and finshing touches

 

 

 

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