Taunton’s EXPERT ADVICE FROM START TO FINISH BASEMENTS COMPLETE STEVE CORY Taunton’s BASEMENTS COMPLETE EXPERT ADVICE FROM START TO FINISH STEVE CORY Text © 2018 by the Taunton Press, Inc. Basement Systems; p. 46: Perma-Seal Basement Systems; p. 47: Perma- Photographs by Steve Cory © 2018 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Seal Basement Systems; p. 53: Shawn Greene, Green Projects, Chicago Illustrations © 2018 by The Taunton Press, Inc. (top center and top right); p. 56: Mike Fish, Vogon Construction, Chicago; All rights reserved. p. 57: Shawn Greene, Green Projects, Chicago (bottom left and bottom center); p. 58: Tech Lighting (right); p. 59: Tech Lighting; p. 60: Just Pp Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca; p. 61: Just Basements, www. justbasementsottawa.ca (bottom); p. 70: Shawn Greene, Green Projects, Chicago; p. 72: Tech Lighting; p. 73: Tech Lighting; p. 75: Just Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca; p. 113: Shawn Greene, Green Projects, The Taunton Press, Inc. Chicago; p. 119: SFA Saniflo, Inc., manufacturer of macerating and grinding 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506 toilet system (center right); p. 158: Dancer Concrete Design Team (left) and Newtown, CT 06470-5506 DRIcore Products (right); p. 159: Just Basements, www.justbasements e-mail: [email protected] ottawa.ca; p. 160: Just Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca (top) and design by Ryan Duebber, architect (bottom); p. 161: Just Basements, www. Editor: Carolyn Mandarano justbasementsottawa.ca (top left) and Dancer Concrete Design Team (top Copy editor: Nina Rynd Whitnah right and bottom); p. 162: DRIcore Products; p. 163: DRIcore Products; Indexer: Cathy Goddard p. 182: courtesy of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (left); p. 183: Dreamstime; Jacket/Cover design: Kim Adis p. 184: courtesy of Armstrong Flooring, Inc.; p. 185: courtesy of Armstrong Interior design: Kim Adis Flooring, Inc. (top left and top right) and Just Basements, www.justbase- Layout: Sandra Mahlstedt and Susan Lampe-Wilson mentsottawa.ca (bottom); p. 195: design: Suzanne Martin, LLS, build: Illustrator: Mario Ferro Michael Martin, Luxury Renovations (top); p. 197: courtesy of Daltile; p. 212: Photographers: Steve Cory, except p. 5: Stephanie Montanari of Redstart Dancer Concrete Design Team; p. 215: Dreamstime; p. 217: courtesy of Well- Construction, Inc.; p. 6: Just Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca craft Egress Systems; p. 218: courtesy of Wellcraft Egress Systems; p. 219: (left) and Tech Lighting (right); p. 7: Just Basements, www.justbasements courtesy of Wellcraft Egress Systems; p. 235: Shutterstock ottawa.ca; p. 8: courtesy of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (top) and Just Base- ments, www.justbasementsottawa.ca (bottom); p. 9: Dreamstime (top and The following manufacturers/names appearing in Basements Complete bottom right) and Just Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca (bot- are trademarks: American Standard®, CleanSpace®, DRIcore®, DryTrak®, tom left); p. 10: Just Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca; p. 11: Just EverLast™, Kevlar®, Kohler®, National Electrical Code®, Oneida Dust Dep- Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca (top, center, and bottom left), uty®, Ping-Pong®, SaniDry™, Saniflo®, SharkBite®, Sheetrock®, Shop- courtesy of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (top right), and Krause Construction, Vac®, SMARTWALL®, Strait-Flex®, Teflon®, WaterGuard®. LLC, Denver, Colo. (bottom right); p. 12: courtesy of IKEA (top left), Dreams- time (top right), and courtesy of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (bottom); p. 13: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dreamstime (left), Shutterstock (top right), and design: Suzanne Martin, Names: Cory, Steve, author. LLS, build: Michael Martin, Luxury Renovations (bottom right); p. 14: cour- Title: Basements complete : expert advice from start to finish / Steve Cory. tesy of IKEA (top and bottom left) and courtesy of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. Description: Newtown, CT : Taunton Press, Inc., [2018] | Includes index. (bottom right); p. 15: courtesy of IKEA (top); p. 16: SFA Saniflo, Inc., manu- Identifiers: LCCN 2017047734 | ISBN 9781631868467 (print) | facturer of macerating and grinding toilet system (top), Just Basements, ISBN 9781641550062 (pdf format) | 9781641550086 (mobi format) www.justbasementsottawa.ca (bottom left), and courtesy of IKEA (bottom Subjects: LCSH: Basements--Remodeling. right); p. 17: Kohler Co. (top left), courtesy of IKEA (bottom left), Stephanie Classification: LCC TH4816.3.B35 C69 2018 | DDC 643/.5--dc23 Montanari of Redstart Construction, Inc. (top right), and Tech Lighting LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017047734 (bottom right); p. 18: Kohler Co. (top) and Tech Lighting (bottom); p. 19: Just Basements, www.justbasementsottawa.ca (top left), Krause Construc- Printed in the United States of America tion, LLC, Denver, Colo. (top right), and design: Suzanne Martin, LLS, build: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Michael Martin, Luxury Renovations (bottom); p. 20: courtesy of IKEA (top and bottom right) and Dreamstime (bottom left); p. 21: design: Suzanne About Your Safety: Construction is inherently dangerous. Using hand or Martin, LLS, build: Michael Martin, Luxury Renovations (top) and Dreams- power tools improperly orignoring safety practices can lead to permanent time (bottom); p. 34: Perma-Seal Basement Systems; p. 35: Perma-Seal injury or even death. Don’t try to perform operations you learn about here Basement Systems (bottom);p. 38: Perma-Seal Basement Systems; (or elsewhere) unless you’re certain they are safe for you. If something p. 39: courtesy of Wellcraft Egress Systems (bottom right); p. 40: Perma- about an operation doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Look for another way. We Seal Basement Systems; p. 41: Perma-Seal Basement Systems (bottom); want you to enjoy working on your home, so please keep safety foremost p. 42: Perma-Seal Basement Systems (bottom right); p. 44: Perma-Seal in your mind. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks to Mike Fish of Vogon Construction, whose excellent advice, ocean- deep knowledge, and willingness to slow down and pose for photographs were indispensable. Mike’s basement provided the setting for many of the photos in this book, and he can be seen as a model throughout. Expert carpenter Gus Luna was invaluable. Also heartfelt thanks to Joe Hansa and Danny Campana for their expertise and information. William Shuman was a model deluxe. The artful and imaginative Chicago remodeler Shawn Greene provided very helpful photographs. Many thanks to Perma-Seal Basement Systems (www.permaseal.net; 800-421-SEAL). Perma-Seal serves Chicagoland and northwestern Indiana homeowners with their basement waterproofi ng, crawl space, air quality, sewer back- up, and concrete-raising solutions. Roy Spencer, President and Founder of Perma- Seal, provided many photos showing the company’s proven techniques as well as his expertise on the subject of making basements ready for any remodeling project. DRIcore® Products supplied photos showing SMARTWALL®, an easy-to-install wall system that stays dry and mold-free in damp conditions. Wellcraft Egress Systems provided photos showing their excellent egress windows, which make a basement both safer and more appealing. Jim Reddington of Safeway Plumbing knows all things plumbing, and his guys—the brothers Eddie and Joe Slazyk—posed and showed the way to install reliable plumbing. A special thank you to the companies that generously provided high-quality products that appear in the book: The Kohler® Company (kohler.com) and American Standard® (www.americanstandard-us.com) supplied plumbing fi xtures. Cork fl ooring was supplied by WE Cork (www.wecork.com; 800-666-CORK). And the up-fl ush toilet system was provided by SFA Sanifl o® Inc., manufacturer of macerating and grinding toilet systems (www.sanifl o.com; 800-571-8191). The entire staff at The Taunton Press were most helpful at all points, and a joy to work with. As always, my wife Diane Slavik artfully punched my text into readable shape, and stern but always pleasant textmistress Carolyn Mandarano of The Taunton Press made the book truly reader-friendly. —Steve Cory s t n e t n REMODELING THE GRITTY PLAN OPTIONS REALITY LAYOUTS AND 6 22 INSTALLATIONS o 58 LIVING AREAS UNDERSTANDING YOUR BASEMENT 8 Family Rooms SIMPLE SOLUTIONS c 10 Entertainment Spaces 24 Anatomy of a Basement 60 Minimalist Approaches 12 Bedrooms 25 Wall and Footing 13 Workout Rooms Materials LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS UTILITY ROOMS KEEPING OUT MOISTURE 62 Getting Ready to Get Ready 14 Offices and Craft Centers 27 Make It Dry 63 Planning and Drawing 16 Bathrooms 28 Testing for Moisture 67 Working with 18 Kitchens 29 Redirecting Rainwater Subcontractors 19 Bars and Wine Cellars 31 Installing a Sump Pump 67 The Order of Work 20 Laundries and Drain 68 Electrical and Plumbing Installations 34 Other Interior Drain Solutions 72 Choosing Lighting 38 Sealing from the Outside 39 Windows STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS 41 Spotting Problems 44 Solving Problems 48 Posts and Beams 51 Sealing Ducts and Pipes 52 Upgrading Major Appliances 54 Lowering a Basement Floor 55 Pests 56 Radiant Floor Heat INTRODUCTION 4 FRAMING ROUGH WALLS AND PLUMBING CEILINGS 106 74 PLUMBING DWV LINES PREPPING OUTSIDE 108 Understanding WALLS FOR FRAMING DWV Pipes 109 The Importance 76 Keeping the Framing of Venting and Insulation Dry 110 AAVs to the Rescue, Maybe FRAMING 110 Pipe Materials 80 A Basic Framed Wall 111 DWV Plans 81 Planning and Buying Materials 112 Working with DWV Pipe 113 Running Drainpipes FRAMING BASIC WALLS under the Floor 114 Running Drainpipes 82 Laying Out on the Plates through a Wall 83 Building a Wood Wall 117 Up-flush Systems Frame on the Floor 86 Piecing in Wood Framing RUNNING 88 Framing with Metal SUPPLY LINES Studs 120 Supply Pipes 90 Framing Windows and Doors 120 Working with Copper Pipe SPECIAL FRAMING 122 Running Copper Pipe SITUATIONS through Walls 124 Working with PEX 94 Lowering a Ceiling 96 Building an Interior Wall OVERALL SETUPS 98 Framing a Plumbing Wall 128 Rough Plumbing 100 Framing and Finishing a Configurations Curved Wall 132 Making a Custom 101 Framing around Shower Pan Obstructions >> >> >> >> ) t. n o c ( s t n e t n o c ROUGH WALLS AND FLOORING WIRING CEILINGS 136 158 182 UNDERSTANDING APPROACHES TO FLOORING OPTIONS WIRING WALLS 184 Common Types of 138 The Service Panel 160 Wall Surface Options Flooring 139 Circuit Wiring 164 Installing Insulation 140 Avoiding Overloads between Studs REPAIRS 140 Common Codes 186 Patching and Repairing HANGING DRYWALL a Concrete Floor WORKING WITH CABLE, 167 Choosing Drywall WIRES, AND BOXES 167 Cutting Drywall FLOOR SUBSTRATES 142 Stripping Cable and Wires 171 Hanging Drywall 188 Installing a Subfloor 143 Splicing Wires 173 Finishing Drywall FINISH FLOORING 144 Connecting Wires to Terminals 195 Laying Out the Finished Floor INSTALLING BOXES 197 Laying Ceramic or AND CABLE Stone Tile 146 Installing Boxes 203 Installing a Floating Floor 147 Running NM Cable into 208 Installing Carpeting Plastic Boxes 210 Installing Carpet Tiles 148 Hooking Cable to 212 Acid Staining the Floor Metal Boxes 149 Ceiling Boxes 150 Installing a Canister Light Body 151 Wiring with Conduit FINAL INSTALLATIONS 154 Common Wiring Arrangements CONNECTING TO POWER 156 Tapping into an Existing Circuit 157 Running a New Circuit WINDOWS, FINISH DOORS, AND PLUMBING TRIM AND WIRING 214 234 WINDOWS AND DOORS FINISH PLUMBING 216 Installing a Window 236 Installing Stop Valves 217 Installing an Egress Window 237 Installing Tub and 220 Installing an Interior Pre- Shower Fixtures hung Door 239 Installing a Toilet 242 Installing a Vanity Sink TRIMWORK 243 Installing a Pedestal Sink 223 Choosing Trim Materials 244 Installing a Bathtub 224 Trimming a Door 226 Trimming a Window on FINISH WIRING the Inside 247 Installing Devices and 229 More Casing Possibilities Fixtures 230 Trimming a Window on the 247 Installing Switches and Outside Receptacles 232 Installing Baseboard Trim 248 Installing Lights INDEX 250 3 INTRODUCTION Many basements are largely forgotten and and stable, and that it be protected against moisture. underutilized spaces, places you visit only if a Here you’ll learn how to fix things the right way (and major appliance like a furnace, boiler, or water heater learn when to call in a pro) to ensure good conditions in needs repair. It may be where you store boxes and bins the future. of stuff you rarely need to access. The chapter on plan layouts and installations But a basement can be much more. Even if today your (pp. 58–73) will guide you through the planning process, basement looks like a dark cavern with ugly walls, a including developing floor plan options, determining plain concrete floor, and a ceiling that features all sorts ceiling heights, making electrical and plumbing choices, of complicated-looking pipes and cables, it can most and deciding on the best ways to create walls, floors, likely be turned into livable space. With some imagi- and ceilings for your situation. The rest of the book nation and elbow grease, a basement can offer more gives detailed instructions for the most common functionality to your home without having to change the basement installations: framing walls and ceilings footprint—think space to entertain, relax, work, exercise, (pp. 74–105); running plumbing lines (pp. 106–135); sleep, and more. running electrical lines (pp. 136–157); finishing walls The first chapter of this book will help inspire you, and ceilings (pp. 158–181); laying flooring (pp. 182–213); with ideas for a range of basement rooms that are both installing windows, doors, and trim (pp. 214–233); and practical and fun. Set up with attractive wall surfaces, installing finish plumbing and wiring (pp. 234–249). practical yet good-looking flooring, and ample lighting, I encourage you to read this book before jumping basement rooms can look and feel much like upstairs right in so that you understand the scope of what’s rooms. The next chapter, starting on p. 22, gets down to involved in creating your new living space and learn the gritty reality: Before you start even planning a base- how to complete the process in an organized, efficient ment remodel, it’s essential that a basement be strong manner. 4 5