The Basement Renovation: Special Challenges
Finishing Under the Stairs: Installing a Jack-Post
We placed the jack post near the damaged post and adjusted it so that it engaged the cross member. We screwed a 2x4 to the cross member to act as a temporary brace and and we cut the damaged portion away
Once we removed the damaged post and cleared away all the debris, we lowered the jack post so that the temporary brace supported the entire load.
We positioned the jack post under the existing post and adjusted it to the point that it supported the structure. After making sure it was plumb, we attached it to the post with screws and removed the temporary brace.
With a metal post replacing the wood post, tying in the existing structure would have been impossible so I removed the rest of the existing cabinet structure and framed the area for a solid wall. The advantage to this is that it opened up more storage space that could be accessed from the laundry room.
I built a simple stud wall to fit into the opening and covered it with drywall. A built-in bookshelf would have been a little more elegant, but I was faced with a time crunch at this point and the drywall option meant that I would not have to take any time to head to Home Depot for more supplies.
The cubby
Originally, this box was to serve as a cubby for the cat litter pan for our two cats. It worked reasonably well and both cats got some use out of the new location. Unfortunately, before the basement was completely finished, neither cat was still with us. . Fortunately, the cubby was large enough to provide a reasonable amount of storage, and, as luck would have it, proved to be the ideal location for a recycling bin. I simply had to make a plywood door to cover the opening.
The stairs were sheathed with hardboard, which was flexible enough to conform to the curve. The treads and risers were extended by an inch and a half to allow for the carpet to be tucked underneath. 2x2s were screwed to the edge of the steps for the extensions. Where there was a curve to the steps, the curve was traced onto wider material (2x4 or 2x6) and that material was trimmed down.
The hardboard was primed with an oil-base primer, and Fibre-Decor was applied for a unique textured surface.
- « previous
- 1Condition of the basement, stripping the walls and tackling the moisture problem
- 2Designing a floor plan that works. Comparing the existing floor plan with my renovation
- 3Some of the unique challenges in my basement included working around an existing window
- 4A sloping floor presented a challenge when we installed doors. Mistakes were made and lessons were learned.
- 5The stairs were located right next to the block exterior wall, but I was still able to add some insulation and drywall
- 6Finishing the wall beside the stairs and finding a new use for an old milk chute
- 7Finding a new use for the space under the stairs led to the discovery of a rotted supporting post
- 8
- 9Dealing with plumbing, ducts and support beams
- 10Turning the root cellar under the porch into small work and storage room.
- 11Replacing the double laundry tub with a single opened up a little more space in the laundry room
- 12With our baby due in about a month, it was time to get the basement finished so we could make room upstairs for the nursury
- 13The completed project, doubling the living space in our house
- 14A look at how the basement evolved during the project
- next »
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