Moving Forward: Basement Work Beginning with Plates

April 3, 2009 is the last time Ryan and I did any work in our basement.  Once the girls and I figured out that we wouldn't be going back to Spain after Christmas (boo!) We decided it was time to get moving on this project again.  We need the space to expand!  So, from a recommendation from cousin Kyle, we hired Stern Construction to help us finish out the framing of our basement.  Let's face it...I love construction, but framing was just something I could not do by myself!  So, just over two years later, basement construction has begun again! 

This was the last section we completed ourselves.  We had also done the framing and wiring for the exercise room before this wall was constructed.

So, the new construction.  This post will be all the bottom plates that are made of treated lumber.

These are the plates for the guest room.  The opening at the bottom is the doorway, with the bathroom walls to the right.  The top right corner is a closet.

Also in the corner of the guest room is our main water shut off.  I asked the framers to build a bump out around it so I could put in an access panel if I ever need to get down there to shut off the water to the house.

This is a view standing in the guest room looking toward the bathroom and stairway.

Here is a view of the bathroom.  We had plumbing rough-ins put in when we had the house built.  The black square in the middle of the picture is the shower drain.  There will be a toilet then vanity to the right of that.

This is our electrical closet.  I asked them to build a 4x4 closet and it will just stay unfinished on the inside.  The sewer pipe will be in the closet as well.



This is our utility closet.  It will contain all of our major appliances like our furnace, water heater and water softener.  Our sump pump and sewage ejector pits are also in this closet.  It will probably stay unfinished on the inside.

They started framing once they got all the planning and plates done.  They decided to bump this wall out to accommodate the sewer pipe.  The wall on the left is where I plan to build my entertainment center.

I had drawn up our basement plans myself ages ago.  I also have plans drawn up for our built in entertainment center and our wet bar.  Stern Construction is awesome.  I definitely recommend Brent and his team!