The basement as just packed full of stuff. Start by clearing out as much stuff as possable.

Applying the Dry-Loc water seal. Not because the basement is wet, but because the sealer helps block out Radon gas. Also went around the perimeter of basement with a caulk gun and sealed up all the gaps where the house rests on the foundation.

Getting some help from my daughter putting water seal on the walls.

Finished sealing walls. Bought pre-hung interior doors from Home Depot. Very dissapointed with quality. Much better were available from local lumber yard for about same price w/free delivery.

Moved baseboard heat pipes to main beam to be boxed in. Otherwise they interfere with the Armstrong Optigrid ceiling system. Lots of prep makes project longer.

Framing on exterior walls started. Have to work around lots of stuff still in the way. Used 2x2's for the exterior walls. Drill and use screws to fasten top and bottom so they don't split. After they are all in place, pull away from the wall and apply some construction adhesive between the lower wall the the 2x2.

Framed interior wall between living space and storage space. Used a nail gun to fasten the footer to the concrete. Used pressure treated lumber for the footer.

Office will be under windows on right, room behind wall was laundry, but have moved that to 2nd floor. Space will now be work shop.

Main beam boxed in with 3/8 sanded ply. Heat, water & electric run inside. Side panels are removeable for access. Door to shop installed.

R19 insulation on top half of wall with offset, R7 rigid foam on lower half flush with studs. This was really worth the effort. Basement is not cold in winter. And it really deadened the sounds from the waste line.

Blue 4 gang box is for new lighting dimmers/switches. Will have lots of lighting and lighting effects. Metal box is original to be removed.

Builder's mistake: he put single joist where double should have been. It sagged about 1.5 inches, so I jacked it and sandwitched it between 2 more. More repairs delay progress.

Sheetrock arrived. Was well worth the $45 delivery charge to have them carry all 28 sheets to the basement and stack. They even helped me move my stuff to clear an area. Great guys.

Wall is up in family room. Hooked up wall sconces to see effect. Going to remove and reinstall ceiling insulation with paper side facing down because I found that walking around upstairs made glass fibers fall down. Don't want glass fibers working their way throught the ceiling tile gaps, so the insulation gets flipped. End of problem.

Office space is getting 'rocked. 1/2" Pressure treated plywood runs around the entire finished area 1 foot high. It will protect the sheetrock from water damage if water ever leaks in.

Landing at staircase, and door to storage area.

View of Office from family room before painting.

Started painting. Landing and family room wall are in a semi gloss paint called Swiss Coffee.

Finished framing the office knee wall and spackled. Ready for paint. Spackling takes me too long, so I called in a pro to do this part for me. Cost was $400. Water pipes that were below joists in front of windows now raised to pass through joists.

Entertainment center cabinets sit at sligh angle. Gap at right is filled by maple filler pannel. Door pannels are to be replaced by smoked glass so remotes work through them. Large screen TV will fit on top.

Cabinets are stacked in office until install time.

Nice quality cabinets. Face frames are solid maple, along with doors/drawer fronts. File drawers are on full extension guides rated 100lbs and dovetail joints. Ordered cabinets from cab-net.com. Talk to Richard and tell him Mark sent you.

Walls and trim painted, and R30 insulation installed in whole ceiling for sound deadening (notice paper side down). There is a big difference in sound even without the ceiling up yet.

Freezer in place under stairs. Fits in nicely with room for air circulation.

This is the Armstrong OptiGrid ceiling system. Vinyl beams that screw directly to the joist save headroom and take standard 2x2 or 2x4 ceiling tiles. We are using 2x4 tiles.

Here the screws that hold the main beams in place are visible. Similar to suspended ceiling systems, but only uses 1-5/8 inches of headroom. Plus iles can be removed and replaced anywhere in the ceiling system. Its tight, but it works just like they said it would.

Start of flooring. Filled expansion joints with Thinset morter. Scraped and vacumed the concrete. Snapped chalk lines to square and center room. Then spread adhesive, let it dry and lay the tiles.

Here is a good view of the flooring. Amstrong CVT (Composite Vinyl Tile) Commercial tile. We chose this for its durability, ease of cleaning, and it won't come off the concrete floor if water ever gets in.

Major work completed. Ceiling is done, walls painted, floor installed, new furniture. Still have to address the post and many other details.

Office just needs the counter tops installed and maple wall cap installed. Hallway not tiled yet. Dark stripe is thinset mortar where I filled expansion joint.

The office gets track lighting. Four 50 watt halogen bulbs really light up the work area. They are on a dimmer to cut back the intensity and stretch bulb life.

Windows are framed very tight to leave space for the wall cabinet. Will be hard to add curtians or blinds. Windows haven't been washed since '92. Maybe it's time.

Office is nearly done. Cabinets installed, formica desk top is on, and wiring complete for PC and internet access. Moved in supplies and files, added handles to cabinets. Just have maple cap to install on wall.

Floor tiles have been polished and have nice low luster shine. Still open to options for covering the post. Added book cases, area rug and other decorating details.

Finally decided to hide the post wih a tapered wood column. Column was ordered sawed length wise in two. Glued two halves together and glued to base. Base is glued to floor.

Both top and bottom pieces were split. Glued together with Liquid Nails.

Centering column around steel post while Liquid Nails sets up at base. Top halves are then installed from the sides and more glue. A few screws hold top of column to main beam.

Column was more work than I thought. It brings a little style to the simple design of the basement.

Added the maple boards to top of knee wall. Office is Done.

I really like the way the maple cap worked out on the office wall and by the stair and entertainment centers. Gives a nice warm feeling, and a nice finished quality look.

TV is installed, maybe next year a big screen TV will be sitting there. I made it big enough to hold a 54" HDTV.

Weight set and bicycle are in place.

Stair was painted white, and black vinyl tread was glued on to riser and step. Black hides the dirt, and cleans up easy.

View of office and exercise area from couch.

Family room area is looking great. The wall sconces make a nice soft reflected light in the room. Great for watching movies.

The book cases are getting filled, pictures on wall, and the rooms are being used. Really like the extra space, and when things get noisy upstairs, I can come down here and relax, or just send the kids down here to play while wife and I enjoy peace upstairs.

I can keep an eye on the kids while working. This little office has worked out very well. We are using the basement on a regular basis. Kids have parties here, the couch is a sleeper and now we have extra bed for overnight guests.