Here is the start... It's ugly and there are water issues.. First we are sealing the walls and I will be digging out trenches to redirect the downspouts to the street, not a small project... We are removing the wood burning furnace and going with baseboard heat this winter, so we will get that space back. Focusing on safety for the kids and good use of space...
The boys did an excellent job!
I learned though that it takes ALOT of masonry sealer to get the job done... :) I decided to order a 5 Gallon bucket of DampLock, it should coat better then the sealer we purchased from Walmart. I'm going to rip out the old Windows and put in vented glass block windows. Not sure what to do about the floor yet.
Any ideas on what I should do with the ceiling? Paint? Cover? I want it to be white or reflective, to maximize light to the plants... Would love feedback... I was thinking about that bubble/foil insulation you can get at the hardware stores...
Erica and the kids also surprised me with some more work of their own, I will put those pics up this weekend...
On another note, Erica loves the cleaned up walls so much that she wants to put an art studio, the laundry room along with the Aquaponics Lab down there... I'm really happy it's a 1200 sqft basement, doing this will have the extra benefit of freeing up some space in our house, that is a welcome possibility! I just have to figure out how to get it and keep it nice and dry...
Do you have a de-humidifier in there? Used to have a wet basement in the house I grew up in We had a de-humidifier. I would have to empty it weekly and would dump out about 2 gallons of water. If you can, dig a french drain around the perimeter. Seal it with cement so you don't get bugs or bacteria.
ReplyDeleteMark - Great idea. I actually think I will use your strategy plus additional drainage outside to pull gutter drainage much further away from the house.
ReplyDeleteI will start with the gutter drainage, then wait, a bit to see what that does to the water seepage, probably 2 months. During that time I'll get a dehumidifier and tie it into a laundry drain, so I don't have to empty it. If that is enough good... if not, I will wait until the end of winter and do the french drain system.
For the better and healthier diet there is Paleo Diet Recipes
ReplyDeleteand to make your farming better and more cheaperAquaponic is there.